"Look at him! look at him!" they cried.

"Who is he?
What, Martin--this Martin?
Never.

No, no, no! Yes, yes, yes! Martin himself--Martin with nothing on! Not a shred--not a thread! Impossible--it cannot be! Nothing so strange has ever happened! _Naked_--do you say that Martin is naked?
Oh, dreadful--from the crown of his head to his toes, naked as he was born! No clothes--no clothes--oh no, it can't be Martin.

It is, it is!" And so on and on, until Martin could not endure it longer, for he had been naked for days and days, and had ceased to think about it, and in fact did not know that he was naked.

And now hearing their remarks, and seeing how they were disturbed, he looked down at himself and saw that it was indeed so--that he had nothing on, and he grew ashamed and frightened, and thought he would run and hide himself from them in some hole in the ground.