Jude the Obscure Part 4 Chapter 4

In which a disquieted husband, bearing the burdens of a loveless union, arrives at a painful and resolute decision to free his estranged wife from their bonds, despite the bitter social conventions that would counsel otherwise. He seeks counsel from an old friend, prepares the household for her departure, and finds in this relinquishment both sorrow and an austere sense of duty, as the tranquil domestic scene quietly unravels.