King Ticket shifted uneasily on his throne. "Yes, and it always seems to turn out rather badly. I suppose all we were really meant to do was to enjoy the magnificent performances on the stage. And," the King brightened, "that is all we truly have any desire to do. That is a full life for us and quite enough--to sit in the theater and watch great drama unfold. What need have we for any lives of our own, when the stage is a world in itself and therein we are content to dwell." The King's voice gently subsided to a whisper, and his eyes stared dreamily into space. Queen Curtain took up the story. "During the performances Lord Props and Lady Cue help the actors, although none too well, I must admit. Lord Props seldom gets things right: when a gun shot is called for there is very likely to be a bell ringing. Once when the scene required a bowl of goldfish, Lord Props actually managed to cram a whole live lobster into a soup tureen. Lady Cue does, however, manage to do a bit better with her cues. She is seldom more than two lines behind the actors." "How long do your plays run?" asked Shaggy. "Night after night after glorious night for years and years and years--sometimes as long as we can remember there has been the same wonderful play for us to see on the stage at night," said the King who had awakened from his dream. "And what do you do the rest of the time?" queried the Shaggy Man. "Nothing--nothing but sleep," answered King Ticket. "Why should we? We have the glorious stage for our lives." The King looked about him at the work going on. "Who are your actors?" asked Tom. For a moment King Ticket seemed embarrassed. Then he replied vaguely with a wave of his hand as if to dismiss the matter as of little importance: "Oh, just actors--you know, the usual thing, leading man, leading lady, villain, comedian, and so forth." "Come," said the Shaggy Man, "we're wasting time here. We should be on our way if we ever hope to reach the Land of Oz." Queen Curtain looked up. "You won't stay for dinner and the theater?" "No, thank you," replied Shaggy. "We have a long journey ahead of us and we really must be going on our way now." With this, Shaggy and his friends walked up the aisle toward the door by which they had entered the theater. King Ticket had been staring intently at the Shaggy Man and now he whispered something in a low voice to Queen Curtain. The Queen considered for a moment and then nodded her head. Twink and Tom, who were directly behind the Shaggy Man, stopped and stared at each other. They were only half way up the aisle. The Shaggy Man had been only a step ahead of them. Now he was gone--vanished completely! CHAPTER 10 Lady Cue Twink and Tom were utterly bewildered at their friend's disappearance. They didn't know what to do next. Twiffle turned to King Ticket and Queen Curtain on the stage and demanded: "Where is the Shaggy Man?" King Ticket looked up innocently. "Why, has he gone somewhere?"