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"We came here to see the Great Oz," said Dorothy.

The man was so surprised at this answer that he sat down to

think it over.

"It has been many years since anyone asked me to see Oz,"

he said, shaking his head in perplexity. "He is powerful and

terrible, and if you come on an idle or foolish errand to bother

the wise reflections of the Great Wizard, he might be angry and

destroy you all in an instant."

"But it is not a foolish errand, nor an idle one," replied the

Scarecrow; "it is important. And we have been told that Oz is a

good Wizard."

"So he is," said the green man, "and he rules the Emerald City

wisely and well. But to those who are not honest, or who approach

him from curiosity, he is most terrible, and few have ever dared

ask to see his face. I am the Guardian of the Gates, and since

you demand to see the Great Oz I must take you to his Palace.

But first you must put on the spectacles."

"Why?" asked Dorothy.

"Because if you did not wear spectacles the brightness and

glory of the Emerald City would blind you. Even those who live in

the City must wear spectacles night and day. They are all locked

on, for Oz so ordered it when the City was first built, and I have

the only key that will unlock them."

He opened the big box, and Dorothy saw that it was filled with

spectacles of every size and shape. All of them had green glasses

in them. The Guardian of the Gates found a pair that would just

fit Dorothy and put them over her eyes. There were two golden

bands fastened to them that passed around the back of her head,

where they were locked together by a little key that was at the

end of a chain the Guardian of the Gates wore around his neck.

When they were on, Dorothy could not take them off had she wished,

but of course she did not wish to be blinded by the glare of the

Emerald City, so she said nothing.

Then the green man fitted spectacles for the Scarecrow and the

Tin Woodman and the Lion, and even on little Toto; and all were

locked fast with the key.

Then the Guardian of the Gates put on his own glasses and told

them he was ready to show them to the Palace. Taking a big golden

key from a peg on the wall, he opened another gate, and they all

followed him through the portal into the streets of the Emerald City.

11. The Wonderful City of Oz

Even with eyes protected by the green spectacles, Dorothy

and her friends were at first dazzled by the brilliancy of the

wonderful City. The streets were lined with beautiful houses all

built of green marble and studded everywhere with sparkling

emeralds. They walked over a pavement of the same green marble,

and where the blocks were joined together were rows of emeralds,

set closely, and glittering in the brightness of the sun. The

window panes were of green glass; even the sky above the City had

a green tint, and the rays of the sun were green.

There were many people--men, women, and children--walking about,

and these were all dressed in green clothes and had greenish skins.

They looked at Dorothy and her strangely assorted company with

wondering eyes, and the children all ran away and hid behind

their mothers when they saw the Lion; but no one spoke to them.

Many shops stood in the street, and Dorothy saw that everything

in them was green. Green candy and green pop corn were offered

for sale, as well as green shoes, green hats, and green clothes

of all sorts. At one place a man was selling green lemonade,

and when the children bought it Dorothy could see that they paid

for it with green pennies.

There seemed to be no horses nor animals of any kind; the men

carried things around in little green carts, which they pushed

before them. Everyone seemed happy and contented and prosperous.

The Guardian of the Gates led them through the streets until

they came to a big building, exactly in the middle of the City,

which was the Palace of Oz, the Great Wizard. There was a soldier

before the door, dressed in a green uniform and wearing a long

green beard.

"Here are strangers," said the Guardian of the Gates to him,

"and they demand to see the Great Oz."

"Step inside," answered the soldier, "and I will carry your

message to him."

So they passed through the Palace Gates and were led into a

big room with a green carpet and lovely green furniture set with

emeralds. The soldier made them all wipe their feet upon a green

mat before entering this room, and when they were seated he said

politely:

"Please make yourselves comfortable while I go to the door of

the Throne Room and tell Oz you are here."

They had to wait a long time before the soldier returned.

When, at last, he came back, Dorothy asked:

"Have you seen Oz?"