agic Belt, which she had once captured from the Nome King, and
experimenting with it in various ways, ever since she had started on
this eventful journey. At different times she had stolen away from the
others of her party and in solitude had tried to find out what the Magic
Belt could do and what it could not do. There were a lot of things it
could not do, she discovered, but she learned some things about the Belt
which even her girl friends did not suspect she knew.

[Illustration]

For one thing, she had remembered that when the Nome King owned it the
Magic Belt used to perform transformations, and by thinking hard she had
finally recalled the way in which such transformations had been
accomplished. Better than this, however, was the discovery that the
Magic Belt would grant its wearer one wish a day. All she need do was
close her right eye and wiggle her left toe and then draw a long breath
and make her wish. Yesterday she had wished in secret for a box of
caramels, and instantly found the box beside her. To-day she had saved
her daily wish, in case she might need it in an emergency, and the time
had now come when she must use the wish to enable her to escape with her
friends from the prison in which Ugu had caught them.

So, without telling anyone what she intended to do--for she had only
used the wish once and could not be certain how powerful the Magic Belt
might be--Dorothy closed her right eye and wiggled her left big toe and
drew a long breath and wished with all her might. The next moment the
room began to revolve again, as slowly as before, and by degrees they
all slid to the side wall and down the wall to the floor--all but
Scraps, who was so astonished that she still clung to the chandelier.
When the big hall was in its proper position again and the others stood
firmly upon the floor of it, they looked far up to the dome and saw the
Patchwork Girl swinging from the chandelier.

"Good gracious!" cried Dorothy. "How ever will you get down?"

"Won't the room keep turning?" asked Scraps.

"I hope not. I believe it has stopped for good," said Princess Dorothy.

"Then stand from under, so you won't get hurt!" shouted the Patchwork
Girl, and as soon as they had obeyed this request she let go the
chandelier and came tumbling down heels over head and twisting and
turning in a very exciting manner. Plump! she fell on the tiled floor
and they ran to her and rolled her and patted her into shape again.

[Illust