Chapter 18 Summary

At breakfast the day after the funeral service, Aunt Polly tells Tom that it wasn't nice to have deceived her about his still being alive. Tom should have at least slipped home and told her that he was all right. Tom consoled his aunt the best way by recalling the events of the night he had hid under the bed - only he told it to her as if he had dreamed it. Tom is accurate down to every word and teardrop and Aunt Polly believes even more in the power of dreams and superstitions.

All the kids wanted to be near Tom at school and clamor around him; the young ones wanted to be like the wayward pirate and the older ones envied him. However, Tom is concerned more with glory now than the attentions of Becky Thatcher. Becky is flirting and...