"I
do not know that there are any accusers," said Mr. Low, "except the
circumstances which the police must, of course, investigate." Then
the men came, and the nature of their duty was soon explained. They
must request Mr. Finn to go with them to Bow Street. They took
possession of many articles besides the two which had been prepared
for them,--the dress coat and shirt which Phineas had worn, and the
boots. He had gone out to dinner with a Gibus hat, and they took
that. They took his umbrella and his latch-key. They asked, even, as
to his purse and money;--but abstained from taking the purse when
Mr. Low suggested that they could have no concern with that. As it
happened, Phineas was at the moment wearing the shirt in which he
had dined out on the previous day, and the men asked him whether
he had any objection to change it in their presence,--as it might
be necessary, after the examination, that it should be detained
as evidence. He did so, in the presence of all the men assembled;
but the humiliation of doing it almost broke his heart.
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