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"If Aunt Alexandra could be a lady at a time like this, so could I." What do you think Scout meant by this?

This quote comes at the end of chapter 24. In this chapter, Aunt Alexandra is hosting the missionary circle, and many women are at the Finch home for the meeting. Atticus comes home and calls Aunt Alexandra into the kitchen, where he informs Calpurnia and Alexandra of Tom Robinson's death. Scout sees that her aunt is highly distressed by this turn of events. She is upset that the people in the town have left it to Atticus to try to achieve justice for the black residents of the county when all of them should have been advocates for Tom, who was obviously falsely accused. Aunt Alexandra's voice is shaking and she sits down with her head in her hands. Scout thinks she might be crying. She's not, but she is angry and upset. Nevertheless, she composes herself and goes out to serve the ladies, allowing Calpurnia to go with Atticus to comfort Tom's wife. Even though Aunt Alexandra has anger toward some of the women who are her guests, she serves them graciously and doesn't repay their selfishness with unkindness. Scout sees this and follows her aunt's example. The quote shows that Scout understands that a lady treats others graciously, even when they don't deserve it. Scout tends to be hot-headed, wanting to get into fist fights to solve disagreements. Here she sees her aunt's strength and begins to realize that being a lady requires its own kind of strength. She begins to value the skill of being a lady and to call upon something inside herself to be kind to others even when she is upset or angry. 

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