"I--I--don't see--I--I--don't know--" stammered Russell. "Arrah, sure to glory, it's as aisy as wink. Begin where ye are." "What, here?" cried Russell, aghast. "Yis." "Undress here?" "Av coorse." "But--but--mayn't I have a private room?" "But ye mayn't, for ye moight consale somethin'. Ye've got to ondress before the examinin' committee--that's me. Sometimes it's done in the presence av a committee av the whole--that's the whole regiment av us; but this time, out av jue respect for you an' considherations av decarrum, I've farrumed a committee av one." "But what other clothes may I put on?" asked Russell, ruefully. "Sure an' I've got a fine shuit for ye." "I don't see any." "Oh, they're handy enough to here: they're in the next room, quite convaynient, an' I'll let ye have thim afther ye get these off." Russell stood still in deep gloom and despondency. All his finest feelings were outraged beyond description at this proposal. The chief, however, sat calm and smiling, as though quite unconscious of any evil intent. "Come," said he, "hurry up!" There was no help for it. He was clearly in this man's power. It was a dreadful thought; yet he had to obey. So he took off his cravat. This he did slowly and solemnly, as though preparing to bare his neck for the axe of the executioner. "Come, make haste," said the chief. "I've only got a few minutes to spare; an' if ye can't change yer clothes before me alone, why, I'll have to go off, an' thin ye'll have half a dozen av thim up here at ye." "And must I?" moaned the unhappy man. "Av coorse," said the chief. "An' what is it all? Sure it's nothin' at all at all, so it isn't." Russell gave a heavy sigh, and then taking off his coat he laid it on the floor. Then he cast an appealing glance at the chief, who, however, only responded with an impatient gesture. Thereupon Russell took off his waistcoat. Another appealing glance was then thrown at the chief, who only responded by a gesture more impatient than before. "Come," said he, "be quick! Ye see, ye may have no end av val'able dockymints stitched in between the lining av yer clothes--I've often knowed that same. Begorra, we get more in that way that we find stitched in the clothes, than we do from the wallets an' the opin conthributions." "But I haven't anything stitched between my clothes."