Boo Radley placed the blanket over Scout's shoulders.
In Chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird, on a bitterly cold night, especially for southern Alabama, Scout is awakened by her father because Miss Maudie's house has caught fire. Since this fire is raging right across from their home, Atticus instructs the children to stand in front of the Radleys' front gate away from the fire.
The fire begins to devour Miss Maudie's house. Finally, the children see the old fire truck, which has been "killed by the cold," being pushed from town by a large group of men. When the men hook the hose to the hydrant, the old hose bursts and water shoots into the air. The men carry out what they can for Miss Maudie, and they call to Mr. Avery to get out.
Shortly thereafter, the fire truck from a nearby town arrives and pumps water on the Finch house and others close by. All that can be done is to protect the nearby homes. It is nearly dawn when the children return to their house. As they enter, a perplexed Atticus looks at Scout; then, he becomes stern, growling, "I thought I told you and Jem to stay put." Scout tries to explain that they have obeyed, but Atticus interrupts, "Then whose blanket is that?" Unaware that she possesses such an item, Scout glances down and sees she has been clutching a brown woolen blanket.
Jem discloses their interactions with Boo and the little things he has done or made for them. This information assists Atticus in his conclusion:
"We'd better keep this and the blanket to ourselves. Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up."
"Thank who?" Scout asks.
"Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when he put the blanket around you."
Scout is shocked to think that Boo sneaked out of the house to place a blanket around her.
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