strange to say, he could not speak.
The woman now called to them that supper was ready, so they
gathered around the table and Dorothy ate some delicious porridge
and a dish of scrambled eggs and a plate of nice white bread, and
enjoyed her meal. The Lion ate some of the porridge, but did not
care for it, saying it was made from oats and oats were food for
horses, not for lions. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman ate
nothing at all. Toto ate a little of everything, and was glad to
get a good supper again.
The woman now gave Dorothy a bed to sleep in, and Toto lay down
beside her, while the Lion guarded the door of her room so she
might not be disturbed. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman stood up
in a corner and kept quiet all night, although of course they could
not sleep.
The next morning, as soon as the sun was up, they started on
their way, and soon saw a beautiful green glow in the sky just
before them.
"That must be the Emerald City," said Dorothy.
As they walked on, the green glow became brighter and brighter,
and it seemed that at last they were nearing the end of their
travels. Yet it was afternoon before they came to the great wall
that surrounded the City. It was high and thick and of a bright
green color.
In front of them, and at the end of the road of yellow brick,
was a big gate, all studded with emeralds that glittered so in the
sun that even the painted eyes of the Scarecrow were dazzled by
their brilliancy.
There was a bell beside the gate, and Dorothy pushed the button
and heard a silvery tinkle sound within. Then the big gate swung
slowly open, and they all passed through and found themselves in a
high arched room, the walls of which glistened with countless
emeralds.
Before them stood a little man about the same size as the
Munchkins. He was clothed all in green, from his head to his feet,
and even his skin was of a greenish tint. At his side was a large
green box.
When he saw Dorothy and her companions the man asked, "What do
you wish in the Emerald City?"When he saw Dorothy and her companions the man asked, "What do
you wish in the Emerald City?"
"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 theCity, 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.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