What happened in the village when they heard Tom and Becky were missing? What was Aunt Polly’s condition when she did not get any information about them?

The villagers learn that Tom and becky are missing when they arrive at church the next morning. Becky's mother and Aunt Polly approach Mrs. Harper, assuming that Tom and Becky have stayed overnight with Susy and Joe Harper. It is soon discovered, however, that both Tom and Becky have not been seen since the picnic. Fear arises that the two children, whom no one had seen on the ferry ride home last night, are still missing within McDougal's cave. For the next three days and nights, Becky and Tom are still missing. The town has formed search parties and the depths of the cave are being ransacked in hopes of finding the children.

Aunt Polly's condition:

Aunt Polly had drooped into a settled melancholy, and her gray hair had grown almost white.