“Perhaps so,” said Gotzkowsky.  “I have sent a courier to Leipsic, and look for his return every hour.  But it is not that alone which troubles me,” continued he, after a pause.  “It would be easy to collect the five hundred thousand dollars.  The new and unexpected ordinance from the mint, which renders uncurrent the light money, deprives me of another half million.  When I foresaw Leipsic’s insolvency, I had negotiated alone with Hamburg for half a million of light money.  But the spies of the Jews of the mint discovered this, and when my money was in the course of transmission from Hamburg they managed to obtain a decree from the king forbidding immediately the circulation of this coin.  In this way my five hundred thousand dollars became good for nothing.”

“Horrible!” cried Bertram; “have you, then, not endeavored to save a portion of this money?”

“Yes, indeed,” cried Gotzkowsky, with a bitter laugh, “I have tried.  I wished to send fifty thousand dollars of my money to the army of the allies, to see if it would be current there; but Ephraim had foreseen this, too, and obtained a decree forbidding even the transit of this money through the Prussian dominions.  This new and arbitrary law was only published after my money had left Hamburg, and I had grounds to hope that I would not be prevented from bringing it through the Prussian dominions, for it was concealed in the double bottom of a wagon.  But avarice has sharp eyes, and the spies who were set upon all my actions succeeded in discovering this too.  The wagon was stopped at the gates of Berlin, and the money was discovered where they knew it was beforehand, under this false bottom.  But who do you think it was, Bertram, who denounced me in this affair?  You would never guess it—­the chief burgomaster, President von Kircheisen!  He stood himself at the gate, watched for the wagon, and searched until he found the money.”

“Kircheisen!  The same, father, whom you saved from death when the Russians were here?”

“The same, my son; you shake your head incredulously.  Read for yourself.”  He took from his writing-table a large paper provided with the official seal, and handed it to Bertram.  “Read for yourself, my son.  It is an order from the minister Von Finkenstein.”

It was written thus:  “The half of the sum is awarded by the king to President von Kircheisen, as detective and informer.”

“A worthy title, ‘detective and informer,’” continued Gotzkowsky.  “By Heaven, I do not envy him it!  But now you shall know all.  It does me good to confide to you my sorrows—­it lightens my poor heart.  And now I have another fear.  You have heard of my speculation in the Russian magazines?”

“Of the magazines which you, with De Neufville and the bankers Moses and Samuel, bought?” asked Bertram.

“Yes, that is it.  But Russia would not enter into the bargain unless I made myself responsible for the whole sum.”