“The one who enchanted the peach, and placed it here—in the exact center of the Great Orchard—so no one would ever find it. We birds didn’t dare to eat it; we are too wise for that. But you are Button-Bright, from the Emerald City, and you—you—YOU ate the enchanted peach! You must explain to Ugu the Shoemaker why you did that.”

And then, before the boy could ask any more questions, the bird flew away and left him alone.

Button-Bright was not much worried to find that the peach he had eaten was enchanted. It certainly had tasted very good and his stomach didn’t ache a bit. So again he began to reflect upon the best way to rejoin his friends.

“Whichever direction I follow is likely to be the wrong one,” he said to himself, “so I’d better stay just where I am and let them find me—if they can.”

A White Rabbit came hopping through the orchard and paused a little way off to look at him.

“Don’t be afraid,” said Button-Bright; “I won’t hurt you.”

“Oh, I’m not afraid for myself,” returned the White Rabbit. “It’s you I’m worried about.”

“Yes; I’m lost,” said the boy.

“I fear you are, indeed,” answered the Rabbit. “Why on earth did you eat the enchanted peach?”

The boy looked at the excited little animal thoughtfully.

“There were two reasons,” he explained. “One reason was that I like peaches, and the other reason was that I didn’t know it was enchanted.”

“That won’t save you from Ugu the Shoemaker,” declared the White Rabbit and it scurried away before the boy could ask any more questions.

“Rabbits and birds,” he thought, “are timid creatures and seem afraid of this shoemaker—whoever he may be. If there was another peach half as good as that other, I’d eat it in spite of a dozen enchantments or a hundred shoemakers!”

Just then Scraps came dancing along and saw him sitting at the foot of the tree.

“Oh, here you are!” she said. “Up to your old tricks, eh? Don’t you know it’s impolite to get lost and keep everybody waiting for you? Come along, and I’ll lead you back to Dorothy and the others.”

Button-Bright rose slowly to accompany her.

“That wasn’t much of a loss,” he said cheerfully. “I haven’t been gone half a day, so there’s no harm done.”

Dorothy, however, when the boy rejoined the party, gave him a good scolding.

“When we’re doing such an important thing as searching for Ozma,” said she, “it’s naughty for you to wander away and keep us from getting on. S’pose she’s a pris’ner—in a dungeon cell!—do you want to keep our dear Ozma there any longer than we can help?”