"No, no, Dorothy, that wouldn't do at all. Instead of happiness your plan would bring
weariness to the world. If every one could wave a wand and have his wants fulfilled there
would be little to wish for. There would be no eager striving to obtain the difficult, for
nothing would then be difficult, and the pleasure of earning something longed for, and
only to be secured by hard work and careful thought, would be utterly lost. There would
be nothing to do you see, and no interest in life and in our fellow creatures. That is all
that makes life worth our while -- to do good deeds and to help those less fortunate than
ourselves."
"Well, you're a fairy, Ozma. Aren't you happy?" asked Dorothy
"Yes, dear, because I can use my fairy powers to make others happy. Had I no kingdom
to rule, and no subjects to look after, I would be miserable. Also, you must realize that
while I am a more powerful fairy than any other inhabitant of Oz, I am not as powerful as
Glinda the Sorceress, who has studied many arts of magic that I know nothing of. Even
the little Wizard of Oz can do some things I am unable to accomplish, while I can
accomplish things unknown to the Wizard. This is to explain that I'm not all-powerful, by
any means. My magic is simply fairy magic, and not sorcery or wizardry."
"All the same," said Dorothy, "I'm mighty glad you could make this tent appear, with our
dinners and beds all ready for us."
Ozma smiled.
"Yes, it is indeed wonderful," she agreed. "Not all fairies know that sort of magic, but
some fairies can do magic that fills me with astonishment. I think that is what makes us
modest and unassuming -- the fact that our magic arts are divided, some being given each
of us. I'm glad I don't know everything, Dorothy, and that there still are things in both
nature and in wit for me to marvel at."
Dorothy couldn't quite understand this, so she said nothing more on the subject and
presently had a new reason to marvel. For when they had quite finished their meal table
and contents disappeared in a flash.
"No dishes to wash, Ozma!" she said with a laugh. "I guess you'd make a lot of folks
happy if you could teach 'em just that one trick."
For an hour Ozma told stories, and talked with Dorothy about various people in whom
they were interested. And then it was bedtime, and they undressed and crept into their
soft beds and fell asleep almost as soon as their heads touched their pillows.
