The Adventure in the Sierra Morena Continued.
The young man, or the Knight of the Wood, as Cervantes calls him, tells Don Quixote of his misfortunes. The son of an Andalusian gentleman, he was about to become betrothed to his beloved Lucinda, a beautiful, discreet maiden of similar background to himself. His father, however, sent Cardenio to live at the Duke's house and become a companion to Ferdinand, the grandee's amorous son. Ferdinand had just had a brief affair with the daughter of a rich farmer, a rank too far below his own to warrant marriage, and to cool his passion, agreed to visit Cardenio's family. During his stay, Ferdinand made the acquaintance of Lucinda and, much to Cardenio's discomfiture, was very impressed with her charms. At this point in the narrative, the narrator mentions the chivalric book, "Amadis of Gaul," and Don Quixote cannot resist interrupting. Then the youth and the knight begin a heated argument about the virtue of one of the novel's heroines, and Cardenio flings a huge stone at the Don. During the general fight that follows, he disappears into the woods.
