“O,” cried the child, “what a dreadful-looking thing!” and she backed away as far as possible from the harmless little star-fish.
“It’s only a star-fish,” cried Dorothy to reassure herself, and once more put on the glasses. Again the dreadful octopus was before her and off came the glasses with a jump.
Just then she spied a bottle filled with water on a table. “That’s nothing but a bottle of water,” said the little girl, “I’m not afraid of that,” and again she clapped on the professor’s spectacles.
But horrors! as Dorothy looked through the glasses, the bottle became as large as a tub and right in the center was a strange, black monster, with two eyes and a tail swimming around.
The glasses were pulled off in a second and poor little Dorothy began to cry.
“Now I know why uncle doesn’t believe in the beautiful fairies,” cried the child, “it’s all on account of these horrid spectacles—they make him see dreadful things.”
She ran out of the study and down the steps to the garden still holding the professor’s glasses.
“I’m glad I’m out of that terrible room, it’s just filled with monsters, I’m not afraid out here,” said Dorothy seating herself on a rustic bench. Now it so happened that a certain, plump caterpillar was taking a walk across that very bench and Dorothy happened to see him. On went the spectacles and up jumped Dorothy. The little caterpillar had turned into a brown, furry snake and Dorothy ran for her life.
She tried to take off the glasses, but they would not come, and she walked quickly on.
Some daisies that grew near by looked like immense sunflowers, and their beautiful white petals were swarming with black bugs.