After taking a pinch of snuff both Don Gonzalo and Dona Laura sneeze three times alternately. Dona Laura mutters to herself that the snuff has made peace between them. Then, Don Gonzalo starts reading aloud. A little later, Dona Laura sympathises with him for reading with all those glasses. Their conversation turns to Gonzalo’s ability to compose verses. Incidentally, Gonzalo reveals that he was a great friend of Espronceda, Zorilla, Becquer and others. Then while talking about Campoamor, Don Gonzalo tells her that he had met Campoamor in Valencia and he was a native of that city.
This provokes both of them to talk about their earlier identities. When Dona tells him about the villa in Maricella, Gonzalo tells her about the Silver Maiden and like a poet he describes her beauty. At that moment, Dona Laura realizes that Don Gonzalo is her former lover.
