- At Maxim's, the scene is bright and gay, full of grandly dressed men and women, including our narrator Honoré. He's giving a party here for a young woman, the sister of whom he gave a party for the night before. He's always on the prowl.
- "In Maxim's everybody minds their own business," he tells us sarcastically. In fact, everyone is all up in everyone's business, and the next sequence shows this. The music stops abruptly, and all of the partiers stop gossiping to stare as an older man and pretty young thing enter the restaurant.
- "Isn't she a mess/isn't she a sight/let's invite them out tomorrow night!" the crowd sings in a stage whisper.
- They resume talking until another young lady enters, and Honoré greets her. The crowd sings about his obvious happiness to be always escorted by young women.
- When Gaston and Liane enter, this happens again. They congratulate Liane on her huge diamond ring.
- The scene fades to Gaston and Liane sitting at a table. Gaston looks characteristically bored, as Liane laughs and waves to people off-camera.
- Liane selects a cigar from a server's box then hands it to Gaston.
- He takes it without thinking much of it, and begins to sing in interior monologue, "She Is Not Thinking of Me." The song's mostly about how Liane seems too happy, too vivacious—she must be in love with someone else and thinking of him, not Gaston. "Bless her little heart, crooked to the core," Gaston thinks.
- As Liane is led off to waltz, he continues singing. A sample lyric: "Who's turning her furnace up higher? Oh she's hot but it's not for Gaston!"
- When Liane returns to the table, Gaston pours a drink down the front of her dress and the scene fades out.