il. Even with all these rumors, Silas was never bothered because the townspeople feared him, and he was the only weaver in the village. Before Silas came to Raveloe he lived in a town to the north, where he was thought of as a young man "of exemplary life and ardent faith." This town was filled with religious people who met in a place called Lantern Yard. During one prayer meeting Silas became unconscious for more than an hour. But, Silas's best friend at the time, William Dane suggested that Silas's fit might have been from the devil rather than from God. Troubled by this suggestion, Silas asked his fiancée, a young servant named Sarah, if she wished to call off their engagement. But, after thinking she decided not to. One night Silas stayed up to watch over the senior deacon of Lantern Yard, who was sick. Waiting for William to come in to relieve him at the end of his shift, Silas realized that it was nearly dawn. Then he realized that the deacon had stopped breathing, and William had never arrived. Silas wondered if he had fallen asleep on his watch. However, later that morning William and the other church members accused Silas of stealing the church's money from the deacon's room. Silas's pocketknife was found the bureau where the money had been stored, and the empty money bag was later found in Silas's house. Silas expected God to clear him of the crime, but when the church members eventually found him guilty and he was excommunicated. Sarah called their engagement off, and Silas renounced his religious faith. Later, William married Sarah and Silas left town.
             Silas finds the villagers in Raveloe are more easygoing and less enthusiastic in their religion. There is nothing familiar in Raveloe to renew Silas's faith in God. Silas uses his loom as a distraction, weaving more quickly than necessary. For the first time he is able to keep the full portion of his earnings for himself, no longer having to share them with the ch...