L.Frank Baum. The marvelous land of Oz -
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highly-magnified Woggle-Bug; one of the most curious insects in existence!
'
"Being Thoroughly Educated, and knowing what is required of a
cultured gentleman, at this juncture I stood upright and, placing my hand
upon my bosom, made a very polite bow. My action, being unexpected, must
have startled them, for one of the little girls perched upon the
window-sill gave a scream and fell backward out the window, drawing her
companion with her as she disappeared.
"The Professor uttered a cry of horror and rushed away through the
door to see if the poor children were injured by the fall. The scholars
followed after him in a wild mob, and I was left alone in the school-room,
still in a Highly-Magnified state and free to do as I pleased.
"It immediately occurred to me that this was a good opportunity to
escape. I was proud of my great size, and realized that now I could safely
travel anywhere in the world, while my superior culture would make me a
fit associate for the most learned person I might chance to meet.
"So, while the Professor picked the little girls - who were more
frightened than hurt - off the ground, and the pupils clustered around him
closely grouped, I calmly walked out of the school-house, turned a corner,
and escaped unnoticed to a grove of trees that stood near"
"Wonderful!" exclaimed the Pumpkinhead, admiringly.
"It was, indeed," agreed the Woggle-Bug. "I have never ceased to
congratulate myself for escaping while I was Highly Magnified; for even my
excessive knowledge would have proved of little use to me had I remained a
tiny, insignificant insect."
"I didn't know before," said Tip, looking at the Woggle-Bug with a
puzzled expression, "that insects wore clothes."
"Nor do they, in their natural state," returned the stranger. "But in