Mayherne has already wired Mrs Vole to return from a trip to Scotland to see him, and he goes to her house to interview her. He is surprised to find that she is foreign and is staggered when she cries out her hatred of Vole and that he is not her husband – she was an actress in Vienna, and her real husband is still living there, but in an asylum. She alleges that Vole returned from Miss French's an hour later than he claims and, as he is not her lawful husband, she can testify against him in court.