Book 1: Chapter 6 Summary

Mrs. Tulliver's sisters and brothers-in-law are coming so they may discuss Tom's education.. They are fussy and particular about everything, and the sisters are quick to criticize anything that deviates from their set-in-concrete notions about what is proper. Maggie comes in for a lot of their reproof because she stands out not only by the way she looks but also by her unconventional behavior. The children make a point of being away when the aunts arrive because they don't like being picked at and reproached by them.

Tom meets his friend, a snub-nosed, freckle-faced redhead, Bob Jakin. Tom tells him that his father told him about a flood , and he is planning to build a big boat like "Noah's Ark" and keep a supply of food. He says he would take Bob and would share his food with him at first...