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expresses herself as follows 10 : “Esq mismo me ha de obligar 
a rendirle, si muero por conseguirlo.” Polilla’s satisfaction 
with the way things are going increases steadily. 
In the beginning of the third act, Gaston and Bearne have 
decided to try bringing Diana around by ignoring her beauty 
and continuing to pay court to the ladies they drew in the 
color game. They ask Carlos, who they think doesn't care 
anyway, to join them in this and he agrees, this being the way 
he had already determined on to overcome her. Polilla ap- 
proves the scheme, seeing in it the sure success of Carlos' suit. 
He tells his master that Diana is really madly in love with 
Carlos but will not admit it. She abuses him for his incivility 
toward her and then refuses to allow Polilla to agree with her. 
Diana hears Bearne sing a couplet to Cintia, then one is offered 
to Fenisa and then to Laura, and she suggests to Polilla that 
Carlos might do the same for her, whereupon he reminds her 
that she dismissed Carlos, and since he is not in love, his obli- 
gation is ended. Carlos walks by her without noticing her, 
and she has Polilla call him, her idea now' being to “abrasarle 
a celos ". * 11 She tells him that she has now experienced what 
love is and has decided to give her hand to Bearne. Carlos, 
altho he knows she is only pretending, turns pale, then catches 
himself (Polilla being on hand to warn him not to get stuck 
in the “liga" she is preparing for him) , and tells her that they 
are mirrors of each other, in that he, too, has fallen in love. 
Diana is all ready to hear his declaration of love when he tells 
her that he has chosen Cintia, whose beauty he extols so 
highly that Diana cannot help showing her jealousy by telling 
him he has poor taste. He leaves to ask the Conde for 
Cintia’s hand and to congratulate Bearne. Diana is beside 
herself, declaring “yo estoy ardiendo " 12 and threatens to have 
Polilla thrown out the window when he announces these as 
symptoms of love and jealousy. In the seventh scene of the 
act, Diana admits her condition to herself, in a sonnet, say- 
ing “quien quiere encender un edificio suele ser el primero que 
se abrasa". Carlos has told Bearne that Diana has decided to 
marry him (Bearne), which she denies, very much 
chagrined. She says to herself that if Carlos cared the least 
bit for her he never would have told Bearne. The latter, tho 
10 El desden, Act II, scene x. 
11 El desden, Act III, scene v. 
12 El desden. Act III, scene vi. 
