The day after their arrival at Eden, Martin falls ill with a fever. Desperate, Mark goes to a neighbor for help and discovers his fellow passengers, the woman and her three children, along with her husband. They are overjoyed to be reunited, but Mark sees that their little girl is on the brink of death. The husband goes with Mark to examine Martin and declares that he has fever and ague (malaria). He himself has had it for a long time, but it is not serious in his case. That night, the little girl dies, and Mark helps his friends bury her under a tree. Martin is ill for many weeks, and Mark watches over him by night and works on the land by day. A neighbor, Hannibal Chollop, comes to visit. Spitting tobacco on the floor, Chollop expounds the virtues of America, with which Mark disagrees. Martin eventually recovers, but before reaching full health, Mark falls ill. As Martin works and watches, he comes to realize his lifelong selfishness. His experience in Eden has cured him of this, however, and when Mark finally recovers, he proposes that they write to Mr. Bevan for assistance and return to England. It is many weeks before they receive money from their American friend, and Mark and Martin leave Eden with no regrets.

On the boat back up the river, they meet Elijah Pogram, a congressman, who expounds on the greatness of the American system. When they arrive back at the National Hotel, Captain Kedgick tells them that the people will be upset to see them, having attended the levee expecting the Englishmen to settle—and most likely die—in Eden. Mr. Pogram speaks to the people at the hotel, exciting much interest among the American people. When Martin and Mark return to New York, Mr. Bevan apologizes for getting them into this venture. He offers them money to return to England, but Mark takes a job aboard the ship as a cook, which allows them to pay back their loan to Mr. Bevan.

Martin and Mark return to England a year after they had left. As they are sitting in a tavern, they are surprised to see Mr. Pecksniff pass by. They follow him and learn that he is placing the cornerstone of a public building. There is a great crowd around the site, cheering Mr. Pecksniff for his great work done for the community. Martin looks at the plans and is enraged to see that it is the grammar school that he had designed, on which Pecksniff had drawn four windows to claim it as his own work.