Mr. Walton gets out of bed and goes into town. He finds Mr. Brownrigg at the home of the Dissenting minister. Because the minister is refusing to pay the tax, Mr. Brownrigg is confiscating his mohogany table.
Mr. Walton buys the table and returns it to the Dissenting minister, Mr. Templeton. He suddenly feels weak and has to lay down on the Templetons' couch.
He recovers enough to be taken home by the doctor, after telling Mr. Brownrigg there will be no more taxing of the townspeople to fix the church. Mr. Templeton writes Mr. Walton a friendly letter and asks him why he belongs to the state church when he disagrees with some of its practices.
Mr. Walton invites Mr. Templeton to dinner, where they discuss the matter thoroughly and come to different conclusions. In spite of their differing opinions, they part as friends. Many years later, when another tax is announced, Mr. Templeton voluntarily contributes.
