In the view of the Sardinian ambassador, the telegram from Prime Minister Cavour was both an encouragement and a hint.
Sure enough, a few days after Prime Minister Cavour's telegram was sent, the Sardinian ambassador received gifts from Turin and a personal letter from Prime Minister Cavour.
The gifts were varied, the most precious being a sapphire the size of a pebble.
According to Prime Minister Cavour's introduction, the Sardinian ambassador learned that the pebble-sized sapphire was one of the King's personal collections, now fully entrusted to the Sardinian ambassador to handle, hoping he could maximize the value of the sapphire and not disappoint the King's earnest expectations.
