That evening, Schedoni orders Spalatro not to approach his room until summoned. Upon reaching his room, Schedoni locks his door and throws himself in a chair, finding himself lost in violent and conflicting emotions. As the former Count di Marinella, Schedoni was the younger son of an ancient family. Fond of ostentatious display, he was dissatisfied with his small patrimony yet unwilling to work sufficiently diligently to obtain wealth. Eventually withdrawing from society when he could no longer maintain his lifestyle, he joined the Spirito Santo convent of Naples while assuming a new name, Schedoni, and adopting an air of severity and gloom. When a stranger came to discover his former identity as Marinella at a church, he grew concerned, demanding that he conceal the secret of his identity from the other monks as well as those outside the convent walls.

Proud and ambitious, Schedoni was generally disliked by his brotherhood, even though his severe discipline and self-denial was applauded. Disappointed by the preferment of other monks who were less disciplined and deserving, he began to seek other avenues for advancement. As the marchesa’s confessor, he believed he could establish his fortune quickly by profiting from her passions and poor judgment.

Summoning Spalatro to his room, he orders him to kill the sleeping Ellena while handing him a dagger and large cloak. Spalatro refuses, complaining that the fee is too low, to which Schedoni argues that it is the fee to which he agreed. In turn, Spalatro counters that he doesn’t like the work, explaining that Ellena has done nothing to him. Adding that he has been haunted by a vision of a bloodied hand, he informs Schedoni that he will help carry the body down once Schedoni has killed her. In a passage to the room, Spalatro thinks he sees a bloodstained finger beckoning to him.

Schedoni plies Spalatro with wine while drinking some himself in order to steel himself for the murder of Ellena. As Schedoni is about to stab her, a miniature falls out from her dress. He is shocked and refrains from going any further. Upon asking her the identity of the man in the portrait, he is informed that it is her father, Marinella. Shocked, Schedoni begins to weep, telling Ellena that he is her father. When he mentions some circumstances of the family that were known only to Bianchi and herself, Ellena feels assured that Schedoni is speaking the truth.

Upon hearing Schedoni on the staircase, Spalatro tells him he is ready to deposit the body and offers to kill her if the deed has not already been performed. Schedoni explains that he has changed his mind before locking Ellena’s door in order to protect her.