Lauretta being now silent, all lauded Nonna to the skies; after which Neifile received the queen’s command to follow suit, and thus began:—­

Albeit, loving ladies, ready wit not seldom ministers words apt and excellent and congruous with the circumstances of the speakers, ’tis also true that Fortune at times comes to the aid of the timid, and unexpectedly sets words upon the tongue, which in a quiet hour the speaker could never have found for himself:  the which ’tis my purpose to shew you by my story.

Currado Gianfigliazzi, as the eyes and ears of each of you may bear witness, has ever been a noble citizen of our city, open-handed and magnificent, and one that lived as a gentleman should with hounds and hawks, in which, to say nothing at present of more important matters, he found unfailing delight.  Now, having one day hard by Peretola despatched a crane with one of his falcons, finding it young and plump, he sent it to his excellent cook, a Venetian, Chichibio by name, bidding him roast it for supper and make a dainty dish of it.  Chichibio, who looked, as he was, a very green-head, had dressed the crane, and set it to the fire and was cooking it carefully, when, the bird being all but roasted, and the fumes of the cooking very strong, it so chanced that a girl, Brunetta by name, that lived in the same street, and of whom Chichibio was greatly enamoured, came into the kitchen, and perceiving the smell and seeing the bird, began coaxing Chichibio to give her a thigh.  By way of answer Chichibio fell a singing:—­“You get it not from me, Madam Brunetta, you get it not from me.”  Whereat Madam Brunetta was offended, and said to him:—­“By God, if thou givest it me not, thou shalt never have aught from me to pleasure thee.”  In short there was not a little altercation; and in the end Chichibio, fain not to vex his mistress, cut off one of the crane’s thighs, and gave it to her.  So the bird was set before Currado and some strangers that he had at table with him, and Currado, observing that it had but one thigh, was surprised, and sent for Chichibio, and demanded of him what was become of the missing thigh.  Whereto the mendacious Venetian answered readily:—­“The crane, Sir, has but one thigh and one leg.”  “What the devil?” rejoined Currado in a rage:  “so the crane has but one thigh and one leg? thinkst thou I never saw crane before this?” But Chichibio continued:—­“’Tis even so as I say, Sir; and, so please you, I will shew you that so it is in the living bird.”  Currado had too much respect for his guests to pursue the topic; he only said:—­“Since thou promisest to shew me in the living bird what I have never seen or heard tell of, I bid thee do so to-morrow, and I shall be satisfied, but if thou fail, I swear to thee by the body of Christ that I will serve thee so that thou shalt ruefully remember my name for the rest of thy days.”