"Madam," he said hastily, "I consider this action
very impolite. It may even be called rude, considering
we are your guests."
"You are not guests, for I did not invite you here,"
she replied.
"Perhaps not; but we craved hospitality. We threw
ourselves upon your mercy, so to speak, and we now find
you have no mercy. Therefore, if you will excuse the
expression, I must say it is downright wicked to take
our proper forms away from us and give us others that
we do not care for."
"Are you trying to make me angry?" she asked,
frowning.
"By no means," said the Scarecrow; "I'm just trying
to make you act more ladylike."
"Oh, indeed! In my opinion, Mr. Scarecrow, you are
now acting like a bear -- so a Bear you shall be!"
Again the dreadful finger pointed, this time in the
Scarecrow's direction, and at once his form began to
change. In a few seconds he had become a small Brown
Bear, but he was stuffed with straw as he had been
before, and when the little Brown Bear shuffled across
the floor he was just as wobbly as the Scarecrow had
been and moved just as awkwardly.
Woot was amazed, but he was also thoroughly
frightened.
"Did it hurt?" he asked the little Brown Bear.
"No, of course not," growled the Scarecrow in the
Bear's form; "but I don't like walking on four legs;
it's undignified."
"Consider my humiliation!" chirped the Tin Owl,
trying to settle its tin feathers smoothly with its tin
beak.
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