“I was sure it would come to this, in the end,” remarked the old cab-horse. “Folks don’t fall into the middle of the earth and then get back again to tell of their adventures⁠—not in real life. And the whole thing has been unnatural because that cat and I are both able to talk your language, and to understand the words you say.”

“And so can the nine tiny piglets,” added Eureka. “Don’t forget them, for I may have to eat them, after all.”

“I’ve heard animals talk before,” said Dorothy, “and no harm came of it.”

“Were you ever before shut up in a cave, far under the earth, with no way of getting out?” enquired the horse, seriously.

“No,” answered Dorothy. “But don’t you lose heart, Jim, for I’m sure this isn’t the end of our story, by any means.”