Before they went to see Glinda, however, they were taken to aroom of the Castle, where Dorothy washed her face and combed herhair, and the Lion shook the dust out of his mane, and theScarecrow patted himself into his best shape, and the Woodmanpolished his tin and oiled his joints.

When they were all quite presentable they followed the soldiergirl into a big room where the Witch Glinda sat upon a throne of rubies.

She was both beautiful and young to their eyes. Her hair wasa rich red in color and fell in flowing ringlets over her shoulders.Her dress was pure white but her eyes were blue, and they lookedkindly upon the little girl.

"What can I do for you, my child?" she asked.

Dorothy told the Witch all her story: how the cyclone hadbrought her to the Land of Oz, how she had found her companions,and of the wonderful adventures they had met with.

"My greatest wish now," she added, "is to get back to Kansas,for Aunt Em will surely think something dreadful has happened to me,and that will make her put on mourning; and unless the crops are betterthis year than they were last, I am sure Uncle Henry cannot afford it."

Glinda leaned forward and kissed the sweet, upturned face ofthe loving little girl.

"Bless your dear heart," she said, "I am sure I can tell youof a way to get back to Kansas." Then she added, "But, if I do,you must give me the Golden Cap."

"Willingly!" exclaimed Dorothy; "indeed, it is of no use tome now, and when you have it you can command the Winged Monkeysthree times."

"And I think I shall need their service just those three times,"answered Glinda, smiling.

Dorothy then gave her the Golden Cap, and the Witch said tothe Scarecrow, "What will you do when Dorothy has left us?"

"I will return to the Emerald City," he replied, "for Oz hasmade me its ruler and the people like me. The only thing thatworries me is how to cross the hill of the Hammer-Heads."

"By means of the Golden Cap I shall command the Winged Monkeysto carry you to the gates of the Emerald City," said Glinda, "forit would be a shame to deprive the people of so wonderful a ruler."

"Am I really wonderful?" asked the Scarecrow.

"You are unusual," replied Glinda.

Turning to the Tin Woodman, she asked, "What will become ofyou when Dorothy leaves this country?"

He leaned on his axe and thought a moment. Then he said,"The Winkies were very kind to me, and wanted me to rule over themafter the Wicked Witch died. I am fond of the Winkies, and if Icould get back again to the Country of the West, I should likenothing better than to rule over them forever."

"My second command to the Winged Monkeys," said Glinda "willbe that they carry you safely to the land of the Winkies. Yourbrain may not be so large to look at as those of the Scarecrow,but you are really brighter than he is--when you are well polished--and I am sure you will rule the Winkies wisely and well."

Then the Witch looked at the big, shaggy Lion and asked, "WhenDorothy has returned to her own home, what will become of you?"

"Over the hill of the Hammer-Heads," he answered, "lies agrand old forest, and all the beasts that live there have made metheir King. If I could only get back to this forest, I would passmy life very happily there."

"My third command to the Winged Monkeys," said Glinda, "shallbe to carry you to your forest. Then, having used up the powersof the Golden Cap, I shall give it to the King of the Monkeys,that he and his band may thereafter be free for evermore."

The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and the Lion now thanked theGood Witch earnestly for her kindness; and Dorothy exclaimed:

"You are certainly as good as you are beautiful! But you havenot yet told me how to get back to Kansas."

"Your Silver Shoes will carry you over the desert," replied Glinda."If you had known their power you could have gone back to your Aunt Emthe very first day you came to this country."

"But then I should not have had my wonderful brains!" cried the Scarecrow."I might have passed my whole life in the farmer's cornfield."

"And I should not have had my lovely heart," said the Tin Woodman."I might have stood and rusted in the forest till the end of the world."

"And I should have lived a coward forever," declared the Lion,"and no beast in all the forest would have had a good word to say to me."

"This is all true," said Dorothy, "and I am glad I was of useto these good friends. But now that each of them has had what hemost desired, and each is happy in having a kingdom to rule besides,I think I should like to go back to Kansas."

"The Silver Shoes," said the Good Witch, "have wonderful powers.And one of the most curious things about them is that they can carryyou to any place in the world in three steps, and each step will bemade in the wink of an eye. All you have to do is to knock the heelstogether three times and command the shoes to carry you wherever youwish to go."

"If that is so," said the child joyfully, "I will ask them tocarry me back to Kansas at once."

She threw her arms around the Lion's neck and kissed him,patting his big head tenderly. Then she kissed the Tin Woodman,who was weeping in a way most dangerous to his joints. But shehugged the soft, stuffed body of the Scarecrow in her arms insteadof kissing his painted face, and found she was crying herself atthis sorrowful parting from her loving comrades.

Glinda the Good stepped down from her ruby throne to give thelittle girl a good-bye kiss, and Dorothy thanked her for all thekindness she had shown to her friends and herself.

Dorothy now took Toto up solemnly in her arms, and having saidone last good-bye she clapped the heels of her shoes together threetimes, saying:

"Take me home to Aunt Em!"

Instantly she was whirling through the air, so swiftly thatall she could see or feel was the wind whistling past her ears.

The Silver Shoes took but three steps, and then she stopped sosuddenly that she rolled over upon the grass several times beforeshe knew where she was.

At length, however, she sat up and looked about her.

"Good gracious!" she cried.

For she was sitting on the broad Kansas prairie, and justbefore her was the new farmhouse Uncle Henry built after thecyclone had carried away the old one. Uncle Henry was milking thecows in the barnyard, and Toto had jumped out of her arms and wasrunning toward the barn, barking furiously.

Dorothy stood up and found she was in her stocking-feet.For the Silver Shoes had fallen off in her flight through the air,and were lost forever in the desert.