ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
byLewisCarroll withfourty-twoillustrationsbyJohnTenniel
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Substance
Lyric. All in the brilliant evening ...................................... 3
I Down the Rabbit-Hole .......................................... 4
II The Pool of Tears ............................................... 9
III A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale .................................. 14
IV The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill ................................. 19
V Advice from a Caterpillar ........................................ 25
VI Pig and Pepper ................................................. 32
VII A Mad Tea-Party ............................................... 39
VIII The Queen's Croquet-Ground .................................... 46
IX The Mock Turtle's Story ......................................... 53
X The Lobster Quadrille ........................................... 59
XI Who Stole the Tarts? ............................................ 65
XII Alice's Evidence ................................................ 70
All in the brilliant evening Full restful we skim; For both our paddles, with little expertise, By little arms are utilized, While little hands make vain misrepresentation Our wanderings to manage. Ok, savage Three! In such 60 minutes, Beneath such fantastic climate, To ask a story of breath excessively feeble, Making it impossible to blend the most diminutive quill! However what would one be able to poor voice benefit Against three tongues together? Imperious Prima flashes forward Her proclamation 'to start it' – In gentler tone Secunda trusts 'There will be garbage in it!' – While Tertia intrudes on the story Not more than once per minute. Anon, to sudden quiet won, In favor they seek after The fantasy youngster traveling through a land
Of miracles wild and new, In amicable visit with winged creature or monster – And half trust it genuine. What's more, ever, as the story depleted The wells of favor dry, And faintly endeavored that exhausted one To put the subject by, "The rest next time – " "It is next time!" The cheerful voices cry. Along these lines developed the story of Wonderland: Thus gradually, one by one, Its interesting occasions were pounded out – And now the story is done, And home we steer, a happy group, Beneath the setting sun. Alice! an adolescent story take, And with delicate hand Lay it were Childhood's fantasies are twined In Memory's spiritualist band, Like pioneer's wither'd wreath of flowers Pluck'd in a distant land.
ChapterI DowntheRabbit-Hole
Alice was starting to get exceptionally tired of sitting by her sister on the bank and of having nothing to do; on more than one occasion she had peeped into the book her sister was perusing, however it had no photos or discussions in it, 'and what is the utilization of a book,' thought Alice, 'without pictures or discussion?' Soshewasconsideringinherownmind (and in addition she could, for the hot day made herfeelverysleepyandstupid),whetherthe delight of influencing a daisy-to chain would be justified regardless of the inconvenience of getting up and picking the daisies, when abruptly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran near to her. There was nothing so extremely momentous in that; nor did Alice think it so particularly off the beaten path to hear the Rabbit say to itself, 'Gracious dear! Goodness dear! I might be late!' (when she thought it over a while later, it struck her that she should have stood amazed at this, yet at the time everything appeared to be very characteristic); however when the Rabbit actuallytookawatchoutofitswaistcoat-take and took a gander at it and afterward rushed on, Alice began to her feet, for it flashed over her mindthatshehadneverbeforeseenarabbit with either a petticoat stash or a watch to remove from it, and consuming with interest, she pursued over the field it, and luckily was in the nick of time to see it fly down an expansive rabbit-opening under the fence. In another minute down went Alice after it, not even once considering how on the planet she was to get out once more.
Section I. DOWN THE RABBIT-HOLE 5
The rabbit-gap went straight on like a passage for some way, and after that plunged all of a sudden down, so all of a sudden that Alice had not a minute to consider ceasing herself before she ended up tumbling down a profound well. Either the well was profound, or she fell gradually, for she had a lot of timeasshewentdowntolookaboutherandtowonderwhatwasgoingtohappen next. First,shetriedtolookdownandmakeoutwhatshewascomingto,butitwas excessively dull, making it impossible to see anything; at that point she took a gander along the edges of the well, and saw that they were filled with cabinets and book-racks; all over she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She brought down a jug from one of the racks as she passed;itwaslabelled'ORANGE MARMALADE',buttohergreatdisappointment it was unfilled: she didn't prefer to drop the jug inspired by a paranoid fear of murdering some individual, so figured out how to place it into one of the organizers as she fell past it. 'Well!' thought Alice to herself, 'after such a fall as this, I should think nothing oftumblingdownstairs! Howbravethey'llallthinkmeathome! Why,Iwouldn't say anything in regards to it, regardless of whether I tumbled off the highest point of the house!' (Which was likely valid.) Down, down, down. Would the fall never reach an end! 'I think about how manymilesI'vefallenbythistime?' shesaidaloud. 'Imustbegettingsomewhere close to the focal point of the earth. Give me a chance to see: that would be four thousand miles down, Ithink– '(for,yousee,Alicehadlearntseveralthingsofthissortinherlessonsin the schoolroom, and however this was not a decent open door for flaunting herknowledge,astherewasnoonetolistentoher,stillitwasgoodpracticetosay itover)'– yes,that'sabouttherightdistance– butthenIwonderwhatLatitudeor LongitudeI'vegotto?' (AlicehadnoideawhatLatitudewasorLongitudeeither, yet thought they were pleasant excellent words to state.) Presently she started once more. 'I think about whether I should fall directly through the earth! How clever it'll appear to turn out among the general population that stroll with their heads descending! The Antipathies, I think – ' (she was somewhat happy there was nobody tuning in, this time, as it didn't sound at all the correct word) ' – however I should need to solicit them what the name from the nation is, you know. Kindly Ma'am, is this New Zealand or Australia?' (and she endeavored to curtsey as she talked – favor curtseying as you're falling through the air! Do you figure you could oversee it?) 'And what an insensible young lady she'll think me for inquiring! No, it'll never do to ask; maybe I might see it reviewed some place.' Down,down,down. Therewasnothingelsetodo,soAlicesoonbegantalking once more. 'Dinah'll miss me especially to-night, I should think!' (Dinah was the feline.) 'I trust they'll recall her saucer of drain at break time. Dinah my dear! I wish you were down here with me! There are no mice noticeable all around, I'm perplexed, however you may get a bat and that is extremely similar to a mouse, you know. Be that as it may, do felines eat bats, I ponder?' And here Alice started to get rather languid and continued saying to herself, in a fantastic kind of way, 'Do felines eat bats? Do felines eat bats?' and
Part I. DOWN THE RABBIT-HOLE 6
sometimes,'Dobatseatcats?' for,yousee,asshecouldn'tanswereitherquestion, it didn't much make a difference which way she put it. She felt that she was snoozing off and hadjustbeguntodreamthatshewaswalkinghandinhandwithDinahandsaying toherveryearnestly,'Now,Dinah,tellmethetruth: didyouevereatabat?' when all of a sudden, pound! pound! down she happened upon a stack of sticks and dry leaves and the fall was finished. Alice was not somewhat harmed and she hopped up on to her feet in a minute; she gazed upward, however it was all dull overhead; before her was another long section, and the White Rabbit was still in locate, hustling down it. There was not a minute to be lost; away went Alice like the breeze and was without a moment to spare to hear it say, as it turned a corner, 'Goodness my ears and bristles, how late it's getting!' She was close behinditwhensheturnedthecorner,buttheRabbitwasnolongertobeseen; she foundherselfinalong,lowhall,whichwaslitupbyarowoflampshangingfrom the rooftop. There were entryways all round the corridor, however they were altogether bolted; and when Alice hadbeenallthewaydownonesideanduptheother,tryingeverydoor,shewalked unfortunately down the center, thinking about how she was ever to get out again. All of a sudden she happened upon somewhat threelegged table, all made of strong glass; there was nothing on it with the exception of a minor brilliant key and Alice's first thought was that it may have a place with one of the entryways of the lobby, at the same time, tsk-tsk! either the locks were too huge or the key was too little, however at any rate it would not open any of them. Be that as it may, on the second time round, she happened upon a low shade she had not seen earlier and behind itwasalittledooraboutfifteenincheshigh; she attempted the little brilliant key in the bolt and to her incredible joy it fitted! Alice opened the entryway and found that it drove into a little section, very little largerthanarat-hole;shekneltdownandlookedalongthepassageintotheloveliest plant you at any point saw. How she ached to escape that dull lobby, and meander about among those beds of splendid flowers and those cool wellsprings, however she couldn't get her head through the entryway; 'and regardless of whether my head would go through,'thoughtpoorAlice,'itwouldbeofverylittleusewithoutmyshoulders. Goodness, how I wish I could quiets down like a telescope! I figure I could, on the off chance that I just know how to start.' For such a large number of off the beaten path things had happened recently, that Alice had started to surmise that not very many things without a doubt were extremely incomprehensible.
Section I. DOWN THE RABBIT-HOLE
There appeared to be no utilization in holding up by the little entryway, so she backpedaled to the table, half trusting she may find another key on it or at any rate a book of principles for quiet individuals down like telescopes; this time she found a little container on it, ('which unquestionably was not here earlier,' said Alice,) and round the neck of the jug was a paper name, with the words 'DRINK ME' perfectly imprinted on it in expansive letters. Itwasallverywelltosay'Drinkme,' yet the astute little Alice was not going to dothatinahurry. 'No,I'lllookfirst,'she stated, 'and see whether it's stamped "poison"ornot';forshehadreadseveralnice little histories about youngsters who had got scorched, and eaten up by wild monsters and other unsavory things, all since they would not recollect the straightforward tenets their companions had shown them, for example, that an intensely hot poker will consume you on the off chance that you hold it too long; and that on the off chance that you cut your fingerverydeeplywithaknife,itusuallybleeds;andshehadneverforgottenthat, on the off chance that you drink much from a jug checked 'harm,' it is practically sure to differ with you, sometime. However,thisbottlewasnot marked'poison,'soAliceventuredtotasteitand finding it exceptionally pleasant, (it had, truth be told, a kind of blended flavour of cherry-tart, custard, pine-apple,roastturkey,toffeeandhotbutteredtoast)sheverysoonfinisheditoff. * 'What an inquisitive inclination!' said Alice, 'I should quiets down like a telescope.' And so it was without a doubt: she was currently just ten inches high and her face lit up at the prospect that she was presently the correct size for experiencing the little entryway into that dazzling greenery enclosure. Initially, be that as it may, she sat tight for a couple of minutes to check whether she would recoil any further; she felt a little anxious about this; 'for it may end, you know,' said Alice to herself, 'in my going out inside and out, similar to a flame. I ponder what I ought to resemble at that point?' And she endeavored to favor what the flameofacandleis likeafterthe candleisblown out, forshe couldnotremember regularly having seen a wonder such as this. Before long, finding that nothing more happened, she settled on going into the garden without a moment's delay; at the same time, oh dear for poor Alice! when she got to the entryway, she discovered she had overlooked the little brilliant key, and when she backpedaled to the table for it,
7
Part I. DOWN THE RABBIT-HOLE 7
There appeared to be no utilization in holding up by the little entryway, so she backpedaled to the table, half trusting she may find another key on it or at any rate a book of principles for quiet individuals down like telescopes; this time she found a little container on it, ('which unquestionably was not here earlier,' said Alice,) and round the neck of the jug was a paper mark, with the words 'DRINK ME' delightfully imprinted on it in huge letters. Itwasallverywelltosay'Drinkme,' however the insightful little Alice was not going to dothatinahurry. 'No,I'lllookfirst,'she stated, 'and see whether it's checked "poison"ornot';forshehadreadseveralnice little histories about youngsters who had got scorched, and eaten up by wild mammoths and other unsavory things, all since they would not recollect the basic guidelines their companions had shown them, for example, that a super hot poker will consume you in the event that you hold it too long; and that on the off chance that you cut your fingerverydeeplywithaknife,itusuallybleeds;andshehadneverforgottenthat, in the event that you drink much from a jug stamped 'harm,' it is practically sure to differ with you, at some point or another. However,thisbottlewasnot marked'poison,'soAliceventuredtotasteitand finding it exceptionally decent, (it had, truth be told, a kind of blended flavour of cherry-tart, custard, pine-apple,roastturkey,toffeeandhotbutteredtoast)sheverysoonfinisheditoff. * 'What an inquisitive inclination!' said Alice, 'I should quiets down like a telescope.' And so it was surely: she was currently just ten inches high and her face lit up at the possibility that she was presently the correct size for experiencing the little entryway into that beautiful garden. In the first place, in any case, she sat tight for a couple of minutes to check whether she would contract any further; she felt a little apprehensive about this; 'for it may end, you know,' said Alice to herself, 'in my going out and out, similar to a flame. I ponder what I ought to resemble at that point?' And she attempted to favor what the flameofacandleis likeafterthe candleisblown out, forshe couldnotremember regularly having seen a wonder such as this. Before long, finding that nothing more happened, she settled on going into the garden on the double; be that as it may, tsk-tsk for poor Alice! when she got to the entryway, she discovered she had overlooked the little brilliant key, and when she backpedaled to the table for it,
Part I. DOWN THE RABBIT-HOLE 8
she discovered she couldn't in any way, shape or form achieve it; she could see it obviously through the glass, and she attempted her best to move up one of the legs of the table, however it was excessively dangerous; and when she had tired herself out with attempting, the poor easily overlooked detail sat down and cried. 'Come,there'snouseincryinglikethat!' saidAlicetoherself,rathersharply, 'I encourage you to leave off this moment!' She for the most part gave herself solid counsel, (however she from time to time tailed it), and infrequently she chastened herself so extremely as to bring attacks her eyes; and once she attempted to box her own ears for having conned herself in a round of croquet she was playing againstherself,forthiscuriouschildwasveryfondofpretendingtobetwopeople. 'Be that as it may, it's no utilization now,' figured poor Alice, 'to profess to be two individuals! Why, there's not really enough of me exited to make one respectable individual!' Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under the table; she opened it, and found in it a little cake, on which the words 'EAT ME' were delightfully set apart in currants. 'All things considered, I'll eat it,' said Alice, 'and on the off chance that it makes me growlarger,Icanreachthekey;andifitmakesmegrowsmaller,Icancreepunder the entryway; so whichever way I'll get into the garden, and I couldn't care less which happens!' She ate a smidgen and said tensely to herself, 'Which way? Which way?', holding her hand on the highest point of her make a beeline for feel which way it was developing, and she was very astounded to find that she continued as before measure; certainly, this for the most part happens when one eats cake, however Alice had got such a great amount into the method for expecting only off the beaten path things to happen, that it appeared to be very dull and dumb for life to go ahead in the basic way. So she set to work, and soon finished off the cake. *
ChapterII ThePoolofTears
'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice (she was so much astonished, that for the minute she very overlooked how to talk great English); 'now I'm opening out like the biggest telescope that at any point was! Farewell, feet!' (for when she looked down at her feet, they appeared to bealmostoutofsight,theyweregettingsofaroff). 'Gracious, mypoorlittlefeet,Iwonderwhowillputonyourshoes and leggings for you now, dears? I'm certain I shan't be capable! I should be an incredible arrangement too far-removed to inconvenience myself about you: you should deal with the most ideal way you can; – yet I should be benevolent to them,' thought Alice, 'or maybe they won't walk the way I need to go! Give me a chance to see: I'llgivethemanewpairofbootseveryChristmas.' And she continued intending to herself how she would oversee it. 'They should pass by the bearer,' she thought, 'and how amusing it'll appear, sending presents to one's own particular feet! What's more, how odd the bearings will look! ALICE'S RIGHT FOOT, ESQ. HEARTHRUG, NEAR THE FENDER, (WITH ALICE'S LOVE). Goodness dear, what gibberish I'm talking!' Justthenherheadstruckagainsttheroofofthehall; in certainty she was currently more than nine feet high and she on the double took up the little brilliant key and rushed off to the garden entryway.
9
Part II. THE POOL OF TEARS 10
Poor Alice! It was as much as she could do, resting on one side, to look through into the garden with one eye; however to traverse was more miserable than any time in recent memory; she sat down and started to cry once more. 'You should be embarrassed about yourself,' said Alice, 'an incredible young lady like you,' (she may well say this), 'to continue crying along these lines! Stop this minute, I let you know!' But she went on all the same, shedding gallons of tears, until there was an extensive pool all round her, around four inches profound and achieving half down the corridor. After a period she heard a touch of pattering of feet out yonder and she hurriedly dried her eyes to perceive what was coming. It was the White Rabbitreturning,splendidlydressed,with a couple of white child gloves in a single hand and a substantial fan in the other; he came trottingalonginagreathurry,muttering to himself as he came, 'Gracious! the Duchess, the Duchess! Goodness! won't she be savage in the event that I've kept her holding up!' Alice felt so urgent that she was prepared to solicit assistance from any one; along these lines, when the Rabbit drew close to her, she started, in a low, tentative voice, 'On the off chance that you if it's not too much trouble sir – ' The Rabbit began viciously, dropped the white child gloves and the fan, and skurried away into the obscurity as hard as he could go. Alicetookupthefanandgloves,and,asthehallwasveryhot,shekeptfanning herself all the time she continued talking, 'Dear, dear! How eccentric everything is today! What's more, yesterday things went on similarly of course. I think about whether I've been changed in the night? Give me a chance to believe: would i say i was a similar when I got up at the beginning of today? I nearly figure I can recollect feeling somewhat extraordinary. Be that as it may, in case I'm not the same, the following inquiry is, Who on the planet am I? Ok, that is the considerable confound!' And she started thinkingoverallthechildrensheknewthatwereofthesameageasherself,tosee in the event that she could have been changed for any of them. 'I'm certain I'm not Ada,' she stated, 'for her hair goes in such long curls, and mine doesn't go in curls by any stretch of the imagination; and I'm certain I can't be Mabel, for I know a wide range of things, and she, gracious! she knows such a practically nothing! In addition's, she, and I'm I, and – goodness dear, how bewildering everything is! I'll attempt in the event that I know all
Section II. THE POOL OF TEARS 11
certain! I probably been changed for Mabel! I'll attempt and say "How doth the little – "' and she crossed her hands on her lap as though she were stating lessons and started to rehash it, yet her voice sounded rough and interesting, and the words did not come the same as they used to do:
'How doth the little crocodile Improve his sparkling tail, And pour the waters of the Nile On each brilliant scale! How merrily he appears to smile, How conveniently spread his hooks, And welcome little fishes in With tenderly grinning jaws!'
'I'm certain those are not the correct words,' said poor Alice, and her eyes filled with tears again as she went on, 'I should be Mabel all things considered, and I might need to go andliveinthatpokylittlehouseandhavenexttonotoystoplaywith,andoh! many lessons to learn! No, I've decided on it; in case I'm Mabel, I'll remain down here! It'll be no utilization their putting their heads down and saying "Come up once more, dear!" I might just turn upward and say, "Who am I at that point? Reveal to me that first, andthen,ifIlikebeingthatperson,I'llcomeup: ifnot,I'llstaydownheretillI'm another person" – at the same time, goodness dear!' cried Alice, with a sudden burst of tears, 'I do wishthey would puttheirheadsdown! Iamso extremely tiredofbeingallalone here!' As she said this she looked down at her hands, and was astonished to see that she had put on one of the Rabbit's little white child gloves while she was talking. 'How might I have done that?' she figured, 'I should develop little once more.' She got up and went to the table to gauge herself by it, and found that, as almost as she could figure, she was presently around two feet high and was continuing contracting rapidly;shesoonfoundoutthatthecauseofthiswasthefanshewasholding,and she dropped it quickly, without a moment to spare to abstain from contracting endlessly out and out. 'That was a near disaster!' said Alice, a great arrangement scared at the sudden change, yet extremely happy to find herself still in presence, 'and now for the garden!' and she kept running with all speed back to the little entryway; at the same time, tsk-tsk! the little entryway was closed again, and the little brilliant key was lying on the glass table as some time recently, 'and things are more terrible than at any other time,' thought the poor youngster, 'for I never was so little as this, never! Also, I announce it's too awful, that it is!' As she said these words her foot slipped and in another minute, sprinkle! she wasuptoherchininsaltwater. Herfirstideawasthatshehadsomehowfalleninto the ocean, 'and all things considered I can backpedal by railroad,' she said to herself. (Alice had been to the ocean side once in her life, and had reached the general conclusion, that wherever you go to on the English drift you find various showering machines
Section II. THE POOL OF TEARS 12
in the ocean, a few kids diving in the sand with wooden spades, at that point a column of cabin houses and behind themarailwaystation.) However,she soonmadeoutthatshewasinthepool oftearswhichshehadweptwhenshe was nine feet high. 'I wish I hadn't cried so much!' said Alice, as she swam about, attempting to find out, 'I might be rebuffed for it now, I assume, by being suffocated in my own particular tears! That will beaqueerthing,tobesure! In any case, everything is strange to-day.' Just then she heard something sprinkling about in the pool somewhat way off, and she swam closer to make out what it was; at first she figured it must be a walrus or hippopotamus, yet then she recalled how little she was presently, and she soon made out that it was just a mouse that had slipped in like herself. 'Would it be of any utilization, now,' thought Alice, 'to address this mouse? Everything is so off the beaten path down here, that I should figure likely it can talk; at any rate, there's no damage in attempting.' So she started, 'O Mouse, do you know the exit from this pool? I am extremely tired of swimming about here, O Mouse!' (Alice thought this must be the correct method for addressing a mouse; she had never done a wonder such as this, however she had found in her sibling's Latin Grammar, 'A mouse – of a mouse – to a mouse – a mouse – O mouse!') The Mouse took a gander at her fairly curiously, and appeared to her to wink with one of its little eyes, yet it said nothing. 'Perhapsitdoesn'tunderstandEnglish,'thoughtAlice,'Idaresayit'saFrench mouse, come over with William the Conqueror.' (For, with all her insight into history, Alice had no reasonable idea to what extent prior anything had happened.) So she started once more: 'O`u est mama chatte?' which was the first sentence in her French lesson-book. TheMousegaveasuddenleapoutofthewater,andseemedtoquiver done with alarm. 'Gracious, I ask your acquit!' cried Alice hurriedly, anxious that she had offended the poor animal. 'I very overlooked you didn't care for felines.'
Section II. THE POOL OF TEARS 13
'Dislike felines!' cried the Mouse, in an abrasive, energetic voice, 'Would you like felines on the off chance that you were me?' 'Well, maybe not,' said Alice in a calming tone, 'don't be irate about it. But I wish I could demonstrate to you our feline Dinah: I think you'd take a favor to felines in the event that you could just observe her. She is such a dear calm thing,' Alice went on, half to herself,assheswamlazilyaboutinthepool,'andshesitspurringsonicelybythe fire, licking her paws and washing her face – and she is such a pleasant delicate thing to nurture – and she's such a capital one for getting mice – gracious, I ask your exculpate!' criedAliceagain,forthistimetheMousewasbristlingalloverandshefeltcertain itmustbereallyoffended,'Wewon'ttalkaboutheranymoreifyou'drathernot.' 'We to be sure!' cried the Mouse, who was trembling down to the finish of his tail, 'As though I would chat on such a subject! Our family constantly despised felines: awful, low, indecent things! Try not to give me a chance to hear the name once more!' 'I won't without a doubt!' said Alice, in an awesome rush to change the subject of discussion, 'Are you – are you affectionate – of – of canines?' The Mouse did not reply, so Alice went on anxiously, 'There is such a pleasant little pooch close to our home I should jump at the chance to indicate you! A little brilliant looked at terrier, you know, with gracious, such long wavy brownhair! Andit'llfetchthingswhenyouthrowthemandit'llsitupandbegfor its supper, and a wide range of things – I can't recollect half of them – and it has a place with a rancher, you know, and he says it's so valuable, it's justified regardless of a hundred pounds! He says it killsall the rats and – goodness dear!' cried Alice in a dismal tone, 'I'mafraid I'veoffendeditagain!' FortheMousewasswimmingawayfromherashardasit could go, and making a significant confusion in the pool as it went. So she called delicately after it, 'Mouse dear! Do return once more, and we won't talkaboutcatsordogseither,ifyoudon'tlikethem!' WhentheMouseheardthis, itturnedroundandswamslowlybacktoher;itsfacewasquitepale(withpassion, Alice thought) and it said in a low trembling voice, 'Let us get to the shore, and after that I'll disclose to you my history, and you'll comprehend why it is I abhor felines and pooches.' It was high time to go, for the pool was getting very swarmed with the winged creatures and creatures that had fallen into it: there were a Duck and a Dodo, a Lory and an Eaglet,andseveralothercuriouscreatures. Aliceledtheway,andthewholeparty swam to the shore.
ChapterIII ACaucus-RaceandaLongTale
They were undoubtedly an eccentric looking gathering that collected on the bank – the winged creatures with draggled plumes, the creatures with their hide sticking near them, and all trickling wet, cross, and awkward. Thefirstquestionofcoursewas,howtogetdryagain; theyhadaconsultation about this and following a couple of minutes it appeared to be very normal to Alice to find herself talking recognizably with them, as though she had known them all her life. For sure, she had a significant long contention with theLory,whoatlastturnedsulky,and would just say, 'I am more established than you and must know better'; and this Alice would not permit without knowing how old it was and, as the Lory emphatically declined to tell its age, there was no more to be said. Finally the Mouse, who appeared to be a man of specialist among them, got out, 'Take a seat, every one of you, and hear me out! I'll soon influence you to sufficiently dry!' They all sat down immediately, in an expansive ring, with the Mouse in the center. Alicekepthereyesanxiouslyfixedonit,forshefeltsureshewouldcatch an awful icy in the event that she didn't get dry soon. 'Ahem!' said the Mouse with an essential air, 'would you say you are on the whole prepared? This is the driest thing I know. Hush all round, on the off chance that you please! "William the Conqueror, whose reason was supported by the pope, was soon submitted to by the English, who needed pioneers, and had been generally much familiar with usurpation and victory. Edwin and Morcar, the earls of Mercia and Northumbria – "'
Part III. A CAUCUS-RACE AND A LONG TALE 15
'Ugh!' said the Lory, with a shudder. 'I ask your absolve!' said the Mouse, glaring, yet graciously, 'Did you speak?' 'Not I!' said the Lory hurriedly. 'I figured you did,' said the Mouse, ' – I continue. "Edwin and Morcar, the earlsofMerciaandNorthumbria,declaredforhim;andevenStigand,thepatriotic diocese supervisor of Canterbury, thought that it was prudent – "' 'Discovered what?' said the Duck. 'Discovered it,' the Mouse answered rather crossly, 'obviously you realize what "it" signifies.' 'I recognize what "it" implies alright when I find a thing,' said the Duck, 'it's for the most part a frog or a worm. The inquiry is, the thing that did the ecclesiastical overseer find?' The Mouse did not see this inquiry, but rather speedily went on, '" – thought that it was prudent to run with Edgar Atheling to meet William and offer him the crown. William's lead at first was direct. Be that as it may, the discourteousness of his Normans – " How are you getting on now, my dear?' it kept, swinging to Alice as it talked. 'As wet as ever,' said Alice in a despairing tone, 'it doesn't appear to dry me by any means.' 'Inthatcase,' saidthe Dodosolemnly, risingto its feet, 'I move tha
Section III. A CAUCUS-RACE AND A LONG TALE 16
'What is a Caucus-race?' said Alice; not that she needed much to know, but rather the Dodo had stopped as though it believed that some person should talk, and nobody else appeared to be slanted to state anything. 'Why,' said the Dodo, 'the most ideal approach to disclose it is to do it.' (And, as you may jump at the chance to attempt the thing yourself, some winter day, I will reveal to you how the Dodo oversaw it.) First it set apart out a race-course, in a kind of circle ('the correct shape doesn't make a difference,' it said), and afterward all the gathering were set along the course, all over. There was no 'One, two, three, and away,' however they started running when they loved, and left off when they enjoyed, with the goal that it was difficult to know when the racewasover. However,whentheyhadbeenrunninghalfanhourorso,andwere very dry once more, the Dodo all of a sudden got out 'The race is finished!' and they all swarmed round it, gasping, and asking, 'Yet who has won?' This inquiry the Dodo couldn't reply without a lot of thought, and it sat for quite a while with one finger squeezed upon its temple (the position in which you for the most part observe Shakespeare, in the photos of him), while the rest held up peacefully. Finally the Dodo stated, 'everyone has won, and all must have prizes.' 'Yet who is to give the prizes?' a significant tune of voices inquired. 'Why, she, obviously,' said the Dodo, indicating Alice with one finger; and thewholepartyatoncecrowdedroundher,callingoutinaconfusedway,'Prizes! Prizes!' Alice had no clue what to do, and in give up she put her deliver her pocket, and hauled out a crate of comfits, (fortunately the salt water had not got into it), and gave them round as prizes. There was precisely one a-piece all round. 'Yet, she should have a prize herself, you know,' said the Mouse. 'Obviously,' the Dodo answered gravely, 'What else have you got in your pocket?' he continued, swinging to Alice. 'Just a thimble,' said Alice unfortunately. 'Hand it here,' said the Dodo. At that point they all swarmed round her afresh, while the Dodo gravely presentedthethimble,saying,'Webegyouracceptanceofthiselegantthimble';and, when it had finished this short discourse, they all cheered. Alice thought the entire thing extremely crazy, however they all looked so grave that shedidnotdaretolaugh;and,asshecouldnotthinkofanythingtosay,shesimply bowed, and took the thimble, looking as serious as possible. The following thing was to eat the comfits; this caused some commotion and perplexity, as the vast flying creatures griped that they couldn't taste theirs and the little ones gagged and hadto congratulated. In any case, it was over finally and theysat down again in a ring and asked the Mouse to reveal to them something more. 'Youpromisedtotellmeyourhistory,youknow,'saidAlice,'andwhyitisyou hate– CandD,'sheaddedinawhisper,halfafraidthatitwouldbeoffendedagain.
Section III. A CAUCUS-RACE AND A LONG TALE 17
'Mine is a long and a miserable story!' said the Mouse, swinging to Alice and murmuring. 'It is a long tail, positively,' said Alice, looking down with stand amazed at the Mouse'stail;'butwhydoyoucallitsad?' Andshekeptonpuzzlingaboutitwhile the Mouse was talking, so her concept of the story was something like this: 'Wrath said to a mouse, That he met in the house, "Let us both go to law: I will arraign you. – Come, I'll take no refusal; We should have a trial: For extremely today I've nothing to do." Said the mouse to the dog, "Such a trial, dear Sir, With no jury or judge, would squander our breath." "I'll be judge, I'll be jury," Said clever old Fury: "I'll attempt the entire reason, and sentence you to death."' 'You are not going to!' said the Mouse to Alice seriously, 'What are you considering?' 'I ask your absolve,' said Alice unassumingly, 'you had got to the fifth twist, I think?' 'I had not!' cried the Mouse, forcefully and indignantly. 'A bunch!' said Alice, constantly prepared to make herself valuable, and looking tensely about her, 'Gracious, do give me a chance to fix it!' 'I should do nothing of the sort,' said the Mouse, getting up and leaving, 'You affront me by talking such gibberish!'
Part III. A CAUCUS-RACE AND A LONG TALE 18
'I didn't mean it!' argued poor Alice. 'Yet, you're so effortlessly insulted, you know!' The Mouse just snarled in answer. 'If it's not too much trouble return and finish your story!' Alice shouted toward it, and the others all participated in ensemble, 'Indeed, kindly do!' however the Mouse just shook its head restlessly, and strolled somewhat speedier. 'What a pity it wouldn't stay!' murmured the Lory when it was very outside of anyone's ability to see; and an old Crab accepted the open door of saying to her little girl, 'Ah, my dear! Give this a chance to be a lesson to you never to lose your temper!' – 'Hold your tongue, Ma!' said the youthful Crab, a little snappishly, 'You're sufficient to attempt the persistence of a shellfish!' 'I wish I had our Dinah here, I know I do!' said Alice out loud, tending to no one specifically, 'She'd soon bring it back!' 'And who is Dinah, in the event that I may dare to make the inquiry?' said the Lory. Alice answered energetically, for she was constantly prepared to discuss her pet, 'Dinah's our feline. What's more, she's such a capital one for getting mice you can't think! What's more, gracious, I wish you could see her after the flying creatures! Why, she'll eat a little winged animal when take a gander at it!' This discourse caused an astounding sensation among the gathering. A portion of the winged animals rushed off without a moment's delay; one old Magpie started wrapping itself up precisely, commenting, 'I extremely should return home; the night-air sometimes falls short for my throat!' and a Canary called out in a trembling voice to its kids, 'Leave away, my dears! It's about time that you were all in bed!' On different affections they all got off, and Alice was soon taken off alone. 'I wish I hadn't specified Dinah!' she said to herself in a despairing tone, 'Nobodyseemstolikeher,downhere,andI'msureshe'sthebestcatintheworld! Goodness, my dear Dinah! I think about whether I should ever observe you any more!' And here poor Alice started to cry again, for she felt forlorn and low-energetic. In a short time, be that as it may, she again heard a touch of pattering of strides out yonder and shelookedupeagerly,halfhopingthattheMousehadchangedhismind,andwas returning to finish his story.