The Alchemist

Lovewit converses with his neighbors outside the house. They tell him that strange knights, ladies, tobacco men, and more have been in and out of his home while he has been away. Lovewit is shocked. How did Jeremy/Face draw in such people? The neighbors confirm that the butler did not hang any signs or promise any cures publicly. As befits his name, Lovewit loves a jest, but he worries that Jeremy/Face has sold off his possessions, in which case he would need to remove him. The neighbors then report that they have not seen Jeremy/Face in six weeks. However, they did hear a cry from the house, like a man being strangled, three weeks prior. Lovewit knocks on the door, and when no one opens, he sends a blacksmith to get tools to pry his door open.

Jeremy answers the door and welcomes Lovewit, but warns him that the cat had the plague a week prior. Lovewit, worried that Jeremy might also have the plague, encourages Jeremy/Face to stand far away. Lovewit tells Jeremy/Face what the neighbors reported, but Jeremy/Face claims not to have let anyone in or out in the 10 weeks that Lovewit has been gone.