Léonce visits an old family friend, Dr. Mandelet, seeking advice about Edna. Léonce reveals that she has abandoned her domestic and social duties, become moody, and has stopped having sex with him. Further, Edna is refusing to attend her sister's wedding, asserting that a wedding is a highly regrettable occasion. The doctor concludes that another man is probably the cause, a suspicion he does not share with Léonce. Instead, he advises Léonce to leave Edna alone to work the moodiness out of her system and promises to come to dinner to unobtrusively examine her.
