La duchesse, qui était fort gaie ce soir-là (on jouait au palais une comédie dell’arte, c’est-à-dire où chaque personnage invente le dialogue à mesure qu’il le dit, le plan seul de la comédie est affiché dans la coulisse), la duchesse, qui jouait un rôle, avait pour amoureux dans la pièce le comte Baldi, l’ancien ami de la marquise Raversi, qui était présente.
The Duchessa, who was very gay that evening (they were playing at the Palace a commedia dell'arte, that is to say one in which each character invents the dialogue as he goes on, only the plot of the play being posted up in the green-room), the Duchessa, who was playing a part, had as her lover in the piece Conte Baldi, the former friend of the Marchesa Raversi, who was present.