nts of a royal purple color?"

"But there are no other purple ornaments in the palace," said the
Steward.

"There are many other colors, however, and the purple ones are
scattered throughout the rooms, and are of many different shapes and
sizes. Take my word for it, Steward, they will never think of choosing
the purple ornaments."

Billina, squatting under the throne, had listened carefully to all this
talk, and now chuckled softly to herself as she heard the King disclose
his secret.

"Still, you are acting foolishly by running the chance," continued the
Steward, roughly; "and it is still more foolish of you to transform all
those people from Oz into green ornaments."

"I did that because they came from the Emerald City," replied the King;
"and I had no green ornaments in my collection until now. I think they
will look quite pretty, mixed with the others. Don't you?"

The Steward gave an angry grunt.

"Have your own way, since you are the King," he growled. "But if you
come to grief through your carelessness, remember that I told you so.
If I wore the magic belt which enables you to work all your
transformations, and gives you so much other power, I am sure I would
make a much wiser and better King than you are."

"Oh, cease your tiresome chatter!" commanded the King, getting angry
again. "Because you are my Chief Steward you have an idea you can
scold me as much as you please. But the very next time you become
impudent, I will send you to work in the furnaces, and get another Nome
to fill your place. Now follow me to my chamber, for I am going to
bed. And see that I am wakened early tomorrow morning. I want to
enjoy the fun of transforming the rest of these people into ornaments."

"What color will you make the Kansas girl?" asked the Steward.

"Gray, I think," said his Majesty.

"And the Scarecrow and the machine man?"

"Oh, they shall be of solid gold, because they are so ugly in real
life."

Then the voices died away, and Billina knew that the King and his
Steward had left the room. She fixed up some of her tail feathers that
were not straight, and then tucked her head under her wing again and
went to sleep.

In the morning Dorothy and the Lion and Tiger were given their
breakfast in their rooms, and afterward joined the King in his throne
room. The Tiger complained bitterly that he was half starved, and
begged to go into the palace and become an ornament, so that he would
no longer su