Tom Sawyer had a great secret. This was his scheme to return home. He wanted to go to his own funeral with Joe Harper and Huckleberry Finn. On Saturday evening, the boys crossed the river on a log. They landed five or six miles away from the village.
The boys slept in the woods until the morning. Then they walked through small streets and back lanes. They went into the church and climbed to the upper floor. They finished their sleep on the floor among some old benches. They stayed there until the funeral began.
On Monday morning, Aunt Polly and Mary were very kind to Tom. They gave him a good breakfast. Aunt Polly said, "Tom, your joke was very clever. But you were very mean to me. I was very sad for a week. You did not tell me you were alive."
Mary said, "You could have told her, Tom. I think you wanted to tell her." Aunt Polly looked at Tom. Her face was hopeful. She asked, "Is that true, Tom? Did you want to tell me?"
Tom said, "I do not know. It would have ruined the secret." Aunt Polly felt very sad. She said, "I hope you love me. I want you to care about me. It is important to think about other people."
Mary tried to help Tom. She said, "Tom is always in a rush. He does not think about things." Aunt Polly sighed. She said, "Sid would think about me. One day, you will be sorry, Tom."
Tom said, "I do care for you, Aunt Polly." Aunt Polly replied, "I want to see you act like you care." Tom felt bad. He said, "I am sorry. But I had a dream about you."
Aunt Polly said, "A dream is not much. But it is better than nothing. What did you dream?" Tom began to tell a story. He told Aunt Polly about the night he visited the house secretly.
Tom said, "I dreamt you were sitting by the bed. Sid and Mary were there too." Aunt Polly was surprised. "We were there! What else?" Tom said he saw Joe Harper’s mother in the room.
"She was here!" Aunt Polly shouted. Tom said, "I dreamt the wind made the candle flicker. You told Sid to close the door." Aunt Polly was very excited. She said, "I did say that! Go on, Tom!"
Tom said, "You said I was not a bad boy. You said I was only a little wild. Then you began to cry." Aunt Polly cried again now. She said, "That is all true! This is a vision!"
Tom told her more details. He said that in his dream, they talked about the funeral on Sunday. He told Aunt Polly that he wrote a note for her on a piece of sycamore bark, and then he kissed her.
Aunt Polly hugged Tom very hard. She said, "I forgive you for everything! You are a good boy." Sid heard this and thought Tom was lying. But Sid stayed quiet. Aunt Polly gave Tom a big apple and sent him to school.
At school, Tom was a hero. He walked with a swagger. All the small boys followed him. The other boys were very jealous of him.
Tom and Joe Harper told stories about the island. They were very proud of themselves. They even smoked their pipes in front of the other children. This was the highest point of their fame.
Tom decided he did not need Becky Thatcher. He wanted to be a famous pirate. Soon, Becky arrived at school. Tom pretended he did not see her. He began to talk to Amy Lawrence.
Becky felt a sharp pain in her heart. She was very unhappy. She tried to act happy. She talked to Mary Austin about a picnic. She said, "I am going to have a picnic soon."
All the children asked to come to the picnic. But Tom did not ask. He continued to talk to Amy Lawrence. Becky felt very sad. She went away and cried alone.
At recess, Tom continued to talk to Amy Lawrence. He wanted Becky to see him. But then he saw Becky with Alfred Temple. They were looking at a book together.
Tom felt very angry and jealous. He hated Alfred Temple because Alfred was a rich boy. Tom left the school and went home. He was too unhappy to stay.
Becky was not happy with Alfred Temple. She only used Alfred to make Tom jealous. She said, "I hate you! Leave me alone!" She walked away and cried.
Alfred Temple was very angry. He understood that Becky only cared about Tom. He saw Tom’s spelling-book. He opened the book and poured ink on the pages. He wanted Tom to get in trouble.
Becky saw Alfred Temple do this through a window. At first, she wanted to tell Tom. She wanted to be friends again. But then she remembered Tom’s mean behavior.
Becky changed her mind. She thought, "I will let the teacher punish Tom. I will not tell him about the ink." She decided to hate Tom forever.