Such were the words Anselmo addressed to Lothario, who listened to them with such attention that, except to say what has been already mentioned, he did not open his lips until the other had finished. Then perceiving that he had no more to say, after regarding him for awhile, as one would regard something never before seen that excited wonder and amazement, he said to him, "I cannot persuade myself, Anselmo my friend, that what thou hast said to me is not in jest; if I thought that thou wert speaking seriously I would not have allowed thee to go so far; so as to put a stop to thy long harangue by not listening to thee I verily suspect that either thou dost not know me, or I do not know thee; but no, I know well thou art Anselmo, and thou knowest that I am Lothario; the misfortune is, it seems to me, that thou art not the Anselmo thou wert, and must have thought that I am not the Lothario I should be; for the things that thou hast said to me are not those of that Anselmo who was my friend, nor are those that thou demandest of me what should be asked of the Lothario thou knowest.
»Éstas fueron las razones que Anselmo dijo a Lotario, a todas las cuales estuvo tan atento, que si no fueron las que quedan escritas que le dijo, no desplegó sus labios hasta que hubo acabado; y, viendo que no decía más, después que le estuvo mirando un buen espacio, como si mirara otra cosa que jamás hubiera visto, que le causara admiración y espanto, le dijo: »-No me puedo persuadir, ¡oh amigo Anselmo!, a que no sean burlas las cosas que me has dicho; que, a pensar que de veras las decías, no consintiera que tan adelante pasaras, porque con no escucharte previniera tu larga arenga. Sin duda imagino, o que no me conoces, o que yo no te conozco.