Comedia do Campo volume III (Scenas do Minho)

In a sun‑lit May morning on a modest Minho village, two orphaned children are thrust into a tangled web of kindness and self‑interest. The local priest, Padre Clemente, rescues them from poverty, only to see the well‑meaning but proud Thomé Barbante petition for one of the youngsters. Meanwhile, the widowed farmer Bernardo Repolho, urged by his wife Engracia, contemplates adopting the other child, hoping to fill a void left by years of childless longing. Their plans spark a clash of motives that quickly turns the simple act of guardianship into a lively, almost theatrical dispute.

As the children react—Tone protesting fiercely to being taken away, Quina weeping for her sibling—the story unfolds with sharp humor and keen observation of rural customs. The narrative captures the everyday drama of charity, family pride, and the stubborn will of a child, all set against the vivid backdrop of 19th‑century Portuguese countryside life. Listeners will be drawn into the colorful characters and the gentle satire that exposes how even the most benevolent deeds can become tangled in human ego.