有声英语少儿童话故事 绿野仙踪 第15卷 第16章

“One of my greatest fears was the Witches,for while I had no magical powers at all I soon found out that the Witches werereally able to do wonderful things. There were four of them in this country,and they ruled the people who live in the North and South and East and West.Fortunately, the Witches of the North and South were good, and I knew theywould do me no harm; but the Witches of the East and West were terribly wicked,and had they not thought I was more powerful than they themselves, they wouldsurely have destroyed me. As it was, I lived in deadly fear of them for manyyears; so you can imagine how pleased I was when I heard your house had fallenon the Wicked Witch of the East. When you came to me, I was willing to promiseanything if you would only do away with the other Witch; but, now that you havemelted her, I am ashamed to say that I cannot keep my promises.”

有声英语少儿童话故事 绿野仙踪 第15卷 第15章

“No more than in any other city,” repliedOz; “but when you wear green spectacles, why of course everything you see looksgreen to you. The Emerald City was built a great many years ago, for I was ayoung man when the balloon brought me here, and I am a very old man now. But mypeople have worn green glasses on their eyes so long that most of them think itreally is an Emerald City, and it certainly is a beautiful place, abounding injewels and precious metals, and every good thing that is needed to make onehappy. I have been good to the people, and they like me; but ever since thisPalace was built, I have shut myself up and would not see any of them.

有声英语少儿童话故事 绿野仙踪 第15卷 第14章

“It came down gradually, and I was not hurta bit. But I found myself in the midst of a strange people, who, seeing me comefrom the clouds, thought I was a great Wizard. Of course I let them think so,because they were afraid of me, and promised to do anything I wished them to

“Just to amuse myself, and keep the goodpeople busy, I ordered them to build this City, and my Palace; and they did itall willingly and well. Then I thought, as the country was so green andbeautiful, I would call it the Emerald City; and to make the name fit better Iput green spectacles on all the people, so that everything they saw was green.”

“But isn’t everything here green?” askedDorothy.

有声英语少儿童话故事 绿野仙踪 第15卷 第13章

“What is that?” asked Dorothy.

“A man who goes up in a balloon on circusday, so as to draw a crowd of people together and get them to pay to see thecircus,” he explained.

“Oh,” she said, “I know.”

“Well, one day I went up in a balloon andthe ropes got twisted, so that I couldn’t come down again. It went way up abovethe clouds, so far that a current of air struck it and carried it many, manymiles away. For a day and a night I traveled through the air, and on themorning of the second day I awoke and found the balloon floating over a strangeand beautiful country.

有声英语少儿童话故事 绿野仙踪 第15卷 第12章

“Really,” said the Scarecrow, “you ought tobe ashamed of yourself for being such a humbug.”

“I am–I certainly am,” answered the littleman sorrowfully; “but it was the only thing I could do. Sit down, please, thereare plenty of chairs; and I will tell you my story.”

So they sat down and listened while he toldthe following tale.

“I was born in Omaha–”

“Why, that isn’t very far from Kansas!”cried Dorothy.

“No, but it’s farther from here,” he said,shaking his head at her sadly. “When I grew up I became a ventriloquist, and atthat I was very well trained by a great master. I can imitate any kind of abird or beast.” Here he mewed so like a kitten that Toto pricked up his earsand looked everywhere to see where she was. “After a time,” continued Oz, “Itired of that, and became a balloonist.”

有声英语少儿童话故事 绿野仙踪 第15卷 第11章

“This I hung from the ceiling by a wire,”said Oz. “I stood behind the screen and pulled a thread, to make the eyes moveand the mouth open.”

“But how about the voice?” she inquired.

“Oh, I am a ventriloquist,” said the littleman. “I can throw the sound of my voice wherever I wish, so that you thought itwas coming out of the Head. Here are the other things I used to deceive you.”He showed the Scarecrow the dress and the mask he had worn when he seemed to bethe lovely Lady. And the Tin Woodman saw that his terrible Beast was nothingbut a lot of skins, sewn together, with slats to keep their sides out. As forthe Ball of Fire, the false Wizard had hung that also from the ceiling. It wasreally a ball of cotton, but when oil was poured upon it the ball burnedfiercely.

有声英语少儿童话故事 第15卷 第10章

“No one knows it but you four–and myself,”replied Oz. “I have fooled everyone so long that I thought I should never befound out. It was a great mistake my ever letting you into the Throne Room.Usually I will not see even my subjects, and so they believe I am somethingterrible.”

“But, I don’t understand,” said Dorothy, inbewilderment. “How was it that you appeared to me as a great Head?”

“That was one of my tricks,” answered Oz.“Step this way, please, and I will tell you all about it.”

He led the way to a small chamber in therear of the Throne Room, and they all followed him. He pointed to one corner,in which lay the great Head, made out of many thicknesses of paper, and with acarefully painted face.

有声英语少儿童话故事 第15卷 第9章

“And aren’t you?” she asked.

“Not a bit of it, my dear; I’m just acommon man.”

“You’re more than that,” said theScarecrow, in a grieved tone; “you’re a humbug.”

“Exactly so!” declared the little man,rubbing his hands together as if it pleased him. “I am a humbug.”

“But this is terrible,” said the TinWoodman. “How shall I ever get my heart?”

“Or I my courage?” asked the Lion.

“Or I my brains?” wailed the Scarecrow,wiping the tears from his eyes with his coat sleeve.

“My dear friends,” said Oz, “I pray you notto speak of these little things. Think of me, and the terrible trouble I’m inat being found out.”

“Doesn’t anyone else know you’re a humbug?”asked Dorothy.

有声英语少儿童话故事 第15卷 第8章

“I am Oz, the Great and Terrible,” said thelittle man, in a trembling voice. “But don’t strike me–please don’t–and I’ll doanything you want me to.”

Our friends looked at him in surprise anddismay.

“I thought Oz was a great Head,” said Dorothy.

“And I thought Oz was a lovely Lady,” saidthe Scarecrow.

“And I thought Oz was a terrible Beast,”said the Tin Woodman.

“And I thought Oz was a Ball of Fire,”exclaimed the Lion.

“No, you are all wrong,” said the littleman meekly. “I have been making believe.”

“Making believe!” cried Dorothy. “Are younot a Great Wizard?”

“Hush, my dear,” he said. “Don’t speak soloud, or you will be overheard–and I should be ruined. I’m supposed to be theGreat Wizard.”

有声英语少儿童话故事 绿野仙踪 第15卷 第7章

The Lion thought it might be as well tofrighten the Wizard, so he gave a large, loud roar, which was so fierce anddreadful that Toto jumped away from him in alarm and tipped over the screenthat stood in a corner. As it fell with a crash they looked that way, and thenext moment all of them were filled with wonder. For they saw, standing in justthe spot the screen had hidden, a little old man, with a bald head and awrinkled face, who seemed to be as much surprised as they were. The TinWoodman, raising his axe, rushed toward the little man and cried out, “Who areyou?”