Out of the Wings

La dama duende (1629), Pedro Calderón de la Barca

The Phantom Lady (2008), translated by Rick Davis

From Act II of The Phantom Lady

Edition

Calderón de la Barca, Pedro. 2008. The Phantom Lady, trans. Rick Davis. In Four Great Plays of the Golden Age. Lyme, NH, Smith and Kraus

Context:

In this scene, one of the play’s several 'phantom' encounters, we first see the servants to the two principals (Isabel for Doña Angela and Cosme for Don Manuel) groping around in the darkness; Don Manuel enters, believes he has captured the 'phantom,' but Isabel makes good her escape, further confirming Cosme’s belief in a supernatural turn of events.

Sample text

DON MANUEL’s room.

(Enter ISABEL through the cupboard, with a covered basket.)

ISABEL:

They’re out, just like the servant told me.
Now I’ll put this basket full of linens where she wanted it.
Oh dear! It's black as night in here
And even so I'm afraid of my own shadow.
I’m trembling all over, God help me!
I’ll bet I am the first phantom
Who ever called on God for help.
Oh oh. I can’t find the desk.
What’s this? Now I’m so confused
I’ve lost my feeling for the room.
I don’t know where I am, or where the table is,
What should I do now? Heavens!
If I can’t figure out how to get out of here,
And they find me here, it’s all over.
Now I’m really frightened!
I feel like someone’s opening the door,
And now I see he’s carrying a candle.
Well, that’s it then—it’s all over!
I can’t hide, and there’s no way out.

(Enter COSME with a candle.)

COSME:

Phantom? Oh Phantom, just in case
You enjoy being begged,
Like all the phantoms from the best families do,
I humbly beg you not to mix me up
In any more of your many wonderful tricks.
And I have four reasons why.
The first one, I know for myself;

(COSME walks around and ISABEL follows behind, making sure he doesn’t see her)

The second, you know for yourself;
The third, a word to the wise, as the saying goes,
And the fourth, because of this song:

O great Phantom Lady
Please take pity on me
I’m just a boy, upon my chin
There is no trace of stubble
And what is more, I’m all alone
And I’m not worth your trouble.

ISABEL: (aside)

Now at least I’ve got my bearings again.
And he hasn’t seen me.
If I could just snuff that candle out,
I’m sure I could get out of here
Before he got it lit again.
He’ll hear me, all right, but he won’t see me,
And that’s the lesser of two evils.

COSME:

Fear’s a great music-teacher:
I could never sing before!

ISABEL: (aside)

Here goes nothing!

(SHE hits him and snuffs out the candle.)

COSME:

Oh God! Last rites! I’m dead!

ISABEL:

Now for my escape.

(As ISABEL starts to leave, enter DON MANUEL.)

MANUEL:

What is this? Cosme!
Why are you here in the dark?

COSME:

The phantom’s killed us both:
The candle with a breath and me with a blow.

MANUEL:

Fear makes you believe these crazy things.

COSME:

Well, I pay for my beliefs!

ISABEL: (aside)

Now where’s that door?

MANUEL:

Who’s there?

(ISABEL runs into DON MANUEL, who hangs on to the basket.)

ISABEL: (aside)

Bad to worse: I’ve managed
To run into the master now as well.

MANUEL:

Bring some light, Cosme.
Whoever it is, I’ve got him.

COSME:

Well don’t let him go.

MANUEL:

I won’t.
Hurry up with that light.

COSME:

Hang on tight.

(HE exits.)

ISABEL: (aside)

He’s only got hold of the basket.
I’ll leave it with him.
Because now I found the panel. Good bye.

(SHE exits, leaving him holding the basket.)

MANUEL:

Whoever you are, you stay right there
Until we get some light in here.
Because if you don’t, by God,
I’ll make a pin-cushion of you with my sword here.
But wait—all I’m holding onto now is air,
And all I can put my hands on is some clothing,
Nothing with any weight to it at all!
What’s going on? God help me,
Now I’m completely confused!

(Enter COSME with some light.)

COSME:

Bring the phantom over here to the light.
But—where’d he go? Wasn’t he caught?
What did he do? Where is he? What’s going on, sir?

MANUEL:

I don’t know what to say.
He left me this bundle of clothing and fled.

COSME:

And what do you say to this?
You just finished telling me that you had him,
And now he’s gone with the wind.

MANUEL:

Here’s what I say: the same person
Who has discovered how to come and go
From here at will was hidden here tonight,
And to escape, snuffed out your candle,
Left me with this basket, and got away.

COSME:

Where’d he go?

MANUEL:

Through the door, I guess.

COSME:

You’ll make me go completely mad.
By God, I caught a glimpse of him myself
While he was killing me and blowing out my candle.

MANUEL:

What did he look like?

COSME:

Like a great big friar,
With a huge cowl, which tells me
He was a Capuchin phantom.

MANUEL:

That’s your fear playing tricks on you again.
Bring that light over here, and we’ll see
What our little friar’s brought us. Get me that basket.

COSME:

You want me to touch that basket from hell?

MANUEL:

Pick it up, I tell you.

COSME:

My hands are dirty, sir, with candle-wax,
And I’d just ruin that taffeta covering.
Much better to leave it on the floor.

MANUEL:

Fresh linen, and a letter.
Let’s see if this friar is discreet.
(reads)
“In the short time you’ve been living in this house, it has not been possible to make up more linens; however, as they are made up, they’ll be brought to you. As for what you have said, that you believe I am the mistress of Don Luis, let me assure you that not only am I not such a one, but can never be so. I’ll leave the rest until I see you, which will be soon. God save you.”
Well. This phantom’s been baptized, at least.

COSME:

So you see—it is a friar-phantom after all.

MANUEL:

It’s getting very late. Get our things together,
And put these papers in a pouch, ready for our journey.
In the meantime I will leave a proper answer
For my phantom.

(HE gives his papers to COSME, who puts them on a chair, and DON MANUEL writes.)

COSME:

I’d like to leave these right here, sir,
So they’ll be close at hand.
Meanwhile, sir, may I just stop
For one second and say:
Now do you believe in phantoms?

MANUEL:

Idiot! You’re talking nonsense!

COSME:

Nonsense? You’ve seen the phantom at work—
The wind brings gifts to your hands
And you still doubt it? You may be right, though,
Since everything works out just fine for you,
While I, who believe in the phantom,
Get left out.

MANUEL:

How do you mean?

COSME:

I’ll prove it, like so: if our clothes
Get thrown around, you see it and can laugh,
But I’m the one who has to pick them up,
And that’s no little job.
Someone leaves you letters,
And comes for your replies,
But he comes to get my money
And leaves me coals instead.
You get sweets brought to you, which you eat
As hungrily as any priest, while I
Stand by like a poor pimp, and cannot touch them.
Someone brings you shirts, collars, and handkerchiefs,
Which comfort you, but frighten me
When I try to figure out how they get in here.
And when we both are in the room,
Look at what happens: you get a basket
Full of soft clothing, while I get clobbered.
That phantom puts kid gloves on for you, sir,
But saves his iron fist for me.
So let me have my beliefs;
At least my suffering will purify me,
which is more than I can say for you,
Who tries to deny what happens right before his eyes.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation The Phantom Lady (2008) by Rick Davis is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

The end of Act III of The Phantom Lady

Edition

Calderón de la Barca, Pedro. 2008. The Phantom Lady, trans. Rick Davis. In Four Great Plays of the Golden Age. Lyme, NH, Smith and Kraus

Context:

Don Manuel once again finds himself inexplicably in the presence of Doña Angela at the crisis point of the action. Finally, in a long and heartfelt speech, she reveals her identity and her care for him, and he, in an answering aside, works through his confusion to a promise to defend her; the ensuing breezy denouement is typical of the genre.

Sample text

(Enter DON MANUEL and COSME)
COSME:: Let’s get out of here right away.
MANUEL:: What are you afraid of?
COSME:: I’m afraid that woman is a devil
And that she’s not through with me.
MANUEL:: Look—we know who she is now,
And besides, one entrance is blocked by a table
And the other’s locked—how do you think
She’d get in here?
COSME:: However she wants.
MANUEL:: You’re an idiot.; (COSME sees DOÑA ANGELA.)
COSME:: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
MANUEL:: What is it?
COSME:: You-know-who has joined us,
Just like that.
MANUEL:: Woman, what are you—an illusion
Or a ghost who’s come to kill me?
Tell me how you got in here.
ANGELA:: Don Manuel…
MANUEL:: Tell me!
ANGELA:: Listen carefully.
Don Luis, upset, knocked on my door.
He came in, thought things through,
And calmed himself a bit,
But then ran out again,
In a bigger frenzy than before.
He tore apart the house until he found you,
And then I heard the clatter of your swords
In combat. I knew the end had to be fatal
For one of you, and not knowing what to do,
I left the house. The stillness of the frigid night
Became a pale image of my sorrow.
I began to walk around, falling down,
Picking myself up, wandering
Without a purpose or a plan,
Until I found myself back in my old
Familiar prison cell, my room.
Where else should a poor unhappy soul end up?
And who should be there, on the threshold—
You see how heaven weaves the web of our misfortunes—
But Don Juan, my brother! I tried in vain
To keep my silence, not to tell him who I was;
And yet he stood there, like a snow-capped volcano,
All ice and fire, ready to explode.
Then he caught a glint of light
From some jewels in my necklace—
He heard the rustle of my clothes—
Not the first time we women have been betrayed
By things like that—and he imagined
I was his mistress. He flew to me
Just as a moth does to the flame,
To be consumed willingly in the fire—
But he found, instead, a cold shadow
Of his star in me. He tried to speak,
But couldn’t, for such deep feeling
Is always mute. Finally, in a voice
So choked with sadness that his lips
Could hardly form the words, he asked
Why this insult had been thrust upon him.
I wanted to reply, but my emotion
Silenced me as well.
Fear is no great friend to reason;
And as I tried to find excuses
To put a better color on my guilt,
I found I couldn’t say a word.
When innocence attempts to speak,
The words come late, or not at all—
And so, by keeping silent, you affirm
(Or seem to, anyway) the very crime
You would deny. 'Go on,' he said,
'My wanton sister, the first blot
On the ancient honor of our house.
I’ll lock you up, safely hidden,
While I think about the meaning of this insult.'
And so I was once again imprisoned
With my sorrows, until heaven sent you
To relieve them. For love of you,
I played the phantom in my house.
For your honor’s sake, I buried my heart’s secret
In a living tomb; because
I didn’t want to lose you,
I didn’t dare speak to you face to face.
My intention was to love you,
My only fear, to lose you.
My concern was for your safety.
The purpose of my life is to obey you,
My soul to find you, my desire to serve you,
And my plea is, finally, to persuade you
To stand by me in my present danger.
MANUEL: (aside): Like some Phoenix, my troubles rise again
Out of the cold ashes.
How can I find my way in this abyss,
The labyrinth of my own soul?
She’s Don Luis’s sister, and all along
I thought she was his mistress. Oh, heavens—
If I was so afraid to offend him
Where only pleasure was concerned,
What will happen now when it’s a matter
Of his honor? This is unjust!
All right: she’s his sister.
If I try to set her free
And defend her with my blood,
Letting my sword proclaim her innocence,
Then I’ll be doubly in the wrong,
Since that’s as much to say that I’m a traitor,
That I’ve offended the whole house,
And broken the code of hospitality.
And if I prove my innocence
By swearing out her guilt,
That’s would be to say that she’s at fault,
And my honor won’t allow that outcome.
Well, then, what should I do?
I make myself a traitor by defending her,
And I am a villain if I don’t.
If I look out for her, I’m a faithless guest,
And I’d be less than human if I turned
Her over to her brother. And doing that,
I’d be ungrateful for a very noble love.
Well, every choice I make’s a bad one—
So I might as well die fighting.
(to DOÑA ANGELA)
Don’t be afraid, my lady. I’m a noble gentleman,
And you’re with me now.; (A knock at the door.)
COSME:: Sir, someone’s knocking
MANUEL:: That’ll be Don Luis, who went
To get a sword. Well, open it.
ANGELA:: Poor me! My brother!
MANUEL:: Have no fear; my valor will defend you.
Stand behind me now.; (DOÑA ANGELA places herself behind DON MANUEL, and COSME opens the door. Enter DON LUIS.)
LUIS:: I have returned. But—what’s this I see?
Traitress!; (As he sees DOÑA ANGELA, he draws his sword.)
MANUEL:: Put up your sword, Don Luis.
As you know I’ve been waiting here since you left;
And then—somehow—this lady entered.
She tells me she’s your sister.
I give you my word as a gentleman:
Until this moment, I had no idea of that.
Suffice to say, although perhaps it was
An error on my part, I spoke to her
Without knowing who she was.
And now I must lead her to safety
At the risk of my life and soul:
Our duel, you’ll agree, must take place alone,
Behind locked doors, to avoid a scandal.
Once having freed her, I will return
As our quarrel demands. To one who cares
About his reputation, his honor and his sword
Are his most important armaments.
I let you go to get your sword;
Now let me go in service of my honor.
LUIS:: I went for my sword only so that
I could lay it at your feet,
Complying with the debt of gratitude
I owed you. But now you give me a new cause,
And I find I’m ready to fight again.
This lady is my sister; you must not take her
From my sight unless she becomes your wife.
If you agree, her hand is yours;
Take her away, and if you like, come back
To finish up this other business.
MANUEL:: I will return, but given the example
Of your prudence and your constancy,
My only business now is
To throw myself at your feet.; (HE kneels)
LUIS:: Rise, Don Manuel. Get off the floor.
MANUEL:: And in further compliance with your judgment,
I give your sister my hand.; (Enter DON JUAN.)
JUAN:: If all that’s missing is someone
To give the bride away, here I am.
I was on my way to where I’d left my sister
When I heard some angry voices;
Now I find they’ve changed to happy ones.; (Enter, through a different door, BEATRIZ and ISABEL.)
BEATRIZ:: And why stop there? We’re not quite finished yet!
JUAN:: But—Beatriz—you’re here in my house again?
BEATRIZ:: I never left; I’ll tell you all about it later.
JUAN:: We should seize this moment, which calls to us so clearly.
COSME:: Thanks be to God, the phantom’s revealed herself.
(to DON MANUEL)
Tell me something—was I drunk the whole time?
MANUEL:: If you’re sober now, you may marry Isabel today.
COSME:: To do that, I’d have to be really drunk.
Anyway I can’t.
ISABEL:: Why not?
COSME:: Because I wouldn’t want to waste our time
On things like that. What we should really do
Is beg pardon now for all our faults,
And tell these good people there
That our humble author thanks them,
And asks them for their hands.; (End of THE PHANTOM LADY)

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation The Phantom Lady (2008) by Rick Davis is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

The Phantom Lady (2000), translated by Matthew D. Stroud

ACT TWO Scene Three

Sample text

[Manuel’s room.] Enter ISABEL through the cupboard with a covered basket.

ISABEL:

They are all out of the house, according to the servant. I have to put this basket of clean linens in the designated place. Heavens! It’s so dark tonight that I’m afraid of my own presence. My God, I’m trembling, and I must be the first spirit ever who swears to God! I cannot find the desk. But what’s this? With my mind in a turmoil and my heart full of fear, I’ve lost my bearing in this room. I have no idea where I am. Where is the table? What am I to do? Oh, no! If I am not able to get out and they find me here, the whole elaborate plan will fall apart. I am greatly afraid, and even more now that I hear someone opening the door. The game is over. I can neither hide nor find my way out.

Enter COSME with a lamp.

COSME:

Oh, spirit, my master, if perhaps my pleas do not fall on the deaf ears of a high-born spook, I humbly beseech you not to remember me in your enchantments. I ask you this for four reasons.

(COSME walks around the stage with Isabel hiding from him by following behind him.)

First, I know why; second, you know why; third, everyone knows why; fourth, here’s a poem I just remembered:

Ghost lady, ghost lady,
please have pity upon me!
I am just a young lad,
and hope that safe I’ll be.

ISABEL: (Aside.)

Now with the light I can reconnoiter the room. He still hasn’t seen me. If I put the light out I know I can escape while he tries to relight it. He may hear some noise, but at least he won’t see me. At this point, I’ll take what I can get.

COSME:

Fear has made me a pretty good poet!

ISABEL: (Aside.)

Here we go!

Isabel strikes COSME and extinguishes the candle.

COSME:

My God, she’s killed me. Call a priest! Confession!

ISABEL:

Now’s my chance to escape!

ISABEL begins to leave when MANUEL enters.

MANUEL:

What is going on here? Cosme, what are you doing here in the darkness?

COSME:

The spirit has killed us both: the light with a puff of air, me with a crushing blow!

MANUEL:

Your fear causes you to imagine things.

COSME:

Then my imagination will be the death of me!

ISABEL: (Aside.)

Oh, if only I could find the door!

MANUEL:

Who is there?!

ISABEL bumps into MANUEL; he […] grabs the basket of linens.

ISABEL: (Aside.)

This is going from bad to worse. Now I run into his master.

MANUEL:

Cosme, go get a light. I have the intruder in my grasp.

COSME:

Don’t let him go!

MANUEL:

I won’t, but hurry!

Exit COSME.

ISABEL: (Aside.)

He took my basket; well, he can have it. There’s the cupboard! At last!

Exit ISABEL; MANUEL is left holding the basket.

MANUEL:

Whoever you are, be still until there is light. If not, by heaven, I shall have to run you through with my dagger. But, there is nothing here but something lightweight, something with linens in it. What on earth? My God, I have never been so confused!

Enter COSME with a light.

COSME:

Let’s see this phantom in the light! But, where is he? Didn’t you have him captive? What happened? Where is he? Sir, what in the devil is going on?

MANUEL:

I cannot answer. He left me these linens, then fled.

COSME:

And what do you make of this situation? You just now said that you had him in control, and he vanished!

MANUEL:

I must admit that that person, who enters and leaves with extraordinary guile and cunning, was in fact captured here tonight. But, in order to escape, he blew out your light, left me with this basket, and fled.

COSME:

How?

MANUEL:

Through the door.

COSME:

You are driving me mad. I saw him in the dying light of my candle.

MANUEL:

What did he look like?

COSME:

He was a little, bitty monk, wearing a great big hood. That’s why I think our spook must be a Capuchin friar.

MANUEL:

The things fear drives one to! Bring the light. Let’s see what our little friar left us. Here, hold this basket.

COSME:

You want me to hold this basket from hell?

MANUEL:

Just be quiet and hold it.

COSME:

My hands are dirty, Sir, from the candle wax. I’ll surely soil the fine linen that covers it. Perhaps you should put it on the floor!

MANUEL:

It’s fresh linens ... and a note! Let’s see if our friar is discreet:

(Reads.) 'In the brief time that you have lived in this house, no one has yet brought you fresh linens. As they are made ready, they will be brought to you. Regarding your supposition about your friend, since you are sure that I am Luis’s lady, I can assure you that not only am I not his lady, but that I cannot be. I leave the rest for when we meet, which will be soon. God be with you.'

Well, at least the spirit is a Christian, since he speaks of God!

COSME:

You see? A religious spirit!

MANUEL:

It’s getting late. Collect all these suitcases and cushions, and put these papers with them (He gives him some papers.) They are the reason we are here at court. But first I intend to send an answer to our spirit.

COSME puts the papers on a chair; MANUEL writes.

COSME:

I’ll put them right here so that I won’t forget them and they’ll be right at hand. But I have to rest a moment. Tell me one thing: do you believe in ghosts?

MANUEL:

What foolishness!

COSME:

Foolishness? You yourself can see the effects. You’re sitting there with a letter that came to you out of nowhere, and still you doubt? Fine, if that makes you happy. As for me, I’m a believer; I’ve suffered the most.

MANUEL:

How so?

COSME:

Just look at us. If they rifle through our clothing, you laugh at the intrusion, but I have to repack everything, which is no small job. If they leave you papers, you’re impressed by the wit. Me, they leave coals and take my money. If they bring you sweets, you’re as pleased as a father to accept them. I get nothing, and I’m hungry as a wolf. They give you fine shirts and handkerchiefs of linen. I get nothing but scary surprises. We both came to this room at about the same time, but you get a basket of clean linens, smelling as sweet as springtime. I get a slap in the face, a blow so hard and strong that I practically spit up my brains. All the pleasure and the profit go to you; the pain and suffering are all mine. The ghost treats you with kid gloves; I get the brass knuckles. So just let me believe what I will. There is nothing more painful to watch than a man who won’t believe what’s happening right before his eyes.

MANUEL:

Just pack the suitcases, so we may go. I shall wait for you in Juan’s room

COSME:

What is there to pack? Everyone dresses in black, just as you are already. All you need is a black cloak.

MANUEL:

Leave the room locked and take the key with you. If I need the key, Juan has another one. I hate to leave in such confusion, not knowing the truth of the matter. But the honor of my estate and my chances at court take precedence over an idle curiosity. Indeed, honor trumps everything else.

Exeunt.

[ANGELA’S room.] Enter ANGELA, BEATRIZ, and ISABEL.

ANGELA:

It happened just like that?

ISABEL:

I saw the whole artifice going up in flames. If he had seen me, it would have been necessary to confess everything. As it turned out, I was able to escape in the manner I just related.

ANGELA:

Amazing!

BEATRIZ:

It is simply incredible to think that you could give a man a basket of linens without his seeing you!

ANGELA:

If after all this I am able to arrange for him to see me as we planned, I have no doubt that he will surely lose his mind.

BEATRIZ:

Even the most serious person would be astonished by these goings-on, Angela. You want to call him to a place without telling him where so that he can find himself with a beautiful lady, rich and famous, without knowing who she is or where she is from. Then, cloaked and blind, he is to be led away to stew in his confusion. This is what comes out of that head of yours? I am in awe!

ANGELA:

Everything is just as you said. But since you are here with me, tonight will not be the night of our meeting.

BEATRIZ:

I can keep the secret of your love!

ANGELA:

No, cousin, that’s not the reason. With you in our house, and with my brothers buzzing about you hopelessly in love, idolizing the very ground you walk on, it would be entirely too risky. I’ll have to wait until they leave.

Enter LUIS, who eavesdrops from the side of the stage.

LUIS: (Aside.)

Good God! Who can suppress his desires? Who can rein in his thoughts, control his tongue, and imprison his feelings? Since I am beside myself, surely I cannot. But let me try to conquer my passion. I shall just watch from here.

BEATRIZ:

Let me tell you how to get rid of them but still let me be present. I would hate to miss the conclusion of this marvelous adventure.

ANGELA:

Do tell me!

LUIS: (Aside.)

What are these two scheming? My heart is in my throat with anticipation.

BEATRIZ:

We shall both say that my father has sent for me, and we shall make a great show of my leaving, but secretly I shall hide in the house and no one will know I am here.

LUIS: (Aside.)

Heavens, what is this that threatens the honor of this house?

BEATRIZ:

Under the cover of secrecy, I shall be able to see what happens.

LUIS: (Aside.)

Oh, cruel fortune!

BEATRIZ:

I look so forward to it!

ANGELA:

But what do we say in order to bring you out of hiding?

BEATRIZ:

I am shocked you would ask! No doubt we can think of something later!

LUIS: (Aside.)

No doubt. That I should have to listen to this! The torment and suffering surpass all limits.

BEATRIZ:

This way, in secret and with no witnesses, I shall see you fulfill your love. With me hidden and the household unsuspecting, he will have no trouble passing from his room to yours.

LUIS: (Aside.)

It is easy to infer her intention. What a coward I am! I am undone! Would that I had never listened! My fortunate brother deserves Beatriz more. But what jealousy! She prefers to offer herself to him and thus quench both their desires. Thus she arranges for him to pass from his room to hers without anyone noticing. I can scarcely contain my anger! And so that no one might be a witness they succeed in making real my suspicions. My enemies want to keep the secret from me! By God, if that is the way it is, I shall not allow it. The next time that she is hidden, hoping for another meeting, I shall keep close watch over the entire house until I find her. The fires of jealousy that consume me allow for no alternative. Placing obstacles in their way is the last refuge of the jealous man. Holy saints protect me! Consumed by love, I’m dying of jealousy. (Exit.)

ANGELA:

Everything is set up. Tomorrow we shall announce your departure.

Enter JUAN.

JUAN:

Angela! And the lovely Beatriz!

BEATRIZ:

Just the man we were hoping to see.

JUAN:

If my absence causes you to enjoy my presence even more, then may you miss me more often, madam. I am suspicious, no, envious, of my own good luck. It is simply not possible that I deserve your affection. Envious and envied, I fall into such a sweet abyss that I both envy and pity myself.

BEATRIZ:

It would not be right to contradict such sweet arguments, Juan, from one who has put off seeing me for so long as to have forgotten me. Is there any doubt that you were engaged in your own amusements? It must be so, for you profess both to envy and pity your good fortune, while at the same time you cast aside the beauty that gives you such pleasure. Your clear and convincing syllogism proves your pity and your envy.

JUAN:

If it would not offend both you and me, Beatriz, I would tell you that I have been with my guest, Manuel, who has left us tonight.

ANGELA:

Really?

JUAN:

You are surprised, sister?

ANGELA:

A pleasure startles as much as a displeasure.

JUAN:

I regret that your heart’s desire has not been fulfilled; he will return tomorrow.

ANGELA: (Aside.)

(A vain hope is revived.) I was not afraid on account of his leaving. His comings and goings are always inopportune.

JUAN:

I did not think that you were. It is just that you and Luis show nothing but displeasure at the visit of this friend that causes me such pleasure.

ANGELA:

I do not know how to answer you, although I feel as though I must. I think I should retire from your game of love. Three’s company, and you have made of me a go-between, when love is most enjoyable when played as a two-handed game, one on one. Isabel, come with me. (Aside.) (This very night shall we retrieve the portrait. We shall have more time and fewer interruptions. Bring me a light and show me where to hide. A man who writes me letters has no business possessing the portrait of another lady. The insult!)

Exeunt ANGELA and ISABEL.

BEATRIZ:

I do not believe that I owe you such kindness.

JUAN:

I shall prove the strength of my commitment - which is substantial - with words.

BEATRIZ:

Please do.

JUAN:

Listen, my love. Beautiful Beatriz, my faith is so certain, my love so steadfast, my affection so extraordinary, that even if I did not wish to love you, against my own will and desire would I love you still. My life now depends upon yours so much that if I could forget you, I would, just so that I might fall in love with you all over again. Would that I could experience again the happy, mad rush of new love. He who loves a woman only when he cannot forget her, does not oblige her to love him in return, since without the possibility of choice determined by free will, it cannot be called love. Yet I cannot possibly get your beauty out of my mind, Beatriz, and I am left to despair that the stars swell with pride at the victory of your love over my free will.

BEATRIZ:

If choices were due to free will, and forces to the influence of the stars, she who lives not subject to fortune would have a stronger will than mine. I cannot trust your kindness since my faith, which can overcome impossible obstacles, would deny that it were my own if my will were not accompanied by it. During that brief instant spent in forgetting you so that I might fall in love with you again, my heart would feel my life slipping away. I am delighted to have no part in putting you out of my mind since I could not love you while I tried to forget you.

Exeunt.

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