, and I am very grateful. Therefore I propose to
entertain you, since you are my guest and I am the King, as a slight
mark of my appreciation. Come with me to my reception hall."

He then summoned Bristle and said to him: "Assemble all the nobility in
the great reception hall, and also tell Blinkem that I want him
immediately."

The Keeper of the Wicket bowed and hurried away, and his Majesty turned
to Dorothy and continued: "We'll have time for a walk in the gardens
before the people get here."

The gardens were back of the palace and were filled with beautiful
flowers and fragrant shrubs, with many shade and fruit trees and
marble-paved walks running in every direction. As they entered this
place Blinkem came running to the King, who gave him several orders in
a low voice. Then his Majesty rejoined Dorothy and led her through the
gardens, which she admired very much.

"What lovely clothes your Majesty wears!" she said, glancing at the
rich blue satin costume, embroidered, with pearls in which the King was
dressed.

"Yes," he returned, with an air of pride, "this is one of my favorite
suits; but I have a good many that are even more elaborate. We have
excellent tailors in Bunnybury, and Glinda supplies all the material.
By the way, you might ask the Sorceress, when you see her, to permit me
to keep my wardrobe."

"But if you go back to the forest you will not need clothes," she said.

"N--o!" he faltered; "that may be so. But I've dressed up so long that
I'm used to it, and I don't imagine I'd care to run around naked again.
So perhaps the Good Glinda will let me keep the costumes."

"I'll ask her," agreed Dorothy.

Then they left the gardens and went into a fine, big reception hall,
where rich rugs were spread upon the tiled floors and the furniture was
exquisitely carved and studded with jewels. The King's chair was an
especially pretty piece of furniture, being in the shape of a silver
lily with one leaf bent over to form the seat. The silver was
everywhere thickly encrusted with diamonds and the seat was upholstered
in white satin.

"Oh, what a splendid chair!" cried Dorothy, clasping her hands
admiringly.

"Isn't it?" answered the King, proudly. "It is my favorite seat, and I
think it especially becoming to my complexion. While I think of it, I
wish you'd ask Glinda to let me keep this lily chair when I go away."

"It wouldn't look very well in a hole in the ground, would it?" she
suggest