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of the street. So down the center marched the three, feeling--as the

Cowardly Lion put it--exactly like a circus.

"Stop! Names, please!" The Fix next to the center put up his knife

commandingly. Sir Hokus stepped forward with a bow:

Princess Dorothy of Oz, the Cowardly Lion of Oz."

And Sir Hokus of Pokes," roared the Lion as the Knight modestly stepped

back without announcing himself.

"Sir Pokus of Hoax, Howardly Kion of Boz, and Little Girl Beginning with D,"

bellowed the Fix, "meet His Royal Highness, King Fix It, and the noble

Fixitives."

"Little Girl Beginning with D! That's too long," complained the King, who,

with the exception of his crown, looked like all the rest of them, "I'll leave out

the middle. What do you want, Little With D?"

"My name is Dorothy, and if your Highness could give us some dinner and

tell us something about the Scarecrow and--"

One thing at a time, please," said the King reprovingly. "What does Poker

want, and Boz? Have they anything to spend?"

Only the night, an' it please your Gracious Highness," said Sir Hokus with

his best bow.

"It doesn't please me especially," said the King, taking a sip of water. "And

there! You've brought up another question. How do you want to spend it?"

He folded his hands helplessly on the table and looked appealingly at the Fix

next to him. "How am I to settle all these questions, Sticken? First they

come running around like crazy chairs, and--"

"You might ring for a settle," suggested Sticken, looking curiously at Sir

Hokus. The King leaned back with a sigh of relief, then touched a bell. There

were at least twenty bells set on a high post at his right hand, and all of the

Fixes seemed to have similar bell posts.

He's talking perfect nonsense," said Dorothy angrily. The Cowardly Lion

began to roll his eyes ominously.

Let me handle this, my dear. I'm used to Kings," whispered Sir Hokus.

Most of 'em talk nonsense. But if he grows wroth, we'll have all the

furniture in the place around our ears. Now just--"

The Royal Book of Oz