Act 2 Scene 3 Summary

Hal knocks on the back door the next day. He is surprised when Claire answers, thinking she had planned to leave the previous day. Claire informs him that she cannot leave because of the state Catherine is in and refuses to let Hal see her. She reprimands Hal for toying with Catherine's affections, calling Catherine fragile and implying she is too unstable to care for herself. Hal insists he did not take advantage of Catherine and tells Claire her sister is tougher than Claire thinks. Claire nevertheless refuses to let him speak to Catherine. Hal agrees, but refuses to leave until Claire gives him the notebook containing the disputed proof. To Hal's surprise, Claire hands it over readily. She believes Hal's intentions are good and thinks he will be doing her a service by verifying the authenticity of her father's work...