It is a tranquil Saturday afternoon in St. Petersburg, but there is no gaiety as the adults prepare for the boys' funerals. Becky Thatcher finds herself moping about the schoolyard, feeling very melancholy. She has nothing to remember Tom by, and she wishes she had the brass knob that she returned to him. On Sunday, the toll of the church bell calls the mourners to the funeral services. The eulogies begin, noting the rare promise of the lost lads, their sweet generous natures, their noble and beautiful actions, and their promise.
Suddenly, "there was a rustle in the gallery" and with the creaking of the door, the entire congregation rises and stares at the three boys alive and walking down the aisle, first Tom and then Joe followed by Huck in his "drooping rags." Aunt Polly smothers Tom with affection; she even embraces Huck Finn. The minister leads the congregation with hymns of praise. For the rest of the day, Tom receives more "cuffs and kisses" than he has received in a year.
At school, Tom has become a great hero, and the young children follow him about in a sort of adoration. Tom and Joe are both envied and admired by their peers and they become conceited and swaggering. Tom decides that fame and "glory" is quite enough for him and he doesn't need Becky's attention any more. When she arrives, he ignores her and pours special attention on Amy Lawrence. As Tom did earlier, Becky now tries to get Tom's attention by showing off, by inviting other children to her picnic. As Tom continues to ignore her, Becky decides to make Tom jealous and she seeks out the company of Alfred Temple.
Now, in spite of glory, Tom finds himself tormented, especially because he finds Amy's chattering and nonsense intolerable. At noon, Tom goes home because he does not want to see Becky enjoying Alfred's company. Becky soon becomes tired of Alfred, especially since Tom is not around to suffer, and she sends him on his way. For his part, Alfred realizes that he has been used, and, for revenge, he pours ink over Tom's book at the passage for the day's lesson. Becky glances into the schoolroom in time to witness Alfred's treachery, but she decides to let Tom be punished because of the way he treated her earlier.
