The scene shifts to Broxton Parsonage, home of the Reverend Mr. Irwine, the local Church of England clergyman. The rector is playing chess with his mother when Joshua Rann, the Hayslope parish clerk, arrives. He tells Mr. Irwine that the Methodists — especially Dinah — are causing religious dissension in the town.
At this point, Arthur Donnithorne, the grandson and heir of the local squire, or landowner, comes in. He is a pleasant, outgoing young man, a captain in the militia. Joshua tells the two men of Thias Bede's death, then goes into the kitchen. There is some talk of Thias' funeral and of Adam, and Arthur suggests that he and Mr. Irwine ride to Hall Farm and then to Bede's. Mrs. Irwine, who is Arthur's godmother, talks about the celebration planned for his twenty-first birthday. Mr. Irwine goes upstairs to visit his two spinster sisters, one of whom is an invalid; then the two men set out for Hall Farm so that Mr. Irwine may speak with Dinah.
