In the second act, Adèle is the mistress of Rodolphe. Thus, the wife has not even the excuse of seduction; she has not been overcome, given in through weakness, hesitated; she yielded as Sophie Marini or Amélie Laferrier would; then the interest grows. A wife is lost, but without any efforts to save herself! Valdeja has arrived from Russia; he is gloomier, more bitter, more averse to women than ever. A young girl who loved him, whom he was counting upon marrying, who was almost his betrothed, has written to him through her father that she does not love him, and could not love him. Hence, Valdeja's sadness, his vow to be avenged on other women for the sufferings this one has caused him. Darcey does not know who the young girl is: an extraordinary thing, considering the degree of intimacy between himself and Valdeja, and that that young girl is his sister-in-law. But to proceed!... Adèle enters. She exercises that insincere tenderness towards her husband, that assiduity which is affected by deceitful women. At the first words, Valdeja is not taken in by it. Adèle tells her husband that she has just learnt that her father is ill; she therefore proposes to go and see him, but she will return to dinner. "Vraiment! Il est neuf heures du matin, dit Darcey, et à six heures tu seras rentrée? --A moins qu'on ne me retienne; ce pauvre père si bon! --Il me semble qu'en envoyant Créponne ou Baptiste s'informer de sa santé ... --Oh! ce serait d'une indifférence ... Et puis, Clarisse, _ma jeune sœur,_ m'a écrit: elle désire me voir, sans doute au sujet du mariage dont il est question pour elle, tu sais? --Ah! mademoiselle votre sœur va se marier!" Here we see Valdeja informed that Clarisse is going to be married, as she has been told that Valdeja had been unfaithful to her. After this, Adèle insists so much on her father's illness, and on the fact that the letter from her sister Clarisse is very urgent, that her husband gives her complete liberty to go where she wished. The eagerness with which she takes advantage of this liberty rouses Valdeja's suspicions, and under pretext of having to make various visits, a letter from a Russian prince to be handed to a M. Laferrier, and so on, he goes out at a venture to follow Madame Darcey, when they announce the arrival of Clarisse. "Alors, répond Darcey, dites à Adèle que sa sœur est là. --Madame est sortie. --C'est étonnant! Je n'ai pas entendu sa voiture, et il y a trop loin pour qu'elle aille à pied. --Madame avait envoyé Baptiste à la place voisine pour faire avancer un fiacre. --Un fiacre? C'est singulier! dit Darcey."