He is hoping to distract Fritz from his affair with a married woman by means of the "sweet girl" ("Süßes Mädel" in German) of Christine.

Shortly afterwards, her father, Weiring, a violin player at the Theater in der Josefstadt, returns from a rehearsal.

Weiring and Katharina stay and talk about Christine's beliefs and the lives of young women in general.

After Theodor arrives, the two say goodbye and claim to be going away for a few days - ostensibly to Fritz' family estate, but in reality because of the duel.

[2] In the autumn of 1893, Schnitzler wrote the first act of the planned play:[3] it was set in a suburban dance school.

[4] After criticism from friends Richard Beer-Hofmann, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Felix Salten and Gustav Schwarzkopf, Schnitzler discarded this act and tried to re-write it 3 times in the following months.

[4] At the end of October 1894, shortly after its completion, Schnitzler submitted Liebelei to the Burgtheater, and it was accepted for performance the following January.