It was
useless to treat the affair otherwise than seriously in his
presence; it would have been cruel not to have advised him as I
best could.
"You know," I said, "that two days after the drawing up of the
agreement at Naples, the duel was fought out of the Neapolitan
States. This fact has of course led you to the conclusion that
all inquiries about localities had better be confined to the
Roman territory?"
"Certainly; the search, such as it is, has been made there, and
there only. If I can believe the police, they and their agents
have inquired for the place where the duel was fought (offering a
large reward in my name to the person who can discover it) all
along the high road from Naples to Rome. They have also
circulated--at least so they tell me--descriptions of the
duelists and their seconds; have left an agent to superintend
investigations at the post-house, and another at the town
mentioned as meeting-points in the agreement; and have
endeavored, by correspondence with foreign authorities, to trace
the Count St. Lo and Monsieur Dalville to their place or places
of refuge. All these efforts, supposing them to have been really
made, have hitherto proved utterly fruitless."
"My impression is," said I, after a moment's consideration, "that
all inquiries made along the high road, or anywhere near Rome,
are likely to be made in vain.
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