“Just leave it in the basket, it’ll be easy to carry that way,” she advised Dorothy. “And now say your goodbyes, for we must go.
“How are we going? “rumbled the Cowardly Lion with sudden suspicion, then groaned when Ozma grinned at him and touched her Magic Belt.
“Well, we just don’t have time to walk,” Dorothy told him. “Anyway, we won’t land in a bramble patch this time, will we,
Ozma?”
“No, I’ll transport us right to the palace grounds,” Ozma
promised.
“Well-I hate to leave,” Dorothy sighed, smiling around at all her friends. Suddenly her eye fell on Robin and Merry, who were standing together in the background, looking rather left out and shy. “Why, we must do something about them!” Dorothy cried. “Can we take them with us, Ozma?”
“Do they want to be taken?” Ozma asked with a smile.
The others quickly explained to her that Robin and Merry had been on their way to the Emerald City all along, to ask her help.
“You see,” Robin added reluctantly, “I was going to ask you to send me back to Oregon-and to transform Merry into a Real Horse and send her with me.”
“Why, I’ll be happy to do both those things,” Ozma assured
him.
“Oh,” Robin said hollowly. He had been hoping, in secret, that the whole thing would prove to be impossible even for Ozma, and they would have to stay in Oz. He swallowed, and he and the little mare glanced at each other with long faces. “Well, thank you very much,” he sighed.
Ozma studied them a moment, then went up to Robin and took both his hands. “Tell me truthfully,” she said. “Don’t you want to go?”
“No,” said Robin, very truthfully indeed.
“Neither do I,” Merry said. Her lower lip was beginning to tremble and her great brown eyes filled with tears. “I never did want to go! And now I don’t even want to be a Real Horse, either. They have to eat, and rest, and keep warm, and all sorts of inconvenient things, and I think it’s more fun to just be me.”
“It’s much more interesting, too,” Dorothy agreed.
“But what about your family, Robin?” Ozma said. ” Wouldn’t they miss you?”
“I don’t have one, and the McGudgeys’d never miss me. scarcely ever remembered I was there, anyway,” Robin said frankly. I don’t think I was the sort of boy they liked.”
“Well, you’re exactly the sort of boy I like!” Ozma declared. “And you may both come and live in my palace forever if you want to.”
“In your palace?” Robin breathed. “If we want to?” Merry gulped.
“Oh, wheee!” Dorothy cried, clapping her hands and jumping up and down because she simply couldn’t help it. “Oh, you’ll just love the Scarecrow, and Betsy, and the Hungry Tiger, and-”
“And me,” put in the Lion jealously. “Remember, I knew you
first.”
“I take it you accept the invitation?” Ozma added.
“Oh, yes,” gasped Robin. And Merry said, “Oh, yes! Oh, yes!
Oh, yes!”
“Then stand close to Dorothy and the Lion, and off we go!”
“Goodbye, Prince Gules!” cried Dorothy. “Goodbye, Sir Fess! Goodbye, Flitter! Goodbye, everybody-give my Jove to Frederick the Great-”
“Please come to visit me in Troth, Robin and Merry!” Fess
begged.
“And me in Halidom!” added the Prince. “Goodbye!” “Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, everybody-dear!” squeaked Flitter, waving both his wings. “Oh-dear!”
Smiling, Princess Ozma had clasped both hands to her Magic
Belt.
An instant later, Robin was standing on a moonlit lawn, with a sky full of stars above him, and straight ahead of him the twinkling lights of the most beautiful palace he had ever even imagined-and at his side, the Cowardly Lion was growling,
“Welcome home!”
The End
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
L. Frank Baum - Oz 40 Page 21
