Tom Sawyer arrived home. He felt very sad. Aunt Polly was very angry with him. She said, "Tom, I want to punish you very much!"
"What did I do, Aunt Polly?" Tom asked. Aunt Polly said he had done enough. She had gone to see Mrs. Harper. She had told Mrs. Harper about Tom's dream.
But Joe Harper had already told his mother the truth. Tom had really been in the house that night and had heard the families talking. Aunt Polly felt like a fool because she had believed a lie.
Tom felt very ashamed. This was a new way to look at his joke. Before, it was a clever plan. Now, it was just mean. He looked at the floor and stayed silent.
"I am sorry, Aunt Polly," Tom said. "I did not think." Aunt Polly sighed. She said Tom only thought about himself. She said he did not care about her sadness.
"I did not come to laugh at you," Tom said. "I came to tell you we were safe. I did not want you to worry." Aunt Polly did not believe him. She thought he was telling another lie.
"It is the truth, Aunt Polly," Tom said. "I wanted to help you." Aunt Polly said she wanted to believe him. But she asked why he did not tell her the truth that night.
Tom explained his plan. He said the funeral was a great idea. He did not want to spoil the surprise. "I had a note on a piece of sycamore bark," Tom said.
"I wrote that we were only being pirates," Tom said. "I wanted to leave it on the table. But then I changed my mind. I put the note back in my pocket."
Aunt Polly looked at Tom. Her face was soft now. "Did you kiss me, Tom?" she asked. Tom said yes. He said he kissed her because he loved her.
Tom said Aunt Polly was crying in her sleep. He felt very sorry for her. These words sounded like the truth. Aunt Polly told Tom to kiss her again and go to school.
When Tom left, Aunt Polly went to a closet. She found the old jacket Tom wore on the island. She held the jacket in her hands. She was afraid to look in the pocket.
"Maybe he told a lie," Aunt Polly said to herself. "But it is a beautiful lie. It makes me feel happy. I do not want to find out the truth. I will not look."
Aunt Polly put the jacket away. But she thought about it for a minute. She wanted to know the truth. She reached into the pocket and found the piece of sycamore bark.
Aunt Polly read the note. Tears fell from her eyes. She was very happy now. "I can forgive Tom for everything!" she said. She knew Tom loved her.