Venus

The Baron Docteur’s chair is empty, and the Negro Resurrectionist watches the performance with disinterest. The Bride-To-Be tells the Mother that the Young Man is in love with the Venus. The Mother tells the Bride-To-Be many ways she could die by suicide, and the Bride-To-Be cries throughout. The Mother says death by suicide is not needed because she has a plan to trick her son into returning to the Bride-To-Be. The Mother suggests that the Bride-To-Be pretend to be the Venus, and says she will get the Uncle to help with the plan.

The Negro Resurrectionist reads from the Baron Docteur’s notebook. The notes describe how the Venus is showing signs of aging, including sagging breasts, but her buttocks and genitals are still remarkable. The Baron Docteur arrives and takes the notebook from the Negro Resurrectionist. After a pause, the Negro Resurrectionist announces the next scene title.

The Baron Docteur gives the Venus a haircut. He tells her to wear a yellow dress that night, and she asks if they are going out or having company. The Baron Docteur says they will have dinner, just the two of them, and the Venus complains that they are always alone—when they go out, it is in a closed coach, and the only other people she sees are at the Academy, which she says does not count.