endid
idea."

"So you did," declared Glinda, her face now grave and thoughtful.
"There is something in the Patchwork Girl's idea that may be of real
value to us."

"I think so, too," agreed the golden-haired Adept. "The top of the
Great Dome is only a few feet below the surface of the water. If we
could reduce the level of the lake until the Dome sticks a little above
the water, we could remove some of the glass and let ourselves down
into the village by means of ropes."

"And there would be plenty of water left for the fishes to swim in,"
added the white-haired maiden.

"If we succeed in raising the island we could fill up the lake again,"
suggested the brown-haired Adept.

"I believe," said the Wizard, rubbing his hands together in delight,
"that the Patchwork Girl has shown us the way to success."

The girls were looking curiously at the three beautiful Adepts,
wondering who they were, so Glinda introduced them to Trot and Betsy
and Scraps, and then sent the children away while she considered how to
carry the new idea into effect.

Not much could be done that night, so the Wizard prepared another tent
for the Adepts, and in the evening Glinda held a reception and invited
all her followers to meet the new arrivals. The Adepts were greatly
astonished at the extraordinary personages presented to them, and
marveled that Jack Pumpkinhead and the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman
and Tik-Tok could really live and think and talk just like other
people. They were especially pleased with the lively Patchwork Girl and
loved to watch her antics.

It was quite a pleasant party, for Glinda served some dainty
refreshments to those who could eat, and the Scarecrow recited some
poems, and the Cowardly Lion sang a song in his deep bass voice. The
only thing that marred their joy was the thought that their beloved
Ozma and dear little Dorothy were yet confined in the Great Dome of the
Sunken island.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The Sunken Island

As soon as they had breakfasted the next morning, Glinda and the Wizard
and the three Adepts went down to the shore of the lake and formed a
line with their faces toward the submerged island. All the others came
to watch them, but stood at a respectful distance in the background.

At the right of the Sorceress stood Audah and Aurah, while at the left
stood the Wizard and Aujah. Together they stretched their arms over the
water's edge and in unison the five chanted a rhythmic inca