"I told you," the Shaggy Man reminded Conjo patiently, "that I was not shipwrecked. I came here from the Land of Oz to ask you to do me a favor." "A favor?" said Conjo, thinking hard. "Why, that is strange indeed! The last shipwrecked person who was here wanted me to do him a favor, too. He stayed several months and then wanted to return to his home. He asked me to make a boat for him. That was an easy trick. And because the fellow wasn't a bad sort at all, I made him a present--I gave him one of my newest creations--the Love Magnet." "The Love Magnet," gasped the Shaggy Man. "Don't interrupt, please," went on Conjo. "Not polite, you know. This shipwrecked person tied the Love Magnet onto the mast of his boat and set sail. Last I ever saw of him. Understand he encountered a whale, who, upon seeing the man and the Love Magnet, became so fond of the fellow that he ate him." Conjo wiped a tear from his eye. The Shaggy Man wasn't sure whether the Wizard was serious or was poking fun at him. He decided to pretend, at any rate, that he accepted Conjo's absurd story, saying, "Well, apparently the unfortunate man's boat was blown ashore and an Eskimo found the Love Magnet, for it was an Eskimo who gave it to me, and I took it to the Land of Oz." "My Love Magnet in the Land of Oz!" exclaimed Conjo. "No," replied the Shaggy Man, "not _your_ Love Magnet, since you gave it away. It now belongs to all the people of the Land of Oz. That is why I am here now. The Love Magnet has been broken. The favor I ask you is to repair it, since you, its creator, are the only person who can do that." Twink and Tom had been listening with deep interest to this conversation. They had read about the Love Magnet and they were surprised to learn that it had been broken. "Of course, of course, my dear Shaggy Man, for I perceive that is indeed who you are--a quite famous personage of the Land of Oz," Conjo was wide awake now. "I shall be most happy to mend the Love Magnet if it can be mended. But surely you don't expect me to do so important and difficult a feat of magic without--a--er--let us say--a reward?" CHAPTER 6 The Magic Airmobile "Yes, that's it," said Conjo, nodding his round head so violently that his three chins rippled like the steps of an escalator. "You have asked me to do you a favor--a very great favor--so it is only just that I should claim a reward. That's fair, isn't it?" Conjo was regarding the Shaggy Man with eyes from which was gone the somewhat foolish innocence. The Shaggy Man considered uneasily. He was beginning to remember Ozma's warning that Conjo was not to be trusted entirely. "What kind of a reward could I give you?" the Shaggy Man asked. Conjo's finger shot out, pointing toward the Shaggy Man. "That," he said. "That in your pocket will be my reward!" Involuntarily the Shaggy Man's hand went to his pocket in which rested the Magic Compass Ozma had given him.