We must now return to Ervic the Skeezer, who, when hehad set down the copper kettle containing the threefishes at the gate of the lonely cottage, had asked,"What next?"

The goldfish stuck its head above the water in thekettle and said in its small but distinct voice:

"You are to lift the latch, open the door, and walkboldly into the cottage. Do not be afraid of anythingyou see, for however you seem to be threatened withdangers, nothing can harm you. The cottage is the homeof a powerful Yookoohoo, named Reera the Red, whoassumes all sorts of forms, sometimes changing her formseveral times in a day, according to her fancy. Whather real form may be we do not know. This strangecreature cannot be bribed with treasure, or coaxedthrough friendship, or won by pity. She has neverassisted anyone, or done wrong to anyone, that we knowof. All her wonderful powers are used for her ownselfish amusement. She will order you out of the housebut you must refuse to go. Remain and watch Reeraclosely and try to see what she uses to accomplish hertransformations. If you can discover the secretwhisper it to us and we will then tell you what to donext."

"That sounds easy," returned Ervic, who had listenedcarefully. "But are you sure she will not hurt me, ortry to transform me?"

"She may change your form," replied the goldfish,"but do not worry if that happens, for we can breakthat enchantment easily. You may be sure that nothingwill harm you, so you must not be frightened atanything you see or hear."

Now Ervic was as brave as any ordinary young man, andhe knew the fishes who spoke to him were truthful andto be relied upon, nevertheless he experienced astrange sinking of the heart as he picked up the kettleand approached the door of the cottage. His handtrembled as he raised the latch, but he was resolved toobey his instructions. He pushed the door open, tookthree strides into the middle of the one room thecottage contained, and then stood still and lookedaround him.

The sights that met his gaze were enough to frightenanyone who had not been properly warned. On the floorjust before Ervic lay a great crocodile, its red eyesgleaming wickedly and its wide open mouth displayingrows of sharp teeth. Horned toads hopped about; eachof the four upper corners of the room was festoonedwith a thick cobweb, in the center of which sat aspider as big around as a washbasin, and armed withpincher-like claws; a red-and-green lizard wasstretched at full length on the window-sill and blackrats darted in and out of the holes they had gnawed inthe floor of the cottage.

But the most startling thing was a huge gray apewhich sat upon a bench and knitted. It wore a lace cap,such as old ladies wear, and a little apron of lace,but no other clothing. Its eyes were bright and lookedas if coals were burning in them. The ape moved asnaturally as an ordinary person might, and on Ervic'sentrance stopped knitting and raised its head to lookat him.

"Get out!" cried a sharp voice, seeming to come fromthe ape's mouth.

Ervic saw another bench, empty, just beyond him, sohe stepped over the crocodile, sat down upon the benchand carefully placed the kettle beside him.

"Get out!" again cried the voice.

Ervic shook his head.

"No," said he, "I'm going to stay."

The spiders left their four corners, dropped to thefloor and made a rush toward the young Skeezer,circling around his legs with their pinchers extended.Ervic paid no attention to them. An enormous black ratran up Ervic's body, passed around his shoulders anduttered piercing squeals in his ears, but he did notwince. The green-and-red lizard, coming from thewindow-sill, approached Ervic and began spitting aflaming fluid at him, but Ervic merely stared at thecreature and its flame did not touch him.

The crocodile raised its tail and, swinging around,swept Ervic off the bench with a powerful blow. But theSkeezer managed to save the kettle from upsetting andhe got up, shook off the horned toads that werecrawling over him and resumed his seat on the bench.

All the creatures, after this first attack, remainedmotionless, as if awaiting orders. The old gray apeknitted on, not looking toward Ervic now, and the youngSkeezer stolidly kept his seat. He expected somethingelse to happen, but nothing did. A full hour passed andErvic was growing nervous.

"What do you want?" the ape asked at last.

"Nothing," said Ervic.

"You may have that!" retorted the ape, and at thisall the strange creatures in the room broke into achorus of cackling laughter.

Another long wait.

"Do you know who I am?" questioned the ape.

"You must be Reera the Red -- the Yookoohoo," Ervicanswered.

"Knowing so much, you must also know that I do notlike strangers. Your presence here in my home annoysme. Do you not fear my anger?"

"No," said the young man.

"Do you intend to obey me, and leave this house?""No," replied Ervic, just as quietly as the Yookoohoohad spoken.

The ape knitted for a long time before resuming theconversation.

"Curiosity," it said, "has led to many a man'sundoing. I suppose in some way you have learned that Ido tricks of magic, and so through curiosity you havecome here. You may have been told that I do not injureanyone, so you are bold enough to disobey my commandsto go away. You imagine that you may witness some ofthe rites of witchcraft, and that they may amuse you.Have I spoken truly?"

"Well," remarked Ervic, who had been pondering on thestrange circumstances of his coming here, "you areright in some ways, but not in others. I am told thatyou work magic only for your own amusement. That seemsto me very selfish. Few people understand magic. I'mtold that you are the only real Yookoohoo in all Oz.Why don't you amuse others as well as yourself?"

"What right have you to question my actions?"

"None at all."

"And you say you are not here to demand anyfavors of me?"

"For myself I want nothing from you."

"You are wise in that. I never grant favors."

"That doesn't worry me," declared Ervic.

"But you are curious? You hope to witness some of mymagic transformations?"

"If you wish to perform any magic, go ahead," saidErvic. "It may interest me and it may not. If you'drather go on with your knitting, it's all the same tome. I am in no hurry at all."

This may have puzzled Red Reera, but the face beneaththe lace cap could show no expression, being coveredwith hair. Perhaps in all her career the Yookoohoo hadnever been visited by anyone who, like this young man,asked for nothing, expected nothing, and had no reasonfor coming except curiosity. This attitude practicallydisarmed the witch and she began to regard the Skeezerin a more friendly way. She knitted for some time,seemingly in deep thought, and then she arose andwalked to a big cupboard that stood against the wall ofthe room. When the cupboard door was opened Ervic couldsee a lot of drawers inside, and into one of thesedrawers -- the second from the bottom -- Reera thrust ahairy hand.

Until now Ervic could see over the bent form of theape, but suddenly the form, with its back to him,seemed to straighten up and blot out the cupboard ofdrawers. The ape had changed to the form of a woman,dressed in the pretty Gillikin costume, and when sheturned around he saw that it was a young woman, whoseface was quite attractive.

"Do you like me better this way?" Reera inquired witha smile.

"You look better," he said calmly, "but I'm not sureI like you any better."

She laughed, saying: "During the heat of the day Ilike to be an ape, for an ape doesn't wear any clothesto speak of. But if one has gentlemen callers it isproper to dress up."

Ervic noticed her right hand was closed, as if sheheld something in it. She shut the cupboard door, bentover the crocodile and in a moment the creature hadchanged to a red wolf. It was not pretty even now, andthe wolf crouched beside its mistress as a dog mighthave done. Its teeth looked as dangerous as had thoseof the crocodile.

Next the Yookoohoo went about touching all thelizards and toads, and at her touch they becamekittens. The rats she changed into chipmunks. Now theonly horrid creatures remaining were the four greatspiders, which hid themselves behind their thick webs.

"There!" Reera cried, "now my cottage presents a morecomfortable appearance. I love the toads and lizardsand rats, because most people hate them, but I wouldtire of them if they always remained the same.Sometimes I change their forms a dozen times a day."

"You are clever," said Ervic. "I did not hear youutter any incantations or magic words. All you did wasto touch the creatures."

"Oh, do you think so?" she replied. "Well, touch themyourself, if you like, and see if you can change theirforms."

"No," said the Skeezer, "I don't understand magic andif I did I would not try to imitate your skill. You area wonderful Yookoohoo, while I am only a commonSkeezer."

This confession seemed to please Reera, who liked tohave her witchcraft appreciated.

"Will you go away now?" she asked. "I prefer to bealone."

"I prefer to stay here," said Ervic.

"In another person's home, where you are not wanted?"

"Yes."

"Is not your curiosity yet satisfied?" demandedReera, with a smile.

"I don't know. Is there anything else you can do?"

"Many things. But why should I exhibit my powers to astranger?"

"I can think of no reason at all," he replied.

She looked at him curiously.

"You want no power for yourself, you say, and you'retoo stupid to be able to steal my secrets. This isn't apretty cottage, while outside are sunshine, broadprairies and beautiful wildflowers. Yet you insist onsitting on that bench and annoying me with yourunwelcome presence. What have you in that kettle?"

"Three fishes," he answered readily.

"Where did you get them?"

"I caught them in the Lake of the Skeezers."

"What do you intend to do with the fishes?"

"I shall carry them to the home of a friend of minewho has three children. The children will love to havethe fishes for pets."

She came over to the bench and looked into thekettle, where the three fishes were swimming quietly inthe water.

"They're pretty," said Reera. "Let me transform theminto something else."

"No," objected the Skeezer.

"I love to transform things; it's so interesting. AndI've never transformed any fishes in all my life."

"Let them alone," said Ervic.

"What shapes would you prefer them to have? I canmake them turtles, or cute little sea-horses; or Icould make them piglets, or rabbits, or guinea-pigs;or, if you like I can make chickens of them, or eagles,or bluejays."

"Let them alone!" repeated Ervic.

"You're not a very pleasant visitor," laughed RedReera. "People accuse me of being cross and crabbedand unsociable, and they are quite right. If you hadcome here pleading and begging for favors, and halfafraid of my Yookoohoo magic, I'd have abused you untilyou ran away; but you're quite different from that.You're the unsociable and crabbed and disagreeable one,and so I like you, and bear with your grumpiness. It'stime for my midday meal; are you hungry?"

"No," said Ervic, although he really desired food.

"Well, I am," Reera declared and clapped her handstogether. Instantly a table appeared, spread with linenand bearing dishes of various foods, some smoking hot.There were two plates laid, one at each end of thetable, and as soon as Reera seated herself all hercreatures gathered around her, as if they wereaccustomed to be fed when she ate. The wolf squatted ather right hand and the kittens and chipmunks gatheredat her left.

"Come, Stranger, sit down and eat," she calledcheerfully, "and while we're eating let us decide intowhat forms we shall change your fishes."

"They're all right as they are," asserted Ervic,drawing up his bench to the table. "The fishes arebeauties -- one gold, one silver and one bronze.Nothing that has life is more lovely than a beautifulfish."

"What! Am I not more lovely?" Reera asked, smiling athis serious face.

"I don't object to you -- for a Yookoohoo, you know,"he said, helping himself to the food and eating withgood appetite.

"And don't you consider a beautiful girl more lovelythan a fish, however pretty the fish may be?"

"Well," replied Ervic, after a period of thought,"that might be. If you transformed my three fish intothree girls -- girls who would be Adepts at Magic, youknow they might please me as well as the fish do. Youwon't do that of course, because you can't, with allyour skill. And, should you be able to do so, I fear mytroubles would be more than I could bear. They wouldnot consent to be my slaves -- especially if they wereAdepts at Magic -- and so they would command me to obeythem. No, Mistress Reeraq let us not transform thefishes at all."

The Skeezer had put his case with remarkablecleverness. He realized that if he appeared anxious forsuch a transformation the Yookoohoo would not performit, yet he had skillfully suggested that they be madeAdepts at Magic.