- By the time dusk rolls around, an anonymous stranger arrives at the inn and expresses anxiety on behalf of Joseph. Finally.
- Before the stranger can reveal his identity, a great hubbub arises. One of the thieves has been nabbed.
- Joseph begs Betty to see if the thief has a little piece of broken gold with a ribbon tied to it. It's a memento from Fanny, obvi.
- Betty's pretty cool about obliging this odd request.
- Yup, the broken piece of gold has turned up, along with all of Joseph's clothes. The "stranger" turns out to totally be Parson Adams, who recognizes Joseph's clothes. A little weird, perhaps?
- Once Betty confides in Mrs. Tow-wouse that Joseph appears to be a great man, Mrs. Tow-wouse gets a little nicer.
- To answer the question on everyone's minds, Adams is randomly at the inn because he's on his way to London. Turns out he's planning to publish a bunch of his sermons.
- However, Joseph comes first. Adams resolves to stay behind until his dearest friend is all better.
- This might actually not take that long, because Joseph appears to be recovering on the double. What was that about dying, again?
- Let's not forget about the thief. Barnabus and the surgeon spend a whole lot of time debating about how to bring him to justice: do they need Joseph's piece of gold to prove he's a thief?
- See, there isn't a lawyer around these parts; this is why Barnabus and the surgeon spend so much time bickering about what to do.
- It's time for a totally unpredictable turn. The narrator spends a good long time delivering a speech about how bad vanity is. This is solely to make a short chapter longer, the narrator tells us.