The scene opens with a wet towel on the floor. It's the middle of the night, and Madame Bovary is worried about her husband. She's worried about him, too, because he's had a fever, and she doesn't know what's wrong with him. He's also worried about his son, who's been having a hard time adjusting to life in the big city. He asks her to take care of him, but she's too high-spirited to do so. She tells him that her husband has always been a "neutral position" among the princes, and that she still needs him to look after her son. She also tells him about the rumor that Prince Shao hates her son, and he says that's not true, but that he'll take her leave. She leaves, and says that she heard the rumor about Shao's hatred of her, but it's just not true. She says that if Shao really cared about her, he would have been nicer to her at the palace, and would have apologized earlier. She thinks that Shao is still mad at her,