Tacit Treaty
"Our tacit treaty with Miss Maudie was that we could play on her lawn, eat her scuppernongs if we didn’t jump on the arbor, and explore her vast back lot, terms so generous we seldom spoke to her,
so careful were we to preserve the delicate balance of our relationship, but Jem
and Dill drove me closer to her with their behavior."
The alliteration in the words Tacit and Treaty work effectively. Scout is saying here that Dill, Jem and her had a sort-of silent arrangement with Miss Maudie that they could do what they wanted in her yard, except for 'jump on the arbor' (an arbor is a shady place of rest, showing that Miss Maudie worked hard on this, and didn't want it ruined) and explore the back lot of her garden, suggesting she has something to hide.
Scout, Jem and Dill enjoyed this agreement so much that they 'seldom spoke to her'. This is probably because they didn't want to ruin the arrangement with her, so they can have the best deal out of the situation.
so careful were we to preserve the delicate balance of our relationship, but Jem
and Dill drove me closer to her with their behavior."
The alliteration in the words Tacit and Treaty work effectively. Scout is saying here that Dill, Jem and her had a sort-of silent arrangement with Miss Maudie that they could do what they wanted in her yard, except for 'jump on the arbor' (an arbor is a shady place of rest, showing that Miss Maudie worked hard on this, and didn't want it ruined) and explore the back lot of her garden, suggesting she has something to hide.
Scout, Jem and Dill enjoyed this agreement so much that they 'seldom spoke to her'. This is probably because they didn't want to ruin the arrangement with her, so they can have the best deal out of the situation.