he magician,
and rescue her.

They found they had entered a square courtyard, from which an entrance
led into the main building of the castle. No person had appeared to
greet them so far, although a gaudy peacock perched upon the wall
cackled with laughter and said in its sharp, shrill voice, "Poor fools!
Poor fools!"

"I hope the peacock is mistaken," remarked the Frogman, but no one else
paid any attention to the bird. They were a little awed by the
stillness and loneliness of the place. As they entered the doors of
the castle, which stood invitingly open, these also closed behind them
and huge bolts shot into place. The animals had all accompanied the
party into the castle because they felt it would be dangerous for them
to separate. They were forced to follow a zigzag passage, turning this
way and that, until finally they entered a great central hall, circular
in form and with a high dome from which was suspended an enormous
chandelier.

The Wizard went first, and Dorothy, Betsy and Trot followed him, Toto
keeping at the heels of his little mistress. Then came the Lion, the
Woozy and the Sawhorse, then Cayke the Cookie Cook and Button-Bright,
then the Lavender Bear carrying the Pink Bear, and finally the Frogman
and the Patchwork Girl, with Hank the Mule tagging behind. So it was
the Wizard who caught the first glimpse of the big, domed hall, but the
others quickly followed and gathered in a wondering group just within
the entrance.

Upon a raised platform at one side was a heavy table on which lay
Glinda's Great Book of Records, but the platform was firmly fastened to
the floor and the table was fastened to the platform and the Book was
chained fast to the table, just as it had been when it was kept in
Glinda's palace. On the wall over the table hung Ozma's Magic Picture.
On a row of shelves at the opposite side of the hall stood all the
chemicals and essences of magic and all the magical instruments that
had been stolen from Glinda and Ozma and the Wizard, with glass doors
covering the shelves so that no one could get at them.

And in a far corner sat Ugu the Shoemaker, his feet lazily extended,
his skinny hands clasped behind his head. He was leaning back at his
ease and calmly smoking a long pipe. Around the magician was a sort of
cage, seemingly made of golden bars set wide apart, and at his feet,
also within the cage, reposed the long-sought diamond-studded dishpan
of Cayke the Cookie Cook. P