ot invite shaggy men to their
homes, and this shaggy man of ours had slept more in hay-lofts and
stables than in comfortable rooms. When the others left the great hall
he eyed the splendidly dressed servants of the Princess Ozma as if he
expected to be ordered out; but one of them bowed before him as
respectfully as if he had been a prince, and said:

"Permit me, sir, to conduct you to your apartments."

The shaggy man drew a long breath and took courage.

"Very well," he answered. "I'm ready."

Through the big hall they went, up the grand staircase carpeted thick
with velvet, and so along a wide corridor to a carved doorway. Here
the servant paused, and opening the door said with polite deference:

"Be good enough to enter, sir, and make yourself at home in the rooms
our Royal Ozma has ordered prepared for you. Whatever you see is for
you to use and enjoy, as if your own. The Princess dines at seven, and
I shall be here in time to lead you to the drawing-room, where you will
be privileged to meet the lovely Ruler of Oz. Is there any command, in
the meantime, with which you desire to honor me?"

"No," said the shaggy man; "but I'm much obliged."

He entered the room and shut the door, and for a time stood in
bewilderment, admiring the grandeur before him.

He had been given one of the handsomest apartments in the most
magnificent palace in the world, and you can not wonder that his good
fortune astonished and awed him until he grew used to his surroundings.

The furniture was upholstered in cloth of gold, with the royal crown
embroidered upon it in scarlet. The rug upon the marble floor was so
thick and soft that he could not hear the sound of his own footsteps,
and upon the walls were splendid tapestries woven with scenes from the
Land of Oz. Books and ornaments were scattered about in profusion, and
the shaggy man thought he had never seen so many pretty things in one
place before. In one corner played a tinkling fountain of perfumed
water, and in another was a table bearing a golden tray loaded with
freshly gathered fruit, including several of the red-cheeked apples
that the shaggy man loved.

At the farther end of this charming room was an open doorway, and he
crossed over to find himself in a bedroom containing more comforts than
the shaggy man had ever before imagined. The bedstead was of gold and
set with many brilliant diamonds, and the coverlet had designs of
pearls and rubies sewed upon it