Book 1, Part 9: At the inn, the innkeeper's wife instructs her daughter and a servant named Maritornes (the "wench") to make a bed for the Don. Helping the reader, Cervantes explains that Maritornes and another guest, a Moorish carrier, have agreed to sleep together that night. This sets up the awkward events soon to follow. That night, in bed, Don Quixote begins to fantasize about the innkeeper's daughter, who he believes to be the daughter of the lord of the castle. Yet even in his fantasy, he maintains his fidelity to Dulcinea, as any honorable knight-errant would. Soon, in the dark, Maritornes, looking for the carrier's bunk, accidentally falls into the arms of the Don. Quixote, following from his imagination, thinks the woman is the castle daughter of his dreams, and the two embrace. This enrages the carrier, who ends up slugging Quixote in the jaw. The makeshift bed collapses under such a load, making a loud crashing noise which wakes the innkeeper. Quickly Maritornes finds refuge in the bed of Sancho, who is fast asleep. When the innkeeper enters the room to see what all the commotion is about, a scuffle between all the parties occurs in the dark, with Sancho getting the worst of it. An officer of the Holy Brotherhood, also staying at the inn, even comes in, believing that Don Quixote, who rests motionless from the terrible blow he received from the carrier, has been murdered. When the man makes the said announcement, everyone returns to their beds as if nothing happened.
Book 1, Part 10: When the Don finally regains his consciousness, he briefly explains his version of that night's events, including how a Moorish enchanter had taken the beautiful daughter from his arms. Sancho, however, is not without his own misfortunes, as he complains to his master about the rough treatment he continues to receive as his squire. When Quixote sees that Sancho is also badly beaten, he finally resolves to make his balsam.
Soon the officer returns to check up on the "murdered" knight. But when Quixote berates him for not addressing him with the respect such a worthy knight-errant as himself deserves, the Holy Brotherhood official bashes him over the head with his lantern.
Later, Sancho obtains the necessary ingredients for his master's elixir from the innkeeper, and the Don begins to mix up his special balsam. Quixote drinks some, throws up, then falls asleep, waking three hours later, believing that his balsam has healed him. Sancho also drinks the recipe, though with less success.
Finally, the valiant knight and his faithful squire prepare to resume their ongoing journey. Looking at the establishment, Don Quixote realizes that he's actually been staying in an inn rather than a castle, as he had thought. Yet the esteemed warrior is not willing to concede his notions about knightly conduct, as he lashes out against the innkeeper when he asks to be paid for their night's stay. This, Quixote, argues, would be a direct violation of the rules of knight-errantry, which mandate the free room and board of knights and their squires. The Don leaves the inn, calling the rude owner a "blockhead" and a "bad innkeeper."
In one of the more humorous portions in the book, Cervantes details the account of Sancho being captured and thrown into the air repeatedly by the fellow residents of the inn. Quixote curses the uncouth behavior, but to no avail.
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