Now, such being the posture of Messer Torello’s affairs, it befell one day that, while he talked with Saladin of his hawks, he smiled; whereby his mouth shaped itself in a fashion, of which Saladin had taken particular note, while he was at Pavia.  And so, recalling Messer Torello to mind, he fixed his gaze upon him, and it seemed to him that ’twas indeed Messer Torello; wherefore, leaving the matter of which they were conversing:—­“Tell me, Christian,” quoth he, “of what country art thou in the West?” “My lord,” replied Messer Torello, “I am a Lombard, of a city called Pavia, a poor man, and of humble condition.”  Which when he heard, Saladin, well-nigh resolved of his doubt, said joyfully to himself:—­“God has provided me with occasion meet to prove to this man what store I set by his courtesy;” and without another word he brought him into a room where he kept all his wearing apparel, and said:—­“Look, Christian, if among these robes there be any that thou hast ever seen before.”  So Messer Torello examined the robes, and espied those which his lady had given to Saladin; but, deeming they could not be the same, he replied:—­“My lord, there is no robe here that I recognize, albeit ’tis true that those two robes are such as I once wore myself, in company with three merchants that came to my house.”  Whereupon Saladin could refrain himself no longer; but, tenderly embracing him:—­“You,” quoth he, “are Messer Torello d’Istria, and I am one of those three merchants to whom your lady gave these robes; and now is the time to warrant you of the quality of my merchandise, as, when I parted from you, I told you might come to pass.”  Which to hear, Messer Torello was at once overjoyed and abashed, overjoyed to have entertained so illustrious a guest, and abashed, for that it seemed to him that he had given him but a sorry entertainment.  To whom:—­“Messer Torello,” quoth Saladin, “since hither has God sent you to me, deem that ’tis no more I that am lord here, but you.”  And so they made great cheer together; and then Saladin caused Messer Torello to be royally arrayed; and presented him to all his greatest lords, and having extolled his merit in no stinted measure, bade all, as they hoped for grace from him, honour Messer Torello even as himself.  And so from that hour did they all; but most especially the two lords that had been with Saladin at Messer Torello’s house.

The glory, to which Messer Torello thus suddenly found himself raised, somewhat diverted his mind from the affairs of Lombardy, and the more so, for that he entertained no doubt that his letter had reached his uncle’s hands.  But for that in the camp, or rather army, of the Christians, on the day when they were taken by Saladin, there died and was buried one Messer Torello de Dignes, an obscure knight of Provence, whereas Messer Torello d’Istria was known to all the host for a right noble gentleman, whoso heard tell that Messer Torello was dead, supposed that ’twas Messer Torello d’Istria, and