That noon, Aunt Polly immediately accosts Tom for lying to her. She has visited with Mrs. Harper (whose son Joe had told her everything) and found out that Tom had actually been over that night and overheard everything that he pretended was in a wonderful dream. In addition to Tom’s lying to her is the humiliation she suffered from being made a fool of: “It makes me feel so bad to think you could let me go to Serena Harper and make such a fool of myself and never say a word.”
Tom admits that his actions were mean, but he didn’t intend to be mean; instead, he came over, he tells her, to let her know that she should not be uneasy about him. Aunt Polly believes it is another lie, but Tom is earnest that he came only “to keep you from grieving.” Aunt Polly wants to believe him but is still cautious. Tom explains that when he heard them planning the funeral, he thought of the fun it would be to suddenly walk in and surprise everyone. This is the reason he didn’t leave the note on the bark. Aunt Polly is surprised about the note, and after she sends him back to school, she goes to the closet to check his clothes. After vacillating back and forth about whether she should check for the note, she eventually does. Finding it, Aunt Polly’s confidence in Tom’s basic goodness is restored.
The scene with Aunt Polly encourages Tom to make up with Becky, and when he approaches her, she strangely rejects him and stomps away. He is confused by the incomprehensible actions of girls. Becky, meanwhile, has seen Alfred pour the ink over Tom’s spelling book but decides not to tell so that Tom will receive a whipping.
While Becky is wandering about the classroom, she sees that Mr. Dobbins’ top desk drawer is open. In it is a book on anatomy, which he reads when the class is busy with projects. All the students are completely entranced about the nature of the book, and Becky has the perfect opportunity to find out what the book contains. She looks about and, seeing that no one is around, removes the book with its handsome engraved and colored frontispiece and finds “a human figure, stark naked.” At this moment a shadow falls across her book: It is Tom Sawyer. In her rush to conceal the book, she tears one of the pages. Now she is horrified because this offense will warrant a whipping in front of the entire class. She blames Tom and hurries from the room. Tom thinks a little licking isn’t that important and decides to “let her sweat it out.”
When school begins again, the ink spots on Tom’s spelling book are revealed. Tom is accused and whipped, even though he stoutly proclaims his innocence. Ironically, Becky is not as happy as she thought she would be, and has to repress an impulse to inform on Alfred. She justifies her silence by assuming that Tom is going to reveal her guilt about the anatomy book.
Later in the afternoon when all are busy, Mr. Dobbins removes his book and discovers the torn page. When he asks the class who tore the book, no one volunteers, so he begins to question each student. When he reaches Becky Thatcher, she turns her head away, and when Mr. Dobbins orders her to look him in the face, Tom springs to his feet and says, “I done it.”
Mr. Dobbins administers the most merciless flogging that he can. Tom, however, is consoled by the look of adoration in Becky’s eyes. After the beating, he is forced to remain two hours after school, but he doesn’t mind because he knows that Becky will be waiting for him. And, indeed, she is. She tells him of Alfred’s treachery and her abetting it, but only her words, “Tom, how COULD you be so noble,” have any lasting meaning for him.
