Act 5, Scene 2 Summary

Mrs. Marwood and Lady Wishfort enter, with the latter praising Mrs. Marwood for revealing Mirabell's plots against her. Lady Wishfort then criticizes her daughter Mrs. Fainall for being an adulteress. She says that she finds it hard to believe, since her daughter grew up with a fine example of morals like herself. Mrs. Fainall acts injured, and urges Mrs. Marwood to produce proof of her infidelity. Mrs. Fainall assures her mother that she can prove her innocence, and tells her that Mrs. Marwood is not really her friend.

After Mrs. Fainall leaves, Lady Wishfort talks about how chaste her daughter had been as a child. Through a soliloquy, she brings herself to believe in her daughter's innocence and wants to hear Fainall's proof. After she finishes speaking, however, Mrs. Marwood urges her to reconsider and think about how damaging a public...