In which Ledscha explores the sculptor Hermon's cluttered studio by daylight and discovers a magnificent statue of Demeter bearing the likeness of an Alexandrian woman, stirring her restless feelings and suspicions. Tensions rise as she confronts Hermon about his attentions to others and presses him for a promise to be with her on a fateful night, while discussions of loyalty and the legendary figure Arachne add a poetic shadow to their fraught encounter.