LA VILLANA DE VALLECAS

VilVal

Escena:  En Valencia, en Arganda, en Vallecas, y en Madrid.

REPARTO

I

In Valencia Don Vicente and Luzón return home after having spent the night gambling, to find that Vicente's sister, Doña Violante, has fled, leaving a note saying that she has lost her honor to a certain Don Pedro de Mendoza (in reality Don Gabriel), who has also fled.  Vicente decides to look for "Don Pedro" and tells Luzón to spread the word that Violante has gone off early in the morning with Don Juan de Aragón in order to marry him.  Vicente plans to tell Juan that he started this rumor to explain Violante's disappearance because a Valencian baron had been pursuing her and he sent her out of town to protect her.

Meanwhile, at an inn in Arganda, the real Don Pedro and his servant Agudo have just returned from the New World.  Don Pedro is to marry Serafina.  Their fathers are old friends and have arranged the marriage.  Don Gabriel and Cornejo, calling themselves "Don Pedro" and "Beltrán" arrive at the same inn, and Pedro invites them to eat with him.  Their luggage is put in Pedro's room, next to his.  Gabriel explains that he is on his way from Madrid to Vallecas, although just the opposite is true.

Violante, dressed as a peasant (labradora), and Aguado are on their way to Madrid to find "Don Pedro."  Aguado is pretending to be a nobleman, the husband of Violante.  He finds a place for her to stay in Vallecas with Blas Serrano, telling Blas that his (Aguado's) family would not condone his marriage to a peasant girl so he has brought her here to protect her.  She is to sell bread for Blas in Madrid.

Shortly after their arrival in Vallecas, Violante and Aguado meet Don Pedro and Agudo.  Pedro is angry with Agudo because the latter took the wrong luggage when they left the inn, mistaking Gabriel’s bag for Pedro's.  All of Pedro's letters of credit, identification, jewels, and gold bars from the New World were in the other bag; however, Mateo, the boy who takes care of the mules, has returned to the inn to exchange the luggage.  When Pedro presents himself to Violante as Don Pedro de Mendoza, she is surprised, but says nothing to him regarding her earlier meeting with "Don Pedro."  Mateo returns with the news that the other fellow had already left the inn, not traveling toward Vallecas but toward Alcalá.  In an effort to find out who the other person is they open the bag that they have.  A picture of Violante falls out, but she quickly retrieves it.  The bag contains a poem dedicated to Violante, who realizes that it is the other man who is the one she is after, and that he is just pretending to be Pedro.  There is also a letter of introduction addressed to Mosén Romen, from his nephew Don Martín, who explains that the bearer of the letter, Don Gabriel de Herrera, has had to flee from Flanders because of an argument with a German officer in which Gabriel killed the latter.  Don Martín asks his uncle to forgive Gabriel and to give him aid.  Now Violante knows the real name of her violator.  She plans to go to Madrid in the guise of a baker to search for him.  Pedro also continues his trip to Madrid in order to find Gabriel and his missing luggage.

II

Gabriel and Cornejo are talking in front of Don Gómez's house in Madrid.  Gabriel proposes to gain entrance to the house by impersonating Pedro.  He would then continue the deception, marry Serafina and thereby have a secure future.  Cornejo points out to him that this is a risky plan because the real Pedro might turn up.  Soon Don Gómez appears, accompanied by Serafina, Juan and Polonia.  Serafina is anxious for Pedro to arrive, but no letter from him has yet come.  Juan, Serafina's brother, suggests that he may come in person without writing.  At this point Gabriel introduces himself as Don Pedro de Mendoza and Don Gómez and the others welcome him enthusiastically.  Serafina is very pleased with "Pedro."

Juan sees Violante, dressed as "Teresa," selling bread at his house, and courts her, but she pretends to think he is joking.  Pedro, knowing that this is Don Gómez's home, arrives with Agudo and presents himself to Don Gómez and the others, but they do not believe him, judging him to be crazy.  Violante realizes that he is really Pedro and later manages to advise him to get witnesses who can identify him.  Although he knows no one in Madrid, he plans to get persons from Seville who can vouch for him.  In the meantime she will make sure that Gabriel and Serafina do not marry.  She explains to Pedro that she tracked Gabriel down by finding the house of the Serafina that Pedro was supposed to marry.

At the inn next door to Don Gómez's house, Vicente runs into Aguado, who explains that Violante is at a convent and that he is looking for "Pedro," who is in Madrid, but who in fact is named Gabriel.  He brings the poem and letter from Gabriel's bag, which is still in Pedro's room.  Upon seeing this evidence, Vicente sends Aguado for the bailiff (alguacil) so that he can have justice.  Aguado, of course, knows that Pedro is not the man Vicente is looking for, but he is willing for Pedro to be the scapegoat in order to keep himself out of trouble with Vicente.

Agudo advises Pedro to get someone from Seville to come to identify him and to inform the merchants from whom he had letters of credit so that they would not honor them.  Vicente comes, followed soon by Don Gómez, Gabriel, Juan, Serafina, Violante (as Teresa), and Cornejo.  Gabriel is indignant that anyone would deny that he is Pedro and is ready to challenge the "imposter."  When he sees Pedro he asks him how he can possibly affirm that he (Pedro) is Don Gabriel when he is Pedro, to which Pedro replies that Gabriel has falsified the whole story and that the best solution is with swords.  The others, however, try to dissuade Gabriel from fighting, telling him that they know that he is telling the truth.  Before they can settle the matter, however, Aguado arrives with the bailiff.  Vicente declares that Pedro has offended his sister, killed a German officer, and caused all the uproar of the moment.  The bailiff prepares to take Pedro and Agudo to jail Violante denies knowing Pedro, for her own reasons, because she wants to avenge herself on Gabriel her own way.  Agudo says that it is impossible for him to go against so many.  Aguado denies ever having seen Pedro before when Pedro reminds him about being present when the luggage was mixed up.  Violante tells Aguado to see her the next day.  Vicente goes to the jail to see that justice is done.  The others leave and Juan resumes his flirtation with Violante.

III

Taking her own identity, Violante rents a house and summons Don Luis, a cousin of Gabriel, in order to tell him her story and that Gabriel pretended to be Pedro and tried to marry Serafina, that Gabriel is now in jail (although it is really Pedro who is incarcerated, of course), and that Violante wants Gabriel to marry her and remove her dishonor.  Luis tells her that Gabriel's older brother has died and left him wealthy.  Luis will enlist the aid of this friends at court and will make Gabriel free to marry her.  The plan is for him to bring Gabriel to Vallecas, where Violante is to be an attendant at the wedding of the peasant girl who helped her locate Gabriel.  After Luis departs, Violante, pretending to be a recent arrival from the New World (indiana) who was supposed to marry Pedro (Gabriel) and who has come from the New World for vengeance because he violated her honor, calls Juan and tells him her story.  He observes her resemblance to "Teresa," but she says that he could only have seen her previously if he had been in Mexico. She shows him a portrait of "Pedro" and one of herself to substantiate her claims. Juan offers to avenge her honor, but she asks him to wait, because she will find a way.

Gabriel confides to Cornejo that he just wants Serafina, not Pedro's money, so he has written to his older brother, Don Antonio, for money, which he plans to have delivered to Pedro (but referring to him as Gabriel) at the jail, explaining that it has come from Don Antonio.  Don Gómez has lent him some money in the meantime, and he is going to repay him with the proceeds he will get from the gold and jewels in Pedro's trunk, which has not yet arrived from the New World.  Since he is now anxious to get on with his marriage to Serafina before witnesses arrive from Seville to identify Pedro, the wedding is set for the next day.

Violante (as Teresa) tells Juan that she is to marry Antón, the son of Bras Serrano, the following day, and asks him to come and take Antón's place so that she can promise herself to Juan, not Antón.  He agrees to do what she wishes.  Still posing as Teresa, Violante informs Serafina that "Pedro" (Gabriel) has had another love brought from the Indies and that she is lodged in a nearby house.  Serafina is to attend "Teresa's" wedding the next day, so that 'Teresa" can point out the woman to her.

Valdivieso delivers the money to Pedro (who identifies himself as Gabriel to the messenger, because the latter assumes him to be Gabriel).  Pedro does not understand how his "brother" could be sending him money in response to a request, but he is happy to receive it.  Luis then comes to the jail and Pedro again pretends to be Gabriel because Luis calls him by that name Luis frees Pedro and Agudo and tells them that they are going to Vallecas so that Pedro can marry Violante to restore her honor.  Luis confirms that Gabriel's brother has died and left him a fortune.  Pedro remains very confused because Luis says that Violante has identified him as Gabriel, the man who seduced her.

In Vallecas plans are proceeding for the marriage of "Teresa" and Antón.  Aguado agrees to give her up in order to please his family and for her own safety.  Violante, as Teresa, returns from Madrid; saying that other people from Madrid will be arriving soon, and in fact a large group -- Vicente, Juan, Gómez, Serafina, Cornejo, Gabriel, Luis, Pedro, and Agudo -- appear.  Luis has persuaded Vicente to come to witness the restoration of his sister's honor. Pedro, upon seeing Violante, recognizes her as the villager who refused to identify him.  She leaves the others in order to change clothes, and soon enters dressed as a lady.  Revealing who she really is, she straightens out all of the confusion and mistaken identities.  She will marry Gabriel, thus regaining her honor, and Pedro and Serafina will wed, as planned.  Gabriel is forgiven for his deceit and is informed about the inheritance he has received because of his brother's death.