The scene opens with a suicide note. It's a slip of the tongue on the part of the Governess's lover. The Governess doesn't know what to make of the note, but she does know that she's going to have to kill her own self. She's not sure if she'll make it out alive or not. She decides to look up the Latin phrase "as you are / I was," which means "kill her self." She'll also have to find out where she is.