The scene opens with the Governess's mother scolding her daughter for flirting with a young man. The Governess tells her daughter that she's too young to be a rival for the man's affections, and that she should just let her boyfriend be her boyfriend. She's not so sure about that, though, because she'd rather have her fourth boyfriend be a "blatter" than her first three. She tells the girl to "pray let go" of the man, and the two begin to argue about whether or not she should behave in such a way.