In which Jude Fawley, estranged from both his intellectual aspirations and his beloved Sue, finds himself lost in squalid taverns and convivial company, where his late-night declamation of the Nicene Creed mingles bravado with a painful sense of defeat. Seeking refuge from his despair, he returns to the quiet familiarity of Marygreen and faces the sober counsel of a young clergyman, who offers him a tentative path back to his halted hopes.