The last direct conversations with Dill occur in Chapter 23 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the day after the trial. In this chapter, Dill goes over to the Finches' house first thing in the morning and accompanies Scout and Jem over to the home of Miss Maudie's, who encourages the children by reminding them that, even though their father lost the case, Atticus has led Maycomb's society in taking a baby step towards creating a more just society. They emerge from Miss Maudie's house to find Miss Stephanie, Miss Rachel, and Mr. Avery still gossiping on the sidewalk; Mr. Avery's face turns red, and the two women begin waving wildly to beckon the children to come to them, signs that something bad has happened. When the three children join the adults, Miss Rachel grabs Dill by the shoulder and says the last words directly spoken to Dill in the book:
You get on in the back yard and stay there ... There's danger a'comin'. (Ch. 22)
Scout and Jem soon learn that the adults are in a tither because Atticus had just been spat on and threatened by Bob Ewell, who had promised "he'd get [Atticus] if it took the rest of his life." Hence, Miss Rachel is commanding Dill to stay at home because she fears for his safety if he continues spending time with the Finches. However, her imprisonment of Dill does not last long, for, in Chapter 24, Jem takes Dill to Barker's Eddy to teach him to swim on the last few days of his summer in Maycomb, though we only learn of their swimming adventures indirectly from Scout.
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