In this short scene, Shylock tells Nelly that he has to promise that he won't fall in love again. He tells her that she's already done a great job of learning since she was a child. He reminds her of the time they were attacked by assassins in the palace and that he told her to call for help from his father. If she had refused to stay with him, he would still ask her to leave. Nelly admits that she was afraid to hug him because she thought he was going to die. She tells him that he's doing a good job of running the prison, managing banks, and so on. She says that he is better than all the other men in the world because he doesn't have to put so much pressure on himself. He promises to get her through the day.