In Which It May Be Inferred, That the Best Things Are Liable to Be Misunderstood and Misinterpreted
At the entry to the puppet-show, a big uproar starts up.
The landlady of the local inn is beating her maid, who she just found "in a situation not very proper to be described" (12.6.2) with a clown (called a "Merry-Andrew.")
The landlady attacks her husband and the puppet-show man in the inn kitchen.
She accuses them of encouraging this kind of sexual misbehavior with their plays.
She says it would be better to stick to stories out of the Bible.
The appearance of this shouting woman quickly stops the puppet-show man's earlier argument with Tom.
It's really unlucky (from the puppet-show man's perspective) that she had to arrive right when he was talking about the good morals of his show.
The puppet-show man runs out to punish his clown for making trouble.
Partridge convinces Tom to spend the night at the inn, so they can ask around after Sophia in the morning.
Tom goes to bed, taking the little book and Sophia's muff with him.
Partridge eats down in the kitchen with the puppet-show man, the landlady and landlord, a lawyer's clerk, and an "exciseman" (12.6.10), which is a man who collects taxes.