"You must be joking," said the Shaggy Man incredulously. "The Magic Compass belongs to Ozma. And if I did give it to you how would I return to the Land of Oz? No, what you ask is impossible." Conjo's voice was wheedling. "Surely you don't think Ozma expected me to repair the Love Magnet for nothing, do you? I can assure you that Ozma will regard the trading of the Magic Compass for the repair of the Love Magnet an excellent bargain. Actually the Magic Compass is, by Ozma's standards, a minor bit of magic." The Shaggy Man was perplexed. Perhaps Conjo was right. "Supposing I do give you the Magic Compass--then how will I get back to Oz?" Conjo's eyes glowed. "Nothing to it!" he declared. "You can return to Oz anytime you like--just as soon as I repair the Love Magnet, if you wish. Of course I would be happy should you care to remain my guest for a time, but the decision is entirely up to you." "How do you propose that I return to Oz?" asked the Shaggy Man. "I can't walk across the Deadly Desert, you know." "Ha, ha--ho, ho, ho!" Conjo laughed. "Walk across the Deadly Desert! Certainly not! He, he, he! You shall sail high across it--swiftly and safely! Come with me! I have something to show you." Conjo wriggled about until his fat little body emerged from the cushions and silken coverings of the divan. As he stood up, the Shaggy Man and his friends saw that the little man was dressed in a loose robe of rich purple on which were embroidered stars, crescents, black cats, and the signs of the Zodiac. All these designs were in the brightest colors, while the robe flowed about him, secured by a golden cord tied about his middle. On his feet were sandals woven of silver thread, with toes that curled up like question marks. "Come with me," repeated the fat little Wizard as he waddled to the door, "and I will show you how you can sail away in a jiffy." The Shaggy Man and the two children followed Conjo, while Twiffle remained behind, busily arranging and straightening the royal cushions and comforters of the regal divan. In the great corridor, Conjo paused before a small door that opened at his touch, revealing a cage-like little room. "Step in," the Wizard invited his guests. "This is an elevator that will whisk us to the roof of the tallest tower of the castle--an improvement over the stairway, up which I find it difficult to whisk myself in my present state of, shall we say--stoutness? Ho, ho, ho, ho, he, he, he!" Conjo beamed good humor and friendliness as the elevator shot noiselessly upward. In a few seconds the door clicked, slid open, and Conjo led his guests to the roof of the great tower. From this height they could see that the Isle of Conjo was small indeed, for the blue waters of the Nonestic Ocean were visible in any direction they looked. The sun was a great red ball of fire in the west, but it would still be several minutes before actual twilight set in.