In ‘A Sunny Morning’, there are two instances in which Dona Laura ridicules Don Gonzalo. Both the instances occur when Dona Laura and Don Gonzalo meet face-to-face in the park as an old man and old woman and as total strangers to each other.
Don Gonzalo, soon after entering the park, discovers that his usual bench has been occupied by three priests. He gets irritated and says aloud that the priests were idling away their time instead of saying Mass in the church. Then, in a fit of anger, he rushes towards the bench on which Dona Laura is sitting.
Dona Laura cries out aloud ‘Lookout’, indignantly, and admonishes him for scaring away the birds. Don Gonzalo replies that he would not care about the birds. When she replies that she cared for them, Don Gonzalo tells her that it was a public park. In retaliation, she asks him why he had complained that the priests had taken his bench. Don Gonzalo, being cornered by his own remarks, snubs her, telling her that even though she was a total stranger she was taking the liberty to speak to him and walks away. ‘
Dona Laura comments that he was an ill-natured old man and people ought not to get so fussy and cross when they reach a certain age. Later, when she notices him losing another bench, says mockingly “serves him right for scaring the birds”. “Poor man! He is wiping the perspiration from his face”. Then, when she notices him walking back towards her bench, says, “A carriage would not raise more dust than his feet”.