After Seth’s departure, Judith is inconsolable and will not leave her room: “She had veiled each of the two hundred photographs of Seth with a little black crepe curtain. This done, what else did life hold?” (158).

Flora quickly determines that something must be done about the situation. She makes a lunch appointment in London for herself and Judith to meet a psychiatrist friend named Dr. Mudel. Flora promises Dr. Mudel that Judith will be an interesting case.

At lunch, the doctor convinces Judith to take a rest cure at his asylum, followed by a tour abroad. He explains to Flora that he will shift Judith’s focus away from Seth to an obsession first with him as her physician and later with old churches. He will eventually send her on a tour of all the cathedrals in Europe. Judith happily agrees to the plan. Now that Reuben is running the farm efficiently, plenty of money is available to fund Judith’s trip.

Back at home, Flora faces a new challenge when Elfine’s prospective mother-in-law suggests the wedding reception take place at Cold Comfort Farm. This suggestion leads Flora to conclude that something must be done about Aunt Ada before the event. She ponders the matter for weeks, constantly rereading the Abbe’s words in hopes of finding inspiration.