SIRELLI. Nothing at all? AGAZZI. You see the whole blamed village was wiped out. Not a house left standing! In the collapse of the town hall, followed by a fire, all the records of the place seem to have been lost--births, deaths, marriages, everything. SIRELLI. But not everybody was killed. They ought to be able to find somebody who knows them. AGAZZI. Yes, but you see they didn't rebuild the place. Everybody moved away, and no record was ever kept of the people, of course. So far they have found nobody who knows the Ponzas. To be sure, if the police really went at it, they might find somebody; but it would be a tough job. SIRELLI. So we can't get anywhere along that line! We have got to take what they say and let it go at that. AGAZZI. That, unfortunately, is the situation. LAUDISI (_rising_). Well, you fellows take a piece of advice from me: believe them both! AGAZZI. What do you mean--"believe them both"?... SIRELLI. But if she says one thing, and he says another.... LAUDISI. Well, in that case, you needn't believe either of them! SIRELLI. Oh, you're just joking. We may not be able to verify the stories; but that doesn't prove that either one or the other may not be telling the truth. Some document or other.... LAUDISI. Oh, documents! Documents! Suppose you had them? What good would they do you? AGAZZI. Oh, I say! Perhaps we can't get them now, but there were such documents once. If the old lady is the lunatic, there was, as there still may be somewhere, the death certificate of the daughter. Or look at it from the other angle: if we found all the records, and the death certificate were not there for the simple reason that it never existed, why then, it's Ponza, the son-in-law. He would be the lunatic. SIRELLI. You mean to say you wouldn't give in if we stuck that certificate under your nose tomorrow or the next day? Would you still deny.... LAUDISI. Deny? Why ... why ... I'm not denying anything! In fact, I'm very careful not to be denying anything. You're the people who are looking up the records to be able to affirm or deny something. Personally, I don't give a rap for the documents; for the truth in my eyes is not a matter of black and white, but a matter of those two people. And into their minds I can penetrate only through what they say to me of themselves. SIRELLI. Very well--She says he's crazy and he says she's crazy. Now one of them must be crazy. You can't get away from that. Well which is it, she or he? AGAZZI. There, that's the way to put it!