Harlan: Moreto’s “El desden” 
75 
masters, while pretending it is the house of a friend who has 
gone to Toledo and left the key with him. He leaves before 
they get a light made, and when they do, Agueda recognizes the 
room and they are desperate. Juana admits that she is in 
love, her trouble being that she cannot love them both, and 
since both are worthy, she does not know what to do. When 
the door is unlocked, they think it is Sabanon, but find that 
it is Melchor, whom they entreat to take them to safety, pre- 
tending to be ladies in great danger. Sabanon tells him not 
to let them go, and by pretending to do his morning studying, 
aloud, he tells Melchor who Juana is, in Latin, and to pretend 
to think that she is Bernarda, her neighbor. He tells her not 
to be jealous of Juana, that she is only a shadow of her (Rer- 
narda’s) beauty. At this, she is overcome with rage and 
jealousy, takes off her veil revealing who she is, and is con- 
vinced by Melchor and Sabanon that it was all pretense, to 
which she replies “ahora que me quieres no te quiero; no 
tengo amor, que ya no tengo celos”. Antonio comes, and while 
Melchor argues trying to dissuade him from killing Xnes, since 
Bernardo is the one at fault and not she, Bernardo is heard 
outside, asking whether Melchor Salcedo lives there. The 
three women hide, Juana remarking that Melchor makes her 
jealous and that she fears she will have to give in to him. 
Bernardo has come to avenge himself on the person who is in 
love with his sister — knowing that a man has been in his house 
to see her — and both Antonio and Melchor step up. In spite 
of their grievances against Bernardo, they both have taken a 
liking to him, and Antonio devises a means to settle the situa- 
tion. He calls the women and suggests that Juana pledge her- 
self to Melchor, whose honor is avenged, and that Bernardo 
marry Xnes, which arrangement they accept. Antonio re- 
mains the bachelor, adding that he is the one best off. 
Melchor appreciates Antonio’s proof of friendship and hopes 
to repay him. 
In Sin hour a no hay amistad , Juana corresponds to Diana, 
Sabanon to Polilla, Melchor, generally speaking, to Carlos, and 
Xnes, to a slight extent, to Cintia of El desden con el desden. 
Also, roughly speaking, Antonio may possibly correspond to 
Bearne, altho Bernardo can hardly, except in the same sense 
that he is related to Juana, be considered the counterpart of 
the Count of Barcelona, Diana’s father. 
