Act 1, Scene 2 Summary

This scene opens in a library of a mansion; its architecture is what one would expect in a castle, complete with pillared walls and floor-to-ceiling bookcases filled with leather-bound books. The room is massive in scale with a great arched doorway and the furnishings are of the expected variety in a library of this grandeur.

The most intriguing element in the room, however, is a huge dollhouse model of the mansion of which the library is a part. It is as tall as a man as compared to Julian, the Cardinal's assistant, who is studying the model from all angles. His amazement is interrupted by the butler, who enters and agrees that the model is an extraordinary piece of work.

The two discuss the merits of the model, as well as the intention and purpose of having such a work created...