d her, and in all the magnificent
rooms there appeared to be no other person.

Upon the mantels, and on many shelves and brackets and tables, were
clustered ornaments of every description, seemingly made out of all
sorts of metals, glass, china, stones and marbles. There were vases, and
figures of men and animals, and graven platters and bowls, and mosaics
of precious gems, and many other things. Pictures, too, were on the
walls, and the underground palace was quite a museum of rare and curious
and costly objects.

After her first hasty examination of the rooms Ozma began to wonder
which of all the numerous ornaments they contained were the
transformations of the royal family of Ev. There was nothing to guide
her, for everything seemed without a spark of life. So she must guess
blindly; and for the first time the girl came to realize how dangerous
was her task, and how likely she was to lose her own freedom in striving
to free others from the bondage of the Nome King. No wonder the
cunning monarch laughed good naturedly with his visitors, when he knew
how easily they might be entrapped.

[Illustration: OZMA SHUT HER EYES TIGHTLY AND ADVANCED]

But Ozma, having undertaken the venture, would not abandon it. She
looked at a silver candelabra that had ten branches, and thought: "This
may be the Queen of Ev and her ten children." So she touched it and
uttered aloud the word "Ev," as the Nome King had instructed her to do
when she guessed. But the candelabra remained as it was before.

Then she wandered into another room and touched a china lamb, thinking
it might be one of the children she sought. But again she was
unsuccessful. Three guesses; four guesses; five, six, seven, eight, nine
and ten she made, and still not one of them was right!

The girl shivered a little and grew pale even under the rosy light; for
now but one guess remained, and her own fate depended upon the result.

She resolved not to be hasty, and strolled through all the rooms once
more, gazing earnestly upon the various ornaments and trying to decide
which she would touch. Finally, in despair, she decided to leave it
entirely to chance. She faced the doorway of a room, shut her eyes
tightly, and then, thrusting aside the heavy draperies, she advanced
blindly with her right arm outstretched before her.

Slowly, softly she crept forward until her hand came in contact with an
object upon a small round table. She did not know what it was, but in a
l