Love in the Afternoon

Take a haughty old duke, his lovesick daughter and her forbidden lover, a handsome bullfighter, arid the cast is complete for one of Spain's beloved zarzuelas (romantic operettas).

In this case, the duke was Carlos Perez Soane de Pino Hermoso (beautiful pine), a grandee of Spain. Don Carlos is the only Spanish blueblood who still pursues the medieval sport of bullfighting on horseback. He owns a breeding farm called El Monasterio, where he trains his own horses, raises his own fighting bulls. On Sunday afternoons there, breeders, toreros and aficionados pass the time drinking manzanilla and watching the duke work out on his bulls.

He had three daughters. The middle one, Angelita, was a willowy, dark-eyed 19, in hauteur and horsemanship a chip off the old pine. She always appeared at the Sunday afternoon parties, and there, about a year ago, she met Luis Miguel Gonzalez, peasant-born, who is called Dominguin and is one of Spain's most highly regarded matadors. It was love at first sight.

When the duke caught on, he cut Dominguin from his guest list. Off went Dominguin to fight bulls in Mexico. He wrote Angelita a letter which fell into the hands of the duke. Don Carlos did what irate fathers always do in zarzuelas: he threatened to pack Angelita off to a convent. To a friend the duke explained: "Mind you, I like Dominguin. He is a fine torero. He has the heart of a lion and the legs of a deer. What's more, he will probably end up much richer than I am. But there is one thing I simply cannot change--his family."

Dominguin returned to Spain. The duke ordered that Angelita be watched closely during the day, locked in a third-floor room every night. At dawn one morning, Angelita tied bedsheets together and slid to freedom. A few minutes later, she was in Dominguin's arms.

Next morning, the enraged duke swore he would kill Dominguin. "A century ago," he bellowed, "I would have had him whipped to death." Instead, he called the police. They arrested Dominguin. Angelita was found in a hiding place, protected by proper duennage.

At police headquarters, the jefe de policia was torn between awe of the duke and admiration for the popular torero. Said the jefe: "After all, there is one solution--marriage."

Roared the Duke of Pino Hermoso: "Never! There will be no marriage between my daughter and this mozo de espada [bullfighter's servant] as long as I am alive!"

Said Angelita Perez: "Or until I am of age--"

Last week, the duke prepared to send Angelita on a tour of the Middle East, on the theory that a change of surroundings might change her mind. Sorrowful, but determined to renew his suit when possible, Dominguin boarded a plane for Venezuela, where he will fight bulls.

Most zarzuelas have quick and happy endings. For Dominguin and Angelita, no happy ending was in sight until Angelita reached the age of 21.

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