The Lion hesitated no longer, but drank till the dish was empty.
How do you feel now? asked Oz.
Full of courage, replied the Lion, who went joyfully back to his
friends to tell them of his good fortune.
Oz, left to himself, smiled to think of his success in giving the
Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and the Lion exactly what they thought
they wanted. How can I help being a humbug, he said, when all these
people make me do things that everybody knows can t be done? It was
easy to make the Scarecrow and the Lion and the Woodman happy, because
they imagined I could do anything. But it will take more than
imagination to carry Dorothy back to Kansas, and I m sure I don t know
how it can be done.
Chapter XVII
How the Balloon Was Launched
For three days Dorothy heard nothing from Oz. These were sad days for
the little girl, although her friends were all quite happy and
contented. The Scarecrow told them there were wonderful thoughts in his
head; but he would not say what they were because he knew no one could
understand them but himself. When the Tin Woodman walked about he felt
his heart rattling around in his breast; and he told Dorothy he had
discovered it to be a kinder and more tender heart than the one he had
owned when he was made of flesh. The Lion declared he was afraid of
nothing on earth, and would gladly face an army or a dozen of the
fierce Kalidahs.
Thus each of the little party was satisfied except Dorothy, who longed
more than ever to get back to Kansas.
On the fourth day, to her great joy, Oz sent for her, and when she
entered the Throne Room he greeted her pleasantly:
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