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"To the Emerald City," said Dorothy, "to see the Great Oz."

"Oh, indeed!" exclaimed the man. "Are you sure that Oz will see you?"

"Why not?" she replied.

"Why, it is said that he never lets anyone come into his presence.

I have been to the Emerald City many times, and it is a beautiful and

wonderful place; but I have never been permitted to see the Great Oz,

nor do I know of any living person who has seen him."

"Does he never go out?" asked the Scarecrow.

"Never. He sits day after day in the great Throne Room of his

Palace, and even those who wait upon him do not see him face to face."

"What is he like?" asked the girl.

"That is hard to tell," said the man thoughtfully. "You see,

Oz is a Great Wizard, and can take on any form he wishes. So that

some say he looks like a bird; and some say he looks like an

elephant; and some say he looks like a cat. To others he appears

as a beautiful fairy, or a brownie, or in any other form that

pleases him. But who the real Oz is, when he is in his own form,

no living person can tell."

"That is very strange," said Dorothy, "but we must try, in

some way, to see him, or we shall have made our journey for nothing."

"Why do you wish to see the terrible Oz?" asked the man.

"I want him to give me some brains," said the Scarecrow eagerly.

"Oh, Oz could do that easily enough," declared the man.

"He has more brains than he needs."

"And I want him to give me a heart," said the Tin Woodman.

"That will not trouble him," continued the man, "for Oz has a

large collection of hearts, of all sizes and shapes."

"And I want him to give me courage," said the Cowardly Lion.

"Oz keeps a great pot of courage in his Throne Room," said

the man, "which he has covered with a golden plate, to keep it

from running over. He will be glad to give you some."

"And I want him to send me back to Kansas," said Dorothy.

"Where is Kansas?" asked the man, with surprise.

"I don't know," replied Dorothy sorrowfully, "but it is my home,

and I'm sure it's somewhere."

"Very likely. Well, Oz can do anything; so I suppose he will

find Kansas for you. But first you must get to see him, and that

will be a hard task; for the Great Wizard does not like to see anyone,

and he usually has his own way. But what do YOU want?" he continued,

speaking to Toto. Toto only wagged his tail; for, strange to say,

he could not speak.

The woman now called to them that supper was ready, so they

gathered around the table and Dorothy ate some delicious porridge

and a dish of scrambled eggs and a plate of nice white bread, and

enjoyed her meal. The Lion ate some of the porridge, but did not

care for it, saying it was made from oats and oats were food for

horses, not for lions. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman ate

nothing at all. Toto ate a little of everything, and was glad to

get a good supper again.

The woman now gave Dorothy a bed to sleep in, and Toto lay

down beside her, while the Lion guarded the door of her room so

she might not be disturbed. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman

stood up in a corner and kept quiet all night, although of course

they could not sleep.

The next morning, as soon as the sun was up, they started on

their way, and soon saw a beautiful green glow in the sky just

before them.

"That must be the Emerald City," said Dorothy.

As they walked on, the green glow became brighter and brighter,

and it seemed that at last they were nearing the end of their travels.

Yet it was afternoon before they came to the great wall that surrounded

the City. It was high and thick and of a bright green color.

In front of them, and at the end of the road of yellow brick,

was a big gate, all studded with emeralds that glittered so in the

sun that even the painted eyes of the Scarecrow were dazzled by

their brilliancy.

There was a bell beside the gate, and Dorothy pushed the

button and heard a silvery tinkle sound within. Then the big gate

swung slowly open, and they all passed through and found

themselves in a high arched room, the walls of which glistened

with countless emeralds.

Before them stood a little man about the same size as the

Munchkins. He was clothed all in green, from his head to his

feet, and even his skin was of a greenish tint. At his side was a

large green box.

When he saw Dorothy and her companions the man asked,

"What do you wish in the Emerald City?"