"Will you accompany me on this errand?" asked the Tin
Emperor.

"Of course," said the Scarecrow.

"And will you take me along?" pleaded Woot the
Wanderer in an eager voice.

"To be sure," said the Tin Woodman, "if you care to
join our party. It was you who first told me it was my
duty to find and marry Nimmie Amee, and I'd like you to
know that Nick Chopper, the Tin Emperor of the Winkies,
is a man who never shirks his duty, once it is pointed
out to him."

"It ought to be a pleasure, as well as a duty, if the
girl is so beautiful," said Woot, well pleased with the
idea of the adventure.

"Beautiful things may be admired, if not loved,"
asserted the Tin Man. "Flowers are beautiful, for
instance, but we are not inclined to marry them. Duty,
on the contrary, is a bugle call to action, whether you
are inclined to act, or not. In this case, I obey the
bugle call of duty."

"When shall we start?" inquired the Scarecrow, who
was always glad to embark upon a new adventure. "I
don't hear any bugle, but when do we go?"