In which Jude and Sue, having married quietly to quell scandal, find their neighbours’ suspicion and whispered judgments weighing heavily upon their spirits, compelling them to contemplate a fresh start away from familiar but cold surroundings. They briefly seek solace in the repair of an austere church’s Ten Commandments, only to be interrupted by disapproval and ultimately displacement, while the sale of their cherished possessions underscores the bleak necessity of departure from their beleaguered home.