When Ellen appears in her parlor, dressed to go out, her aunt Medora points out the bouquet of flowers that had been sent to Ellen from her estranged husband. Immediately, Ellen gives the flowers to her maid, telling her to take them next door to a friend who is ill. Ellen does not want the bouquet to remain in her house. Then she questions her aunt, asking if she and Archer had time to become acquainted with one another. Without giving her aunt time to reply, Ellen tells her aunt that if she does not leave right then, she will be late for her engagement. So Archer assists the woman to a carriage waiting outside and returns to Ellen, who is now alone.

Archer asks Ellen if it is true that her husband wants to reconcile their marriage. When Ellen does not react to this question, Archer understands that the idea had not come as a surprise to her. Ellen tells him that her aunt had hinted at such an idea. She adds that she had expected her husband to make such a move. Archer says that he sensed that Medora believed Ellen would reunite with her husband. Ellen sharply replies that many people believe mean things about her. Then she changes the topic of conversation, turning to the troubles Archer is going through.

Ellen says she understands Archer’s desire to shorten his engagement with May. In Europe, people think the American concept of long engagements is strange, she tells him. She also says that she is surprised May does not agree with him. Ellen thinks May is too intelligent to believe in some strange superstition about short engagements. Archer says May sensed that he was distracted, even to the point of possibly being in love with another woman. May wanted to use the extended engagement to help him make up his mind about which woman he truly wanted to be his wife. Upon learning this, Ellen asks if May is giving Archer time to give her up for the other woman, to which Archer responds, “If I want to.”

Ellen wants to know if there is someone else, but Archer avoids answering. He says May’s concession was “ridiculous” because he has no intention of marrying anyone else. However, Archer confesses that May was right; he is distracted by another woman. When Archer grabs Ellen’s hand, however, she rebuffs him, telling him not to make love to her because too many men have already done that. Archer answers that he has never made love to her and never will, but she is the woman he would have married if it had been possible.

This statement irritates Ellen. She yelled at him that he is the one who made it impossible for her to marry again. He is the one who convinced her not to seek a divorce, not to create a scandal, and she decided to follow his advice so as to not mar his marriage to May. Archer begins to explain his own misunderstandings about her, but he stops himself, not wanting to explain that he thought she had an affair with her husband’s secretary. However, Ellen probes deeper until Archer hints at her husband’s charges against her. Ellen says she had nothing to hide. Nothing in her husband’s letter could have harmed her.

The miscommunications and misunderstandings have undermined their relationship, Archer realizes. He admits to Ellen that he loves her. He tells her they could overcome all the barriers between them. He is not yet married, so he is free, especially now that May is willing to...