Harlan: Moreto’s “El desden” 
57 
Belisa’s hand. He does and is accepted. Flora and Carrillo 
make the third couple, and the mother, having given them the 
example, gives up all idea of really marrying and Belisa “da 
fin a sus melindres”. 
In La dama melindrosa, the conflict suggested by M. 
Puibusque is almost identical with that in El perro del 
hortelano, but it cannot be said to have anything in common 
with El desden con el desden. Eliso does not overcome the 
melindres of Belisa, which is the accomplishment of Carlos re- 
garding Diana’s desden. * They see practically nothing of each 
other during the whole play. Belisa falls in love with Feli- 
sardo and, once convinced that she cannot have him, she sud- 
denly gets over being so particular and takes Eliso. Belisa, 
certainly, has not a single characteristic in common with 
Diana; they can in no sense be put in the same class. The 
play is very interesting and is unique in having a mother in 
it. Felisardo and Celia are the ones in whom we are most 
interested, and they have no counterparts in El desden con 
el desden. There is still less in common between this play 
and Moreto’s than between the latter and El perro del 
hortelano. 
