The scene opens in the hallway of the Inn of the Seven Gables, where the Governess has just returned from a visit with her husband. The Governess tells her husband that she has been unable to communicate with him because he has been away on business. She asks him to tell her what has happened, and he tells her that he has not yet spoken to her. She tells him that she will return to him in a few days, but he does not know how to respond to her