The Minister of Justice asked the prisoner why he did not run away as there was no guard to watch over him. He also told him that the king would not mind if he escaped. But the prisoner told him that he had nowhere to go as his character had been ruined and the people would turn their backs on him. Furthermore, as he had been given food in the prison itself and by doing so he had been prevented from doing any work to earn his living, he had become lazy. Therefore, he refused to go away. He was also feeling bad that he had been treated badly. The ministers met once more and discussed the matter seriously. It struck them that the only way to get rid of him was to offer him a pension.
Not only would the criminal get some money to feed himself as long as he was alive, but there would not also be any need to worry about him any more. That is why the council decided to offer the criminal a pension. The criminal received one-third of his annuity in advance and emigrated to another country just across the frontier. There he bought a bit of land and started market gardening. He visited the gaming tables and staked two or three francs, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. He lived comfortably and peaceably like the others.
