The Dog in the Manger

Act One

Teodoro, dressed in fancy clothing, is fleeing through the halls of his employer, Diana, the Countess of Belflor. With him is his friend Tristan--both men are worried that their pursuer, Diana, has recognized them. They speed away just as she enters. Diana calls for her servants, wondering who could have been roaming her halls so late at night. Fabio (her footman) and Otavio (her elderly steward) enter, and reassure Diana that all is well. However, upon investigation, Fabio sees a gentleman in an ornate cloak who threw his hat at the lamp--an act that put out the light and concealed the mysterious figure’s identity. Diana demands that her ladies-in-waiting be brought forward so that she might question them. Anarda, Dorotea, and Marcela are brought in, and under pressure, Anarda admits that Marcela is in love with Teodoro. Diana is at first incensed that Marcela is carrying on with another servant in her house, but Marcela protests in the name of love, and tells the countess