Chapter Six

DOROTHY TALKS ABOUT OZ, THE WIZARD

After a long walk Dorothy and her friends came to a great green wall. The wall went around the Emerald City. It was high and thick and had only one gate in it. The road of yellow brick ended at the gate.

Dorothy knocked at the gate. It opened slowly and they saw a little man in a green suit. His face was green; his beard and hair were green too. Near him there was a large green box.

When the little man in the green suit saw Dorothy and her comrades he asked:

"Who are you? What do you want in the Emerald City?" "We want to see the Great Wizard of Oz," said Dorothy. "Do you think the Great Wizard will see you?" 1 asked the little green man.

"Why not?" asked Dorothy. "Why can't he see us?" "He sees no men, women or children," answered the little green man.

"Does he never go out for a walk?" asked the Scarecrow.

"Never!" was the answer. "He sits day after day in the great Throne Room and never goes out."

"What is he like?" asked the girl.

"I can't tell you that, I have never seen him," said the green man. "You see, the Great Wizard can change his form when he likes. And he changes it all the time. Some people say he looks like a bird or a cat. Other people say he looks like a monkey. And some say he looks like a beautiful fairy. But we don't know what his right form is!" 2

"That is very strange, isn't it?" said Dorothy. "But we must see him."

"Why must you see him?" asked the little man.

"I must see him because I want him to give me some brains," said the Scarecrow.

"Oh, it's very easy for him to give you some brains," said the little man. "The Great Wizard has a lot of brains."

"And I want him to give me a heart," said the Tin Woodman.

"That will be easy for him too," said the little man. "He has a large collection of hearts, big and small. He keeps them in a silver box."

"And I shall ask him to give me some courage," said the Cowardly Lion.

"Oh, the Wizard has a big bag of courage in his Throne Room," said the little green man. "He will be glad to give you some courage from the bag."

"And I shall ask him to send me back to Kansas prairie," said Dorothy. "It is my home. My aunt and uncle are waiting for me there."

"I don't know where Kansas prairie is," said the little man. "But I hope the Great Wizard will find Kansas for you. Now I shall take you to him, if you are not afraid. The Wizard of Oz is very terrible. But first I shall give you all eye-glasses. You must put them on and wear them all the time."

"Why?" asked Dorothy.

"Because," said the green man, "the Great Wizard has ordered it. All the houses in the Emerald City are made of emeralds. To look at them will be bad for your eyes. All the people who live in the Emerald City and those who come to it must wear eye-glasses night and day. They can't take them off because when they put the eye-glasses on I lock them. The Great Wizard ordered it and you must do what he wants you to do."

He opened his big box. Dorothy saw a lot of green eyeglasses in it.

The man found a pair of glasses for Dorothy and put them over her eyes. Then he locked them at the back of her head with a little key. Then the green man found a pair of glasses the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. He even found green glasses for Toto and the Lion.

He locked all of them with his key and said:

"Now let us go to the Great Wizard of Oz!"

And they went after the little green man into the streets of the Emerald City.

Little Dorothy and her friends gave a cry of surprise-so bright and beautiful was the Emerald City. They liked it very much.. The houses were made of green emeralds. The window glass was green too. Even the sky over their heads was a little green. There were many people: men, women and children, walking in the streets of the Emerald City. They all wore green clothes. They had beautiful green eyes and green hair. They looked at Dorothy and her friends in surprise, but they did not speak to them. The children were frightened when they saw the Cowardly Lion. They all ran to their mothers. There were no horses, dogs or other animals in the Emerald City. The people looked at Toto in surprise.

There were many shops in the Emerald City. Dorothy saw green sweets and cakes, green shoes and hats, and green clothes in the shops. At one place a man sold green nuts and children gave him green money.

Soon they saw a big and wonderful palace. It stood in the middle of the Emerald City. The walls of the palace were made of green emeralds.

The ruler of the Emerald City, the Great Wizard of Oz lived in that beautiful green palace.

 

 

1 will see you — зд. примет вас

2 what his right form is - какова его наружность на самом деле