Sixteen years pass. After a ceremony in the Raveloe church, the congregation exits. Godfrey is now married to Nancy. They are middle-aged but childless; they have inherited most of the “divided” family fortune after Squire Cass’s death, though Godfrey has not inherited his father’s title (154). Silas leaves the church, looking older than his 55 years. Eppie, now 18, leaves with him. A boy named Aaron Winthrop, who is Dolly’s son, follows closely behind them. When Eppie tells Silas how much she would like a garden, Aaron offers to dig one. They make plans for him to do so, inviting him to bring Dolly with him.

The house where Silas lives with Eppie is almost unrecognizable. They have many pets, as well as extra rooms with expensive furniture, purchased for them by Godfrey. The people of Raveloe have noticed that Godfrey favors Eppie, but they credit this as evidence of his improved character rather than anything more sinister, like a secret first marriage. As Silas and Eppie eat dinner, he watches her play with the pets. Afterward, they go outside. Silas smokes a pipe, which the people of Raveloe have “strongly urged” him to do as solution for his occasional fits (159).