Il devina que le comte avait écrit à Bologne, de façon à écarter les soupçons qui pouvaient peser sur lui relativement au duel ; la police fut d’une justice parfaite : elle constata que deux étrangers, dont l’un seulement, le blessé, était connu (le comte M***) s’étaient battus à l’épée, devant plus de trente paysans, au milieu desquels se trouvait vers la fin du combat le curé du village qui avait fait de vains efforts pour séparer les duellistes.
He gathered that the Conte had written to Bologna, in such a way as to clear him of any suspicion which might attach to him as a result of the duel. The police behaved with perfect justice: they reported that two strangers, of whom one only, the wounded man, was known to them (namely Conte M------), had fought with swords, in front of more than thirty contadini, among whom there had arrived towards the end of the fight the curate of the village, who had made vain efforts to separate the combatants.