Summary

The Colonel announces he has just finished reading a letter which shows that the Old Man is calling in all of his debts at once, meaning that the Colonel owes everything he has to the Old Man. The Old Man demands to be invited to the party and instructs the Colonel to fire Bengtsson. The Old Man shows the Colonel some documents which prove that he is not really a nobleman or a colonel. The Old Man accuses the Colonel of being a servant who has masqueraded as a nobleman but insists that they continue playing their usual roles for the rest of the evening.

The Student enters, interrupting their conversation, and is shown to the room where the Young Lady sits, known as the hyacinth room because it is full of flowers.

The Colonel tells the Old Man that were it not...