Hiding in the cave, James reflects on killing Hopkins. James concludes that the act was revenge, but James cannot decide whether it was justice, evil, or something in between. What unsettles James most is not guilt but emotional numbness, which makes James wonder what other acts James might now be capable of.

On a Sunday morning, James hears church bells from Hannibal and then approaching footsteps. James hides until Huck calls out. Huck explains that people have been watching him closely, so he slipped away from church to visit. Huck says he has repeatedly denied seeing James, even when questioned many times, and admits that he could not bring himself to tell anyone James was dead.

Huck reports that he told the adults about the King, Bilgewater, and the riverboat explosion, and that people already knew about a slave who had stolen another slave. When James asks about Sadie and Lizzie, Huck says Hopkins had mentioned a Graham farm, though Huck does not know where it is. Huck also says Hopkins has disappeared and that Judge Thatcher believes Hopkins likely got drunk, fell into the river, and drowned.

Hearing this, James regrets that James killed Hopkins without first forcing more information from him. James recognizes that anger and the desire for vengeance overruled strategy, so James vows never to lose control that way again. Huck then warns James that if James is caught, the town wants to hang him. James accepts that fear has long governed James's life and sits quietly with Huck.

Before leaving, Huck and James briefly speak about fishing and the war. Huck says he would choose the Union because it is against slavery. James privately doubts that ending slavery is the central motive of the war and suspects emancipation will be only an incidental outcome. After walking Huck back to the beach and watching him paddle away, James fixes on the one useful clue Huck brought: the Graham farm, which James now needs to find.