Chapter 27 Summary: The Funeral and the Missing Money
Late at night, Huck creeps downstairs with the bag of stolen gold, desperate to hide it before the king and the duke can abscond with the Wilks family's inheritance. Finding the watchers asleep in the dining room and the parlor empty except for Peter Wilks's corpse, Huck makes a split-second decision: he tucks the money bag into the coffin, just beneath the lid and past the dead man's cold, crossed hands. Before he can reconsider, Mary Jane enters the parlor to mourn her father, and Huck slips away unseen. Back in bed, he agonizes over his predicament—if the money is discovered when the coffin is sealed, the king will reclaim it, but writing to Mary Jane risks his own arrest if the bag has already been taken by someone else.
Peter Wilks's Funeral and the Undertaker's Performance
The next day brings Peter Wilks's funeral, and Twain transforms the solemn occasion into darkly comic satire. The undertaker glides silently through the crowded rooms, arranging mourners with nods and hand signals, described by Huck as having "no more smile to him than there is to a ham." During the Reverend Hobson's eulogy, a dog creates an enormous racket in the cellar. The undertaker slips away, silences the animal with a whack, then returns to whisper the deadpan explanation: "He had a rat!" The crowd is delighted. Meanwhile, Huck watches in agony as the undertaker screws the coffin lid shut without anyone checking inside, leaving Huck unable to confirm whether the money is still hidden there.
The Sale of the Enslaved Family
After the funeral, the king accelerates his scheme. He announces that his "congregation" in England awaits him and that he must settle the estate quickly, promising to take the Wilks girls home with him. The trusting girls agree eagerly. The king then auctions off the house, property, and the enslaved people belonging to the estate. In one of the novel's most wrenching scenes, the enslaved family is torn apart—two sons sold up the river to Memphis and their mother sold down the river to New Orleans. The Wilks girls and the enslaved family cling to one another in grief. Huck is sickened but consoles himself with the knowledge that the sale is fraudulent and the family will be reunited once the scheme unravels.
Huck Blames the Missing Money on the Enslaved Workers
The following morning, the king and the duke confront Huck in the garret, demanding to know who took their stolen gold. Thinking quickly, Huck claims he saw the enslaved workers entering the king's room on the morning of the funeral, implying they took the money before being sold. The duke seizes on this explanation with bitter admiration, praising the enslaved people's "histrionic talent" for appearing grief-stricken at their sale. The king and the duke reluctantly accept the loss, and Huck privately congratulates himself for deflecting suspicion without actually harming the enslaved people, who are already beyond the con men's reach. The chapter ends with the king and duke bickering over whose fault it is, while Huck quietly observes their unraveling partnership.