"Then I am lost!" said Weingarten. "My honor, my good name, my
future are annihilated."

"Your honor has been weighed with gold," said the king, sternly,
"and I think I have already paid more for it than it was worth. Your
good name, it is true, will be from now changed into a bad one; and
your mother will have to blush when she uses it. Therefore I advise
you to let it go; to take another name; to begin a new existence,
and to found a new future."

"A future without honor, without name, without position!" sighed
Weingarten, despairingly.

"So are men!" said the king, softly; "insolent and stubborn when
they think themselves secure; cowardly and uncertain when they are
in danger. So you were rash enough to think that your treacherous
deeds would always remain a secret? You did not think of a possible
detection, or prepare yourself for it. In treading the road which
you have trodden, every step should be considered. This, it seems to
me, you have not done. You wish to enjoy the fruits of your
treachery in perfect security; but you have not the courage to stand
before the world as a traitor. Do away with this name, which will
cause you many dangers and insults. Fly from this place, where you
and your deeds are known. Under a different name look for an asylum
in another part of my land. Money shall not fail you; and if what
you have earned from me is not sufficient, turn to me, and I will
lend you still more. I will not forget that to me your treachery has
been of great use, and therefore I will not desert you, though I
shall despise the traitor. And now, farewell! This is our last
meeting. Call this afternoon upon my treasurer; he will pay you two