"As soon as you leave the forest you will resume your natural coloring," the witch assured them with a little smile. "And where, may I ask, were you planning to go first?"
"Well," said Dorothy slowly, "I thought perhaps the countries outside of Oz might not be under this forgetting spell and that we might find in one of them a King who would lend us his army and help us to chase Skamperoo out of the Emerald City. Could you transport us as far as Ev, your Majesty?"
"As easily as I could invite you to dinner," Gloma assured them with an energetic little nod, "and I hope you will not only have dinner but rest yourselves before you start again on your dangerous journey."
"Pigasus—Pigasus, did you hear that? She can transport us all the way to Ev! Didn't I tell you we might find a good witch in this forest? Now everything will be all right!"
"So glad we met and got acquainted,
You're not so black as you are painted!"
chuckled Pigasus, breaking into rhyme from sheer good humor and relief. "And did I hear your Majesty invite us to dinner?"
"You certainly did," said Gloma, and dropping them a little bow, she swept gaily through the door.
"D'ye suppose it will be a black dinner?" whispered Pigasus, trotting briskly along beside Dorothy. "I've heard of light repasts, but never of dark ones. But I don't care. I'm hungry enough to eat tar pudding with cinder sauce."