of Oz.)

"He doesn't look evil to me," giggled Scraps, dancing up to Sir
Hokus, her suspender button eyes snapping with fun.

"He isn't," said Dorothy indignantly, for Sir Hokus was too shaken
about to answer. "He's my Knight Errant."

"Ah, I see," replied Professor Wogglebug. "A case of 'When Knighthood
was in flower.'" And would you believe it--the beanstalk at that
minute burst into a perfect shower of red blossoms that came tumbling
down over everyone. Before they had recovered from their surprise,
the branch snapped off close to the Knight's armor, and Tik-Tok, the
Tin Woodman and Sir Hokus rolled over in a heap. The branch itself
whistled through the air and disappeared.

"Oh," cried Dorothy, hugging the Knight impulsively, "I'm so glad."

"Are you all right?" asked the Scarecrow anxiously.

"Good as ever!" announced Sir Hokus, and indeed all traces of the
magic stalk had disappeared from his shoulders.

"Dorothy!" cried Ozma again. "What does it all mean?"

"Merely that I slid down my family tree and that Dorothy and this
Knight rescued me," said the Scarecrow calmly.

"And he's a real Royalty--so there!" cried Dorothy with a wave at the
Scarecrow and making a little face at Professor Wogglebug. "Meet his
Supreme Highness, Chang Wang Woe of Silver Island, who had abdicated
his throne and returned to be a plain Scarecrow in Oz!"

Then, as the eminent Educator of Oz stood gaping at the Scarecrow,
"Oh, Ozma, I've so much to tell you!"

"Begin! Begin!" cried the little Wizard. "For everything's mighty
mysterious. First, the Cowardly Lion and two unknown beasts shoot
through the air and stop just outside the third-story windows, and
there they hang although I've tried all my magic to get them down.
Then you and the Scarecrow drop in with a strange Knight!"

"Oh, the poor Cowardly Lion!" gasped Dorothy as the Wizard finished
speaking. "The magic fan!" She felt hurriedly in her pocket. "It's
gone!"

"It must have slipped out of your pocket and blown them here, and
they'll never come down till that fan is closed," cried the Scarecrow
in an agitated voice.

All of this was Greek to Ozma and the others, but when Dorothy begged
the little Queen to send for her Magic Belt, she did it without
question. This belt Dorothy had captured from the Gnome King, and it
enabled the wearer to wish people and objects wherever one wanted
them.

"I wish the magic fan to close and to come safely back to me," said
Dorothy