Even with eyes protected by the green spectacles, Dorothyand her friends were at first dazzled by the brilliancy of thewonderful City. The streets were lined with beautiful houses allbuilt of green marble and studded everywhere with sparklingemeralds. 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. Thewindow panes were of green glass; even the sky above the City hada 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 withwondering eyes, and the children all ran away and hid behindtheir mothers when they saw the Lion; but no one spoke to them.Many shops stood in the street, and Dorothy saw that everythingin them was green. Green candy and green pop corn were offeredfor sale, as well as green shoes, green hats, and green clothesof all sorts. At one place a man was selling green lemonade,and when the children bought it Dorothy could see that they paidfor it with green pennies.

There seemed to be no horses nor animals of any kind; the mencarried things around in little green carts, which they pushedbefore them. Everyone seemed happy and contented and prosperous.

The Guardian of the Gates led them through the streets untilthey came to a big building, exactly in the middle of the City,which was the Palace of Oz, the Great Wizard. There was a soldierbefore the door, dressed in a green uniform and wearing a longgreen 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 yourmessage to him."

So they passed through the Palace Gates and were led into abig room with a green carpet and lovely green furniture set withemeralds. The soldier made them all wipe their feet upon a greenmat before entering this room, and when they were seated he saidpolitely:

"Please make yourselves comfortable while I go to the door ofthe 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?"

"Oh, no," returned the soldier; "I have never seen him.But I spoke to him as he sat behind his screen and gave him yourmessage. He said he will grant you an audience, if you so desire;but each one of you must enter his presence alone, and he willadmit but one each day. Therefore, as you must remain in thePalace for several days, I will have you shown to rooms where youmay rest in comfort after your journey."

"Thank you," replied the girl; "that is very kind of Oz."

The soldier now blew upon a green whistle, and at once a young girl,dressed in a pretty green silk gown, entered the room. She had lovelygreen hair and green eyes, and she bowed low before Dorothy as she said,"Follow me and I will show you your room."

So Dorothy said good-bye to all her friends except Toto, andtaking the dog in her arms followed the green girl through sevenpassages and up three flights of stairs until they came to a roomat the front of the Palace. It was the sweetest little room inthe world, with a soft comfortable bed that had sheets of greensilk and a green velvet counterpane. There was a tiny fountain inthe middle of the room, that shot a spray of green perfume intothe air, to fall back into a beautifully carved green marble basin.Beautiful green flowers stood in the windows, and there was a shelfwith a row of little green books. When Dorothy had time to openthese books she found them full of queer green pictures that madeher laugh, they were so funny.

In a wardrobe were many green dresses, made of silk and satinand velvet; and all of them fitted Dorothy exactly.

"Make yourself perfectly at home," said the green girl,"and if you wish for anything ring the bell. Oz will sendfor you tomorrow morning."

She left Dorothy alone and went back to the others. These shealso led to rooms, and each one of them found himself lodged in avery pleasant part of the Palace. Of course this politeness waswasted on the Scarecrow; for when he found himself alone in hisroom he stood stupidly in one spot, just within the doorway, towait till morning. It would not rest him to lie down, and hecould not close his eyes; so he remained all night staring at alittle spider which was weaving its web in a corner of the room,just as if it were not one of the most wonderful rooms in the world.The Tin Woodman lay down on his bed from force of habit, for heremembered when he was made of flesh; but not being able to sleep,he passed the night moving his joints up and down to make sure theykept in good working order. The Lion would have preferred a bed ofdried leaves in the forest, and did not like being shut up in a room;but he had too much sense to let this worry him, so he sprang uponthe bed and rolled himself up like a cat and purred himself asleepin a minute.

The next morning, after breakfast, the green maiden came tofetch Dorothy, and she dressed her in one of the prettiest gowns,made of green brocaded satin. Dorothy put on a green silk apronand tied a green ribbon around Toto's neck, and they startedfor the Throne Room of the Great Oz.

First they came to a great hall in which were many ladies andgentlemen of the court, all dressed in rich costumes. Thesepeople had nothing to do but talk to each other, but they alwayscame to wait outside the Throne Room every morning, although theywere never permitted to see Oz. As Dorothy entered they looked ather curiously, and one of them whispered:

"Are you really going to look upon the face of Oz the Terrible?"

"Of course," answered the girl, "if he will see me."

"Oh, he will see you," said the soldier who had taken hermessage to the Wizard, "although he does not like to have peopleask to see him. Indeed, at first he was angry and said I shouldsend you back where you came from. Then he asked me what youlooked like, and when I mentioned your silver shoes he was verymuch interested. At last I told him about the mark upon yourforehead, and he decided he would admit you to his presence."

Just then a bell rang, and the green girl said to Dorothy,"That is the signal. You must go into the Throne Room alone."

She opened a little door and Dorothy walked boldly through andfound herself in a wonderful place. It was a big, round room witha high arched roof, and the walls and ceiling and floor were coveredwith large emeralds set closely together. In the center of the roofwas a great light, as bright as the sun, which made the emeraldssparkle in a wonderful manner.

But what interested Dorothy most was the big throne of greenmarble that stood in the middle of the room. It was shaped like achair and sparkled with gems, as did everything else. In thecenter of the chair was an enormous Head, without a body tosupport it or any arms or legs whatever. There was no hair uponthis head, but it had eyes and a nose and mouth, and was muchbigger than the head of the biggest giant.

As Dorothy gazed upon this in wonder and fear, the eyes turnedslowly and looked at her sharply and steadily. Then the mouthmoved, and Dorothy heard a voice say:

"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Who are you, and why do youseek me?"

It was not such an awful voice as she had expected to comefrom the big Head; so she took courage and answered:

"I am Dorothy, the Small and Meek. I have come to you for help."

The eyes looked at her thoughtfully for a full minute.Then said the voice:

"Where did you get the silver shoes?"

"I got them from the Wicked Witch of the East, when my housefell on her and killed her," she replied.

"Where did you get the mark upon your forehead?" continued the voice.

"That is where the Good Witch of the North kissed me when shebade me good-bye and sent me to you," said the girl.

Again the eyes looked at her sharply, and they saw she wastelling the truth. Then Oz asked, "What do you wish me to do?"

"Send me back to Kansas, where my Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are,"she answered earnestly. "I don't like your country, although it isso beautiful. And I am sure Aunt Em will be dreadfully worried overmy being away so long."

The eyes winked three times, and then they turned up to theceiling and down to the floor and rolled around so queerly thatthey seemed to see every part of the room. And at last theylooked at Dorothy again.

"Why should I do this for you?" asked Oz.

"Because you are strong and I am weak; because you are a GreatWizard and I am only a little girl."

"But you were strong enough to kill the Wicked Witch of the East,"said Oz.

"That just happened," returned Dorothy simply; "I could not help it."

"Well," said the Head, "I will give you my answer. You have noright to expect me to send you back to Kansas unless you do somethingfor me in return. In this country everyone must pay for everythinghe gets. If you wish me to use my magic power to send you home againyou must do something for me first. Help me and I will help you."

"What must I do?" asked the girl.

"Kill the Wicked Witch of the West," answered Oz.

"But I cannot!" exclaimed Dorothy, greatly surprised.

"You killed the Witch of the East and you wear the silver shoes,which bear a powerful charm. There is now but one Wicked Witch leftin all this land, and when you can tell me she is dead I will sendyou back to Kansas--but not before."

The little girl began to weep, she was so much disappointed;and the eyes winked again and looked upon her anxiously, as if theGreat Oz felt that she could help him if she would.

"I never killed anything, willingly," she sobbed. "Even if Iwanted to, how could I kill the Wicked Witch? If you, who are Greatand Terrible, cannot kill her yourself, how do you expect me to do it?"

"I do not know," said the Head; "but that is my answer, anduntil the Wicked Witch dies you will not see your uncle and auntagain. Remember that the Witch is Wicked--tremendously Wicked-and ought to be killed. Now go, and do not ask to see me againuntil you have done your task."

Sorrowfully Dorothy left the Throne Room and went back wherethe Lion and the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman were waiting tohear what Oz had said to her. "There is no hope for me," shesaid sadly, "for Oz will not send me home until I have killedthe Wicked Witch of the West; and that I can never do."

Her friends were sorry, but could do nothing to help her; soDorothy went to her own room and lay down on the bed and criedherself to sleep.

The next morning the soldier with the green whiskers came tothe Scarecrow and said:

"Come with me, for Oz has sent for you."

So the Scarecrow followed him and was admitted into the greatThrone Room, where he saw, sitting in the emerald throne, a mostlovely Lady. She was dressed in green silk gauze and wore uponher flowing green locks a crown of jewels. Growing from hershoulders were wings, gorgeous in color and so light that theyfluttered if the slightest breath of air reached them.

When the Scarecrow had bowed, as prettily as his straw stuffing wouldlet him, before this beautiful creature, she looked upon him sweetly,and said:

"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Who are you, and why do you seek me?"

Now the Scarecrow, who had expected to see the great Head Dorothy hadtold him of, was much astonished; but he answered her bravely.

"I am only a Scarecrow, stuffed with straw. Therefore I haveno brains, and I come to you praying that you will put brains inmy head instead of straw, so that I may become as much a man asany other in your dominions."

"Why should I do this for you?" asked the Lady.

"Because you are wise and powerful, and no one else can help me,"answered the Scarecrow.

"I never grant favors without some return," said Oz; "but thismuch I will promise. If you will kill for me the Wicked Witch ofthe West, I will bestow upon you a great many brains, and suchgood brains that you will be the wisest man in all the Land of Oz."

"I thought you asked Dorothy to kill the Witch," said the Scarecrow,in surprise.

"So I did. I don't care who kills her. But until she is deadI will not grant your wish. Now go, and do not seek me againuntil you have earned the brains you so greatly desire."

The Scarecrow went sorrowfully back to his friends and toldthem what Oz had said; and Dorothy was surprised to find that theGreat Wizard was not a Head, as she had seen him, but a lovely Lady.

"All the same," said the Scarecrow, "she needs a heart as muchas the Tin Woodman."

On the next morning the soldier with the green whiskers cameto the Tin Woodman and said:

"Oz has sent for you. Follow me."

So the Tin Woodman followed him and came to the great ThroneRoom. He did not know whether he would find Oz a lovely Lady or aHead, but he hoped it would be the lovely Lady. "For," he said tohimself, "if it is the head, I am sure I shall not be given aheart, since a head has no heart of its own and therefore cannotfeel for me. But if it is the lovely Lady I shall beg hard for aheart, for all ladies are themselves said to be kindly hearted.

But when the Woodman entered the great Throne Room he sawneither the Head nor the Lady, for Oz had taken the shape of amost terrible Beast. It was nearly as big as an elephant, and thegreen throne seemed hardly strong enough to hold its weight. TheBeast had a head like that of a rhinoceros, only there were fiveeyes in its face. There were five long arms growing out of itsbody, and it also had five long, slim legs. Thick, woolly haircovered every part of it, and a more dreadful-looking monstercould not be imagined. It was fortunate the Tin Woodman had noheart at that moment, for it would have beat loud and fast fromterror. But being only tin, the Woodman was not at all afraid,although he was much disappointed.

"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible," spoke the Beast, in a voicethat was one great roar. "Who are you, and why do you seek me?"

"I am a Woodman, and made of tin. Therefore I have no heart,and cannot love. I pray you to give me a heart that I may be asother men are."

"Why should I do this?" demanded the Beast.

"Because I ask it, and you alone can grant my request,"answered the Woodman.

Oz gave a low growl at this, but said, gruffly: "If you indeeddesire a heart, you must earn it."

"How?" asked the Woodman.

"Help Dorothy to kill the Wicked Witch of the West," repliedthe Beast. "When the Witch is dead, come to me, and I will thengive you the biggest and kindest and most loving heart in all theLand of Oz."

So the Tin Woodman was forced to return sorrowfully to hisfriends and tell them of the terrible Beast he had seen.They all wondered greatly at the many forms the Great Wizardcould take upon himself, and the Lion said:

"If he is a Beast when I go to see him, I shall roar myloudest, and so frighten him that he will grant all I ask. And ifhe is the lovely Lady, I shall pretend to spring upon her, and socompel her to do my bidding. And if he is the great Head, he willbe at my mercy; for I will roll this head all about the room untilhe promises to give us what we desire. So be of good cheer, myfriends, for all will yet be well."

The next morning the soldier with the green whiskers led theLion to the great Throne Room and bade him enter the presence of Oz.

The Lion at once passed through the door, and glancing around saw,to his surprise, that before the throne was a Ball of Fire, so fierceand glowing he could scarcely bear to gaze upon it. His first thoughtwas that Oz had by accident caught on fire and was burning up; but whenhe tried to go nearer, the heat was so intense that it singed his whiskers,and he crept back tremblingly to a spot nearer the door.

Then a low, quiet voice came from the Ball of Fire, and thesewere the words it spoke:

"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Who are you, and why do you seek me?"

And the Lion answered, "I am a Cowardly Lion, afraid of everything.I came to you to beg that you give me courage, so that in reality I maybecome the King of Beasts, as men call me."

"Why should I give you courage?" demanded Oz.

"Because of all Wizards you are the greatest, and alone havepower to grant my request," answered the Lion.

The Ball of Fire burned fiercely for a time, and the voice said,"Bring me proof that the Wicked Witch is dead, and that moment I willgive you courage. But as long as the Witch lives, you must remain a coward."

The Lion was angry at this speech, but could say nothing in reply,and while he stood silently gazing at the Ball of Fire it becameso furiously hot that he turned tail and rushed from the room.He was glad to find his friends waiting for him, and told themof his terrible interview with the Wizard.

"What shall we do now?" asked Dorothy sadly.

"There is only one thing we can do," returned the Lion, "andthat is to go to the land of the Winkies, seek out the WickedWitch, and destroy her."

"But suppose we cannot?" said the girl.

"Then I shall never have courage," declared the Lion.

"And I shall never have brains," added the Scarecrow.

"And I shall never have a heart," spoke the Tin of Woodman.

"And I shall never see Aunt Em and Uncle Henry," said Dorothy,beginning to cry.

"Be careful!" cried the green girl. "The tears will fall onyour green silk gown and spot it."

So Dorothy dried her eyes and said, "I suppose we must try it;but I am sure I do not want to kill anybody, even to see Aunt Em again."

"I will go with you; but I'm too much of a coward to kill theWitch," said the Lion.

"I will go too," declared the Scarecrow; "but I shall not beof much help to you, I am such a fool."

"I haven't the heart to harm even a Witch," remarked the TinWoodman; "but if you go I certainly shall go with you."

Therefore it was decided to start upon their journey the nextmorning, and the Woodman sharpened his axe on a green grindstoneand had all his joints properly oiled. The Scarecrow stuffedhimself with fresh straw and Dorothy put new paint on his eyesthat he might see better. The green girl, who was very kind tothem, filled Dorothy's basket with good things to eat, andfastened a little bell around Toto's neck with a green ribbon.

They went to bed quite early and slept soundly until daylight,when they were awakened by the crowing of a green cock that livedin the back yard of the Palace, and the cackling of a hen that hadlaid a green egg.