The same guard who was on duty when he had left recognized him immediately. Seeing his chance to make up for his embarrassing mistake, the guard led him directly to the interrogator's office, and announced, "You were upset that I let this guy leave? Well, here he is, he returned on his own."
Almost instantly, the interrogator bombarded him with questions, first and foremost being why did he run away and disappear?
"I didn't run away," he answered calmly. "You told me to go so I left. Who can escape you anyway?"
"And where have you been until now?" the interrogator queried.
The chasid then proceeded to tell them exactly what the Rebbe had told him to say, and concluded by presenting the paperwork to validate his tale.
After thoroughly inspecting the papers and finding them to be in order the interrogator told him, "It is a fine choice you made to not be a scholar and rather switch to the path of business. But, take my advice: even better would be to drop the business and become a worker!"
The chasid nodded his agreement and promised to consider his advice.
"It is your good fortune," continued the interrogator, "that you smartly turned yourself in. Were we to have searched and found you, you would have been sentenced to ten years exile in Siberia! Now go home, heed my word and become a worker."
