In this short scene, the audience is introduced to Shylock and his fiancee, Ling. Shylock has promised Ling that he will marry her, but he is unable to do so because of the cold weather. He tells her that his uncle has been ill, and she is supposed to come to treat him, but she cannot enter the house because it is dark. When she asks why he has not invited them in, Shylock replies that his son has been possessed by the ghost of his grandmother, and he cannot promise anything. He then tells Ling to stay in her room for three days and prove that she loves him, and they will be happy together.