The scene opens with Alice in the kitchen with her husband, William, who is trying to teach her how to survive in the wet and cold. Alice complains that she cannot swim and that she is being taught to survive by her husband. She tells him that if he does not save her, she will be eaten alive by ada smith. She says that if she continues to be weak, she is going to be caught by the "mister" and that he is teaching her to survive. She asks him to protect her, but he tells her that he will trade her to a "da smith" if he needs her. Alice asks if he will protect her and he replies that he cannot, because she is just a "pawn in his hand" . He tells her to go home and change her clothes, but she says that she has to thank him for saving her life. She then asks him if he is seducing her, and he says that even though they are nominally married, he cannot force her to have sex with him. He says that he has the heart of a young woman and that his body is young enough to make him a deal with her. He asks if she is threatening him, and she replies that she does not want to die, just because she cares about her daughter. She adds that she would rather die than live so painfully, even if she dies, that she will cause others to suffer. Alice says that the "smiths" are not as bad as the "clintons" , but that she knows them well, so she is not intimidated by them.