Act 2 opens on the garden of Jack’s country house where Miss Prism is tutoring Cecily who is trying to get out of her German lesson. Cecily laments that Jack is so serious and wishes she could meet his ne’er-do-well brother, Ernest. It is established that Cecily keeps a diary and that Miss Prism once wrote a three-volume novel.

Dr. Chasuble approaches them. Cecily arranges it so that the two older people go off on a walk. Shortly after their departure, Jack’s servant, Merriman, appears to announce the arrival of “Ernest Worthing.” Cecily is excited to meet her “wicked cousin Ernest” who is in fact Algernon. Algernon manages to deflect most of Cecily’s questions about his arrival and begins to flirt with her. They go inside as Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble reappear, and Jack soon joins the older pair.

Jack is dressed all in black to mourn the death of his brother Ernest. Dr. Chasuble pledges to mention the tragedy in his sermon that week, though it is clear that no one else enjoys his sermons. Jack, hoping to marry Gwendolen by changing his name to Ernest, arranges for Dr.