"That's too bad," observed Dorothy, frowning.

"Why?" asked Button-Bright.

"There wasn't any use making all our people unhappy till we were dead
certain that Ozma can't be found."

"Pshaw," said Button-Bright, "it's nothing to get lost. I've been
lost lots of times."

"That's true," admitted Trot, who knew that the boy had a habit of
getting lost and then finding himself again, "but it's diff'rent with
Ozma. She's the Ruler of all this big fairyland, and we're 'fraid
that the reason she's lost is because somebody has stolen her away."

"Only wicked people steal," said Ojo. "Do you know of any wicked
people in Oz, Dorothy?"

"No," she replied.

"They're here, though," cried Scraps, dancing up to them and then
circling around the group. "Ozma's stolen; someone in Oz stole her;
only wicked people steal; so someone in Oz is wicked!"

There was no denying the truth of this statement. The faces of all of
them were now solemn and sorrowful. "One thing is sure," said
Button-Bright after a time, "if Ozma has been stolen, someone ought to
find her and punish the thief."

"There may be a lot of thieves," suggested Trot gravely, "and in this