This scene opens with a conversation between Miss Betsey and Miss Guinevere. The two women are in the middle of a conversation, and Miss Benvolio is trying to get her to talk to her. She is interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Roberts, who is looking for her. Mr. Rowell, who has come to see her, tries to get him to talk with her, but she refuses to listen to him. She tells him that she is going to die in a month, but that she can't fulfill her wish. She begs him to stay away from her, and he agrees to do so. He tells her that he has heard that she likes to grow flowers, and that he just bought a house with a garden in it. He asks her what has happened, and she says that she did not tell her what she had said