【英文读物】The Lost Princess of Oz.docx

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1、【英文读物】The Lost Princess of OzTo My Readers Some of my youthful readers are developing wonderful imaginations. This pleases me. Imagination has brought mankind through the Dark Ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discove

2、r electricity. Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the talking-machine and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities. So I believe that dreamsday dreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain-machinery whizzingare likely to l

3、ead to the betterment of the world. The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create, to invent, and therefore to foster civilization. A prominent educator tells me that fairy tales are of untold value in developing imagination in the young. I believe it. Among the l

4、etters I receive from children are many containing suggestions of what to write about in the next Oz Book. Some of the ideas advanced are mighty interesting, while others are too extravagant to be seriously consideredeven in a fairy tale. Yet I like them all, and I must admit that the main idea in T

5、he Lost Princess of Oz was suggested to me by a sweet little girl of eleven who called to see me and to talk about the Land of Oz. Said she: I spose if Ozma ever got lost, or stolen, evrybody in Oz would be dreadful sorry. That was all, but quite enough foundation to build this present story on. If

6、you happen to like the story, give credit to my little friends clever hint. L. Frank Baum Royal Historian of OzCHAPTER 1 A TERRIBLE LOSS There could be no doubt of the fact: Princess Ozma, the lovely girl ruler of the Fairyland of Oz, was lost. She had completely disappeared. Not one of her subjects

7、not even her closest friendsknew what had become of her. It was Dorothy who first discovered it. Dorothy was a little Kansas girl who had come to the Land of Oz to live and had been given a delightful suite of rooms in Ozmas royal palace just because Ozma loved Dorothy and wanted her to live as near

8、 her as possible so the two girls might be much together. Dorothy was not the only girl from the outside world who had been welcomed to Oz and lived in the royal palace. There was another named Betsy Bobbin, whose adventures had led her to seek refuge with Ozma, and still another named Trot, who had

9、 been invited, together with her faithful companion Capn Bill, to make her home in this wonderful fairyland. The three girls all had rooms in the palace and were great chums; but Dorothy was the dearest friend of their gracious Ruler and only she at any hour dared to seek Ozma in her royal apartment

10、s. For Dorothy had lived in Oz much longer than the other girls and had been made a Princess of the realm. Betsy was a year older than Dorothy and Trot was a year younger, yet the three were near enough of an age to become great playmates and to have nice times together. It was while the three were

11、talking together one morning in Dorothys room that Betsy proposed they make a journey into the Munchkin Country, which was one of the four great countries of the Land of Oz ruled by Ozma. Ive never been there yet, said Betsy Bobbin, but the Scarecrow once told me it is the prettiest country in all O

12、z. Id like to go, too, added Trot. All right, said Dorothy. Ill go and ask Ozma. Perhaps she will let us take the Sawhorse and the Red Wagon, which would be much nicer for us than having to walk all the way. This Land of Oz is a pretty big place when you get to all the edges of it. So she jumped up

13、and went along the halls of the splendid palace until she came to the royal suite, which filled all the front of the second floor. In a little waiting room sat Ozmas maid, Jellia Jamb, who was busily sewing. Is Ozma up yet? inquired Dorothy. I dont know, my dear, replied Jellia. I havent heard a wor

14、d from her this morning. She hasnt even called for her bath or her breakfast, and it is far past her usual time for them. Thats strange! exclaimed the little girl. Yes, agreed the maid, but of course no harm could have happened to her. No one can die or be killed in the Land of Oz, and Ozma is herse

15、lf a powerful fairy, and she has no enemies so far as we know. Therefore I am not at all worried about her, though I must admit her silence is unusual. Perhaps, said Dorothy thoughtfully, she has overslept. Or she may be reading or working out some new sort of magic to do good to her people. Any of

16、these things may be true, replied Jellia Jamb, so I havent dared disturb our royal mistress. You, however, are a privileged character, Princess, and I am sure that Ozma wouldnt mind at all if you went in to see her. Of course not, said Dorothy, and opening the door of the outer chamber, she went in.

17、 All was still here. She walked into another room, which was Ozmas boudoir, and then, pushing back a heavy drapery richly broidered with threads of pure gold, the girl entered the sleeping-room of the fairy Ruler of Oz. The bed of ivory and gold was vacant; the room was vacant; not a trace of Ozma w

18、as to be found. Very much surprised, yet still with no fear that anything had happened to her friend, Dorothy returned through the boudoir to the other rooms of the suite. She went into the music room, the library, the laboratory, the bath, the wardrobe, and even into the great throne room, which ad

19、joined the royal suite, but in none of these places could she find Ozma. So she returned to the anteroom where she had left the maid, Jellia Jamb, and said: She isnt in her rooms now, so she must have gone out. I dont understand how she could do that without my seeing her, replied Jellia, unless she

20、 made herself invisible. She isnt there, anyhow, declared Dorothy. Then let us go find her, suggested the maid, who appeared to be a little uneasy. So they went into the corridors, and there Dorothy almost stumbled over a queer girl who was dancing lightly along the passage. Stop a minute, Scraps! s

21、he called, Have you seen Ozma this morning? Not I! replied the queer girl, dancing nearer. I lost both my eyes in a tussle with the Woozy last night, for the creature scraped em both off my face with his square paws. So I put the eyes in my pocket, and this morning Button-Bright led me to Aunt Em, w

22、ho sewed em on again. So Ive seen nothing at all today, except during the last five minutes. So of course I havent seen Ozma. Very well, Scraps, said Dorothy, looking curiously at the eyes, which were merely two round, black buttons sewed upon the girls face. There were other things about Scraps tha

23、t would have seemed curious to one seeing her for the first time. She was commonly called the Patchwork Girl because her body and limbs were made from a gay-colored patchwork quilt which had been cut into shape and stuffed with cotton. Her head was a round ball stuffed in the same manner and fastene

24、d to her shoulders. For hair, she had a mass of brown yarn, and to make a nose for her a part of the cloth had been pulled out into the shape of a knob and tied with a string to hold it in place. Her mouth had been carefully made by cutting a slit in the proper place and lining it with red silk, add

25、ing two rows of pearls for teeth and a bit of red flannel for a tongue. In spite of this queer make-up, the Patchwork Girl was magically alive and had proved herself not the least jolly and agreeable of the many quaint characters who inhabit the astonishing Fairyland of Oz. Indeed, Scraps was a gene

26、ral favorite, although she was rather flighty and erratic and did and said many things that surprised her friends. She was seldom still, but loved to dance, to turn handsprings and somersaults, to climb trees and to indulge in many other active sports. Im going to search for Ozma, remarked Dorothy,

27、for she isnt in her rooms, and I want to ask her a question. Ill go with you, said Scraps, for my eyes are brighter than yours, and they can see farther. Im not sure of that, returned Dorothy. But come along, if you like. Together they searched all through the great palace and even to the farthest l

28、imits of the palace grounds, which were quite extensive, but nowhere could they find a trace of Ozma. When Dorothy returned to where Betsy and Trot awaited her, the little girls face was rather solemn and troubled, for never before had Ozma gone away without telling her friends where she was going,

29、or without an escort that befitted her royal state. She was gone, however, and none had seen her go. Dorothy had met and questioned the Scarecrow, Tik-Tok, the Shaggy Man, Button-Bright, Capn Bill, and even the wise and powerful Wizard of Oz, but not one of them had seen Ozma since she parted with h

30、er friends the evening before and had gone to her own rooms. She didnt say anything las night about going anywhere, observed little Trot. No, and thats the strange part of it, replied Dorothy. Usually Ozma lets us know of everything she does. Why not look in the Magic Picture? suggested Betsy Bobbin

31、. That will tell us where she is in just one second. Of course! cried Dorothy. Why didnt I think of that before? And at once the three girls hurried away to Ozmas boudoir, where the Magic Picture always hung. This wonderful Magic Picture was one of the royal Ozmas greatest treasures. There was a lar

32、ge gold frame in the center of which was a bluish-gray canvas on which various scenes constantly appeared and disappeared. If one who stood before it wished to see what any person anywhere in the world was doing, it was only necessary to make the wish and the scene in the Magic Picture would shift t

33、o the scene where that person was and show exactly what he or she was then engaged in doing. So the girls knew it would be easy for them to wish to see Ozma, and from the picture they could quickly learn where she was. Dorothy advanced to the place where the picture was usually protected by thick sa

34、tin curtains and pulled the draperies aside. Then she stared in amazement, while her two friends uttered exclamations of disappointment. The Magic Picture was gone. Only a blank space on the wall behind the curtains showed where it had formerly hung.CHAPTER 2 THE TROUBLES OF GLINDA THE GOOD That sam

35、e morning there was great excitement in the castle of the powerful Sorceress of Oz, Glinda the Good. This castle, situated in the Quadling Country, far south of the Emerald City where Ozma ruled, was a splendid structure of exquisite marbles and silver grilles. Here the Sorceress lived, surrounded b

36、y a bevy of the most beautiful maidens of Oz, gathered from all the four countries of that fairyland as well as from the magnificent Emerald City itself, which stood in the place where the four countries cornered. It was considered a great honor to be allowed to serve the good Sorceress, whose arts

37、of magic were used only to benefit the Oz people. Glinda was Ozmas most valued servant, for her knowledge of sorcery was wonderful, and she could accomplish almost anything that her mistress, the lovely girl Ruler of Oz, wished her to. Of all the magical things which surrounded Glinda in her castle,

38、 there was none more marvelous than her Great Book of Records. On the pages of this Record Book were constantly being inscribed, day by day and hour by hour, all the important events that happened anywhere in the known world, and they were inscribed in the book at exactly the moment the events happe

39、ned. Every adventure in the Land of Oz and in the big outside world, and even in places that you and I have never heard of, were recorded accurately in the Great Book, which never made a mistake and stated only the exact truth. For that reason, nothing could be concealed from Glinda the Good, who ha

40、d only to look at the pages of the Great Book of Records to know everything that had taken place. That was one reason she was such a great Sorceress, for the records made her wiser than any other living person. This wonderful book was placed upon a big gold table that stood in the middle of Glindas

41、drawing room. The legs of the table, which were incrusted with precious gems, were firmly fastened to the tiled floor, and the book itself was chained to the table and locked with six stout golden padlocks, the keys to which Glinda carried on a chain that was secured around her own neck. The pages o

42、f the Great Book were larger in size than those of an American newspaper, and although they were exceedingly thin, there were so many of them that they made an enormous, bulky volume. With its gold cover and gold clasps, the book was so heavy that three men could scarcely have lifted it. Yet this mo

43、rning when Glinda entered her drawing room after breakfast, the good Sorceress was amazed to discover that her Great Book of Records had mysteriously disappeared. Advancing to the table, she found the chains had been cut with some sharp instrument, and this must have been done while all in the castl

44、e slept. Glinda was shocked and grieved. Who could have done this wicked, bold thing? And who could wish to deprive her of her Great Book of Records? The Sorceress was thoughtful for a time, considering the consequences of her loss. Then she went to her Room of Magic to prepare a charm that would te

45、ll her who had stolen the Record Book. But when she unlocked her cupboard and threw open the doors, all of her magical instruments and rare chemical compounds had been removed from the shelves. The Sorceress has now both angry and alarmed. She sat down in a chair and tried to think how this extraord

46、inary robbery could have taken place. It was evident that the thief was some person of very great power, or the theft could not have been accomplished without her knowledge. But who, in all the Land of Oz, was powerful and skillful enough to do this awful thing? And who, having the power, could also

47、 have an object in defying the wisest and most talented Sorceress the world has ever known? Glinda thought over the perplexing matter for a full hour, at the end of which time she was still puzzled how to explain it. But although her instruments and chemicals were gone, her KNOWLEDGE of magic had no

48、t been stolen, by any means, since no thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire. Glinda believed that when she had time to gather more magical herbs and elixirs and to manufacture more magical instruments, she would be able to discover who the robber was and what had become of her precious Book of Records. Whoever has done this, she said to her maidens, is a very foolish person, for in time he is sure to be found out and will then be severely punished. She now made a list of the things she n