The Sorceress looked up from her work as the threemaidens entered, and something in their appearance andmanner led her to rise and bow to them in her mostdignified manner. The three knelt an instant before thegreat Sorceress and then stood upright and waited forher to speak.

"Whoever you may be," said Glinda, "I bid youwelcome."

"My name is Audah," said one.

"My name is Aurah," said another.

"My name is Aujah," said the third.

Glinda had never heard these names before, butlooking closely at the three she asked:

"Are you witches or workers in magic?"

"Some of the secret arts we have gleaned fromNature," replied the brownhaired maiden modestly, "butwe do not place our skill beside that of the GreatSorceress, Glinda the Good."

"I suppose you are aware it is unlawful to practicemagic in the Land of Oz, without the permission of ourRuler, Princess Ozma?"

"No, we were not aware of that," was the reply. "Wehave heard of Ozma, who is the appointed Ruler of allthis great fairyland, but her laws have not reached us,as yet."

Glinda studied the strange maidens thoughtfully; thenshe said to them:

"Princess Ozma is even now imprisoned in the Skeezervillage. for the whole island with its Great Dome, wassunk to the bottom of the lake by the witchcraft ofCoo-ee-oh, whom the Flathead Su-dic transformed into asilly swan. I am seeking some way to overcomeCoo-ee-oh's magic and raise the isle to the surfaceagain. Can you help me do this?"

The maidens exchanged glances, and the white-hairedone replied

"We do not know; but we will try to assist you."

"It seems," continued Glinda musingly, "thatCoo-ee-oh derived most of her witchcraft from threeAdepts at Magic, who at one time ruled the Flatheads.While the Adepts were being entertained by Coo-ee-oh ata banquet in her palace, she cruelly betrayed them andafter transforming them into fishes cast them into thelake.

"If I could find these three fishes and return themto their natural shapes -- they might know what magicCoo-ee-oh used to sink the island. I was about to go tothe shore and call these fishes to me when you arrived.So, if you will join me, we will try to find them."

The maidens exchanged smiles now, and the golden-haired one, Audah, said to Glinda:

"It will not be necessary to go to the lake. We arethe three fishes."

"Indeed!" cried Glinda. "Then you are the threeAdepts at Magic, restored to your proper forms?"

"We are the three Adepts," admitted Aujah.

"Then," said Glinda, "my task is half accomplished.But who destroyed the transformation that made youfishes?"

"We have promised not to tell," answered Aurah; "butthis young Skeezer was largely responsible for ourrelease; he is brave and clever, and we owe him ourgratitude."

Glinda looked at Ervic, who stood modestly behind theAdepts, hat in hand. "He shall be properly rewarded,"she declared, "for in helping you he has helped us all,and perhaps saved his people from being imprisonedforever in the sunken isle."

The Sorceress now asked her guests to seat themselvesand a long talk followed, in which the Wizard of Ozshared.

"We are quite certain," said Aurah, "that if we couldget inside the Dome we could discover Coo-ee-oh'ssecrets, for in all her work, after we became fishes,she used the formulas and incantations and arts thatshe stole from us. She may have added to these things,but they were the foundation of all her work."

"What means do you suggest for our getting into theDome?" inquired Glinda.

The three Adepts hesitated to reply, for they had notyet considered what could be done to reach the insideof the Great Dome. While they were in deep thought, andGlinda and the Wizard were quietly awaiting theirsuggestions, into the tent rushed Trot and Betsy,dragging between them the Patchwork Girl.

"Oh, Glinda," cried Trot, "Scraps has thought of away to rescue Ozma and Dorothy and all of theSkeezers."

The three Adepts could not avoid laughing merrily,for not only were they amused by the queer form of thePatchwork Girl, but Trot's enthusiastic speech struckthem as really funny. If the Great Sorceress and thefamous Wizard and the three talented Adepts at Magicwere unable as yet to solve the important problem ofthe sunken isle, there was little chance for a patchedgirl stuffed with cotton to succeed.

But Glinda, smiling indulgently at the earnest facesturned toward her, patted the children's heads andsaid:

"Scraps is very clever. Tell us what she has thoughtof, my dear."

"Well," said Trot, "Scraps says that if you could dryup all the water in the lake the island would be on dryland, an' everyone could come and go whenever theyliked."

Glinda smiled again, but the Wizard said to thegirls:

"If we should dry up the lake, what would become ofall the beautiful fishes that now live in the water?"

"Dear me! That's so," admitted Betsy, crestfallen; "wenever thought of that, did we Trot?"

"Couldn't you transform 'em into polliwogs?" askedScraps, turning a somersault and then standing on oneleg. "You could give them a little, teeny pond to swimin, and they'd be just as happy as they are as fishes."

"No indeed!" replied the Wizard, severely. "It iswicked to transform any living creatures without theirconsent, and the lake is the home of the fishes andbelongs to them."

"All right," said Scraps, making a face at him; "Idon't care."

"It's too bad," sighed Trot, "for I thought we'dstruck a splendid idea."

"So you did," declared Glinda, her face now grave andthoughtful. "There is something in the Patchwork Girl'sidea that may be of real value to us."

"I think so, too," agreed the golden-haired Adept."The top of the Great Dome is only a few feet below thesurface of the water. If we could reduce the level ofthe lake until the Dome sticks a little above thewater, we could remove some of the glass and letourselves down into the village by means of ropes."

"And there would be plenty of water left for thefishes to swim in," added the white-haired maiden.

"If we succeed in raising the island we could fill upthe lake again," suggested the brown-haired Adept.

"I believe," said the Wizard, rubbing his handstogether in delight, "that the Patchwork Girl has shownus the way to success."

The girls were looking curiously at the threebeautiful Adepts, wondering who they were, so Glindaintroduced them to Trot and Betsy and Scraps, and thensent the children away while she considered how tocarry the new idea into effect.

Not much could be done that night, so the Wizardprepared another tent for the Adepts, and in theevening Glinda held a reception and invited all herfollowers to meet the new arrivals. The Adepts weregreatly astonished at the extraordinary personagespresented to them, and marveled that Jack Pumpkinheadand the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and Tik-Tok couldreally live and think and talk just like other people.They were especially pleased with the lively PatchworkGirl and loved to watch her antics.

It was quite a pleasant party, for Glinda served somedainty refreshments to those who could eat, and theScarecrow recited some poems, and the Cowardly Lionsang a song in his deep bass voice. The only thingthat marred their joy was the thought that theirbeloved Ozma and dear little Dorothy were yet confinedin the Great Dome of the Sunken island.