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ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
Lewis Carroll
THE MILLENNIUM FULCRUM EDITION 3.0

I. Down the Rabbit-HoleAlice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by
her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do:
once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister
was reading, but it had no pictures or conversationsin it, ’and what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice’without pictures or conversations?’
So she was considering in her own mind (as well as
she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy
and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisychain would be worth the trouble of getting up andpicking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit
with pink eyes ran close by her.
There was nothing so VERY remarkable in that;nor did Alice think it so VERY much out of the way
to hear the Rabbit say to itself, ’Oh dear! Oh dear! I
shall be late!’ (when she thought it over afterwards,
it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at
this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); butwhen the Rabbit actually TOOK A WATCH OUT
OF ITS WAISTCOAT-POCKET, and looked at it,

and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it
flashed across her mind that she had never before seen
a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch
to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran
across the field after it, and fortunately was just intime to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under thehedge.
In another moment down went Alice after it, neveronce considering how in the world she was to get out
again.
The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel forsome way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about
stopping herself before she found herself falling downa very deep well.
Either the well was very deep, or she fell very
slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down
to look about her and to wonder what was going tohappen next. First, she tried to look down and makeout what she was coming to, but it was too dark to2

see anything; then she looked at the sides of the well,and noticed that they were filled with cupboards andbook-shelves; here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a jar fromone of the shelves as she passed; it was labelled ’ORANGE MARMALADE’, but to her great disappointment it was empty: she did not like to drop the jar
for fear of killing somebody, so managed to put it into
one of the cupboards as she fell past it.
’Well!’ thought Alice to herself, ’after such a fallas this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs!
How brave they’ll all think me at home! Why, I
wouldn’t say anything about it, even if I fell off the
top of the house!’ (Which was very likely true.)
Down, down, down. Would the fall NEVER cometo an end! ’I wonder how many miles I’ve fallen by
this time?’ she said aloud. ’I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth. Let me see: thatwould be four thousand miles down, I think–’ (for,you see, Alice had learnt several things of this sort in
her lessons in the schoolroom, and though this was
not a VERY good opportunity for showing off her
knowledge, as there was no one to listen to her, still
it was good practice to say it over) ’–yes, that’s about
the right distance–but then I wonder what Latitude
or Longitude I’ve got to?’ (Alice had no idea what
Latitude was, or Longitude either, but thought they
were nice grand words to say.)Presently she began again. ’I wonder if I shall fallright THROUGH the earth! How funny it’ll seemto come out among the people that walk with theirheads downward! The Antipathies, I think–’ (she wasrather glad there WAS no one listening, this time, as
it didn’t sound at all the right word) ’–but I shallhave to ask them what the name of the country is,
you know. Please, Ma’am, is this New Zealand orAustralia?’ (and she tried to curtsey as she spoke–
fancy CURTSEYING as you’re falling through theair! Do you think you could manage it?) ’And what
an ignorant little girl she’ll think me for asking! No,
it’ll never do to ask: perhaps I shall see it written up
somewhere.’Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do,
so Alice soon began talking again. ’Dinah’ll miss mevery much to-night, I should think!’ (Dinah was thecat.) ’I hope they’ll remember her saucer of milk at

tea-time. Dinah my dear! I wish you were down herewith me! There are no mice in the air, I’m afraid, but
you might catch a bat, and that’s very like a mouse,
you know. But do cats eat bats, I wonder?’ And here
Alice began to get rather sleepy, and went on saying
to herself, in a dreamy sort of way, ’Do cats eat bats?
Do cats eat bats?’ and sometimes, ’Do bats eat cats?’
for, you see, as she couldn’t answer either question,
it didn’t much matter which way she put it. She feltthat she was dozing off, and had just begun to dreamthat she was walking hand in hand with Dinah, andsaying to her very earnestly, ’Now, Dinah, tell me
the truth: did you ever eat a bat?’ when suddenly,
thump! thump! down she came upon a heap of sticks
and dry leaves, and the fall was over.
Alice was not a bit hurt, and she jumped up on
to her feet in a moment: she looked up, but it was
all dark overhead; before her was another long passage, and the White Rabbit was still in sight, hurrying down it. There was not a moment to be lost:away went Alice like the wind, and was just in timeto hear it say, as it turned a corner, ’Oh my ears andwhiskers, how late it’s getting!’ She was close behind
it when she turned the corner, but the Rabbit was
no longer to be seen: she found herself in a long, lowhall, which was lit up by a row of lamps hanging fromthe roof.
There were doors all round the hall, but they were
all locked; and when Alice had been all the way down
one side and up the other, trying every door, shewalked sadly down the middle, wondering how she
was ever to get out again.
Suddenly she came upon a little three-legged table,
all made of solid glass; there was nothing on it except
a tiny golden key, and Alice’s first thought was thatit might belong to one of the doors of the hall; but,alas! either the locks were too large, or the key was
too small, but at any rate it would not open any ofthem. However, on the second time round, she cameupon a low curtain she had not noticed before, andbehind it was a little door about fifteen inches high:she tried the little golden key in the lock, and to her
great delight it fitted!
Alice opened the door and found that it led into asmall passage, not much larger than a rat-hole: she
knelt down and looked along the passage into the

3loveliest garden you ever saw. How she longed toget out of that dark hall, and wander about among
those beds of bright flowers and those cool fountains,
but she could not even get her head through the doorway; ’and even if my head would go through,’ thoughtpoor Alice, ’it would be of very little use without myshoulders. Oh, how I wish I could shut up like a telescope! I think I could, if I only knew how to begin.’For, you see, so many out-of-the-way things had happened lately, that Alice had begun to think that very
few things indeed were really impossible.
There seemed to be no use in waiting by the little
door, so she went back to the table, half hoping she
might find another key on it, or at any rate a book ofrules for shutting people up like telescopes: this time
she found a little bottle on it, (’which certainly was
not here before,’ said Alice,) and round the neck of
the bottle was a paper label, with the words ’DRINKME’ beautifully printed on it in large letters.
It was all very well to say ’Drink me,’ but the wise
little Alice was not going to do THAT in a hurry.
’No, I’ll look first,’ she said, ’and see whether it’smarked "poison" or not’; for she had read several nicelittle histories about children who had got burnt, andeaten up by wild beasts and other unpleasant things,
all because they WOULD not remember the simple
rules their friends had taught them: such as, that a
red-hot poker will burn you if you hold it too long;and that if you cut your finger VERY deeply with aknife, it usually bleeds; and she had never forgotten
that, if you drink much from a bottle marked ’poison,’
it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner orlater.
However, this bottle was NOT marked ’poison,’ so
Alice ventured to taste it, and finding it very nice,(it had, in fact, a sort of mixed flavour of cherrytart, custard, pine-apple, roast turkey, toffee, and hot
buttered toast,) she very soon finished it off.

And so it was indeed: she was now only ten inches
high, and her face brightened up at the thought that
she was now the right size for going through the little door into that lovely garden. First, however, shewaited for a few minutes to see if she was going toshrink any further: she felt a little nervous about this;’for it might end, you know,’ said Alice to herself, ’in
my going out altogether, like a candle. I wonder what
I should be like then?’ And she tried to fancy what
the flame of a candle is like after the candle is blown
out, for she could not remember ever having seen sucha thing.
After a while, finding that nothing more happened,she decided on going into the garden at once; but, alasfor poor Alice! when she got to the door, she foundshe had forgotten the little golden key, and when she
went back to the table for it, she found she could
not possibly reach it: she could see it quite plainly
through the glass, and she tried her best to climb up
one of the legs of the table, but it was too slippery;
and when she had tired herself out with trying, thepoor little thing sat down and cried.
’Come, there’s no use in crying like that!’ said Alice to herself, rather sharply; ’I advise you to leave off
this minute!’ She generally gave herself very good advice, (though she very seldom followed it), and sometimes she scolded herself so severely as to bring tears
into her eyes; and once she remembered trying to box
her own ears for having cheated herself in a game ofcroquet she was playing against herself, for this curious child was very fond of pretending to be two
people. ’But it’s no use now,’ thought poor Alice,’to pretend to be two people! Why, there’s hardly
enough of me left to make ONE respectable person!’Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that was lying
under the table: she opened it, and found in it avery small cake, on which the words ’EAT ME’ werebeautifully marked in currants. ’Well, I’ll eat it,’ said
Alice, ’and if it makes me grow larger, I can reach
the key; and if it makes me grow smaller, I can creep
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under the door; so either way I’ll get into the garden,
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and I don’t care which happens!’
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She ate a little bit, and said anxiously to herself,’Which way? Which way?’, holding her hand on the’What a curious feeling!’ said Alice; ’I must be shut- top of her head to feel which way it was growing, andting up like a telescope.’
she was quite surprised to find that she remained the4same size: to be sure, this generally happens when
one eats cake, but Alice had got so much into theway of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things
to happen, that it seemed quite dull and stupid forlife to go on in the common way.
So she set to work, and very soon finished off the
cake.
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thought Alice, ’or perhaps they won’t walk the way I
want to go! Let me see: I’ll give them a new pair ofboots every Christmas.’
And she went on planning to herself how she
would manage it. ’They must go by the carrier,’ shethought; ’and how funny it’ll seem, sending presents
to one’s own feet! And how odd the directions will
look!

*

II. The Pool of Tears’Curiouser and curiouser!’ cried Alice (she was somuch surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot
how to speak good English); ’now I’m opening out
like the largest telescope that ever was! Good-bye,feet!’ (for when she looked down at her feet, they
seemed to be almost out of sight, they were getting
so far off). ’Oh, my poor little feet, I wonder who will
put on your shoes and stockings for you now, dears?
I’m sure I shan’t be able! I shall be a great deal too
far off to trouble myself about you: you must manage
the best way you can;–but I must be kind to them,’

ALICE’S RIGHT FOOT, ESQ.
HEARTHRUG,
NEAR THE FENDER,(WITH ALICE’S LOVE).

Oh dear, what nonsense I’m talking!’
Just then her head struck against the roof of thehall: in fact she was now more than nine feet high,and she at once took up the little golden key andhurried off to the garden door.
Poor Alice! It was as much as she could do, lying
down on one side, to look through into the garden
with one eye; but to get through was more hopelessthan ever: she sat down and began to cry again.
’You ought to be ashamed of yourself,’ said Alice,’a great girl like you,’ (she might well say this), ’to5

the fan, and skurried away into the darkness as hard
as he could go.
Alice took up the fan and gloves, and, as the hall
was very hot, she kept fanning herself all the time she
went on talking: ’Dear, dear! How queer everythingis to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual.
I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me
go on crying in this way! Stop this moment, I tell think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I
you!’ But she went on all the same, shedding gallons almost think I can remember feeling a little different.
of tears, until there was a large pool all round her, But if I’m not the same, the next question is, Who in
about four inches deep and reaching half down the the world am I? Ah, THAT’S the great puzzle!’ Andhall.
she began thinking over all the children she knew
After a time she heard a little pattering of feet that were of the same age as herself, to see if shein the distance, and she hastily dried her eyes to see could have been changed for any of them.
what was coming. It was the White Rabbit returning,’I’m sure I’m not Ada,’ she said, ’for her hair goes
splendidly dressed, with a pair of white kid gloves in such long ringlets, and mine doesn’t go in ringlets
in one hand and a large fan in the other: he came at all; and I’m sure I can’t be Mabel, for I know
trotting along in a great hurry, muttering to himself all sorts of things, and she, oh! she knows such aas he came, ’Oh! the Duchess, the Duchess! Oh! very little! Besides, SHE’S she, and I’m I, and–oh
won’t she be savage if I’ve kept her waiting!’ Alice dear, how puzzling it all is! I’ll try if I know all
felt so desperate that she was ready to ask help of any the things I used to know. Let me see: four times
one; so, when the Rabbit came near her, she began, five is twelve, and four times six is thirteen, and four
in a low, timid voice, ’If you please, sir–’ The Rabbit times seven is–oh dear! I shall never get to twenty at
started violently, dropped the white kid gloves and that rate! However, the Multiplication Table doesn’t

6signify: let’s try Geography. London is the capital of
Paris, and Paris is the capital of Rome, and Rome–no, THAT’S all wrong, I’m certain! I must have beenchanged for Mabel! I’ll try and say "How doth thelittle–"’ and she crossed her hands on her lap as if shewere saying lessons, and began to repeat it, but her
voice sounded hoarse and strange, and the words did
not come the same as they used to do:–’How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!
’How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spread his claws,
And welcome little fishes inWith gently smiling jaws!’’I’m sure those are not the right words,’ said poor
Alice, and her eyes filled with tears again as she went
on, ’I must be Mabel after all, and I shall have to go
and live in that poky little house, and have next to
no toys to play with, and oh! ever so many lessons tolearn! No, I’ve made up my mind about it; if I’m Mabel, I’ll stay down here! It’ll be no use their putting
their heads down and saying "Come up again, dear!"
I shall only look up and say "Who am I then? Tellme that first, and then, if I like being that person, I’ll
come up: if not, I’ll stay down here till I’m somebody
else"–but, oh dear!’ cried Alice, with a sudden burstof tears, ’I do wish they WOULD put their heads
down! I am so VERY tired of being all alone here!’
As she said this she looked down at her hands, andwas surprised to see that she had put on one of the
Rabbit’s little white kid gloves while she was talking.
’How CAN I have done that?’ she thought. ’I must
be growing small again.’ She got up and went to
the table to measure herself by it, and found that, as
nearly as she could guess, she was now about two feethigh, and was going on shrinking rapidly: she soon
found out that the cause of this was the fan she washolding, and she dropped it hastily, just in time to
avoid shrinking away altogether.
’That WAS a narrow escape!’ said Alice, a gooddeal frightened at the sudden change, but very glad tofind herself still in existence; ’and now for the garden!’and she ran with all speed back to the little door:
but, alas! the little door was shut again, and the little
golden key was lying on the glass table as before, ’andthings are worse than ever,’ thought the poor child,’for I never was so small as this before, never! And I
declare it’s too bad, that it is!’As she said these words her foot slipped, and inanother moment, splash!
she was up to her chinin salt water. Her first idea was that she had somehow fallen into the sea, ’and in that case I can goback by railway,’ she said to herself. (Alice had been
to the seaside once in her life, and had come to thegeneral conclusion, that wherever you go to on the
English coast you find a number of bathing machines
in the sea, some children digging in the sand withwooden spades, then a row of lodging houses, andbehind them a railway station.) However, she soon
made out that she was in the pool of tears which she
had wept when she was nine feet high.
’I wish I hadn’t cried so much!’ said Alice, as she
swam about, trying to find her way out. ’I shall bepunished for it now, I suppose, by being drowned in
my own tears! That WILL be a queer thing, to be
sure! However, everything is queer to-day.’Just then she heard something splashing about inthe pool a little way off, and she swam nearer tomake out what it was: at first she thought it must bea walrus or hippopotamus, but then she remembered
how small she was now, and she soon made out that
it was only a mouse that had slipped in like herself.

7’Would it be of any use, now,’ thought Alice, ’to
speak to this mouse? Everything is so out-of-theway down here, that I should think very likely it can
talk: at any rate, there’s no harm in trying.’ So shebegan: ’O Mouse, do you know the way out of thispool? I am very tired of swimming about here, O
Mouse!’ (Alice thought this must be the right wayof speaking to a mouse: she had never done such athing before, but she remembered having seen in her
brother’s Latin Grammar, ’A mouse–of a mouse–toa mouse–a mouse–O mouse!’) The Mouse looked ather rather inquisitively, and seemed to her to wink
with one of its little eyes, but it said nothing.
’Perhaps it doesn’t understand English,’ thought
Alice; ’I daresay it’s a French mouse, come over with
William the Conqueror.’ (For, with all her knowledgeof history, Alice had no very clear notion how long
ago anything had happened.) So she began again:’Ou est ma chatte?’ which was the first sentence inher French lesson-book. The Mouse gave a sudden
leap out of the water, and seemed to quiver all overwith fright. ’Oh, I beg your pardon!’ cried Alicehastily, afraid that she had hurt the poor animal’s
feelings. ’I quite forgot you didn’t like cats.’’Not like cats!’ cried the Mouse, in a shrill, passionate voice. ’Would YOU like cats if you were me?’’Well, perhaps not,’ said Alice in a soothing tone:’don’t be angry about it. And yet I wish I could
show you our cat Dinah: I think you’d take a fancy
to cats if you could only see her. She is such a dear
quiet thing,’ Alice went on, half to herself, as she
swam lazily about in the pool, ’and she sits purringso nicely by the fire, licking her paws and washingher face–and she is such a nice soft thing to nurse–and she’s such a capital one for catching mice–oh, I
beg your pardon!’ cried Alice again, for this time theMouse was bristling all over, and she felt certain it
must be really offended. ’We won’t talk about her
any more if you’d rather not.’’We indeed!’ cried the Mouse, who was trembling
down to the end of his tail. ’As if I would talk onsuch a subject! Our family always HATED cats:
nasty, low, vulgar things! Don’t let me hear the nameagain!’’I won’t indeed!’ said Alice, in a great hurry tochange the subject of conversation. ’Are you–are

you fond–of–of dogs?’ The Mouse did not answer,
so Alice went on eagerly: ’There is such a nice little dog near our house I should like to show you!
A little bright-eyed terrier, you know, with oh, suchlong curly brown hair! And it’ll fetch things when
you throw them, and it’ll sit up and beg for its dinner, and all sorts of things–I can’t remember half ofthem–and it belongs to a farmer, you know, and hesays it’s so useful, it’s worth a hundred pounds! He
says it kills all the rats and–oh dear!’ cried Alice ina sorrowful tone, ’I’m afraid I’ve offended it again!’
For the Mouse was swimming away from her as hard
as it could go, and making quite a commotion in thepool as it went.
So she called softly after it, ’Mouse dear! Do comeback again, and we won’t talk about cats or dogs
either, if you don’t like them!’ When the Mouse heard
this, it turned round and swam slowly back to her:its face was quite pale (with passion, Alice thought),
and it said in a low trembling voice, ’Let us get tothe shore, and then I’ll tell you my history, and you’ll
understand why it is I hate cats and dogs.’
It was high time to go, for the pool was getting
quite crowded with the birds and animals that had
fallen into it: there were a Duck and a Dodo, a Loryand an Eaglet, and several other curious creatures.
Alice led the way, and the whole party swam to theshore.

III. A Caucus-Race and a Long
Tale
They were indeed a queer-looking party that assembled on the bank–the birds with draggled feathers,
the animals with their fur clinging close to them, andall dripping wet, cross, and uncomfortable.
The first question of course was, how to get dry
again: they had a consultation about this, and aftera few minutes it seemed quite natural to Alice tofind herself talking familiarly with them, as if she
had known them all her life. Indeed, she had quite
a long argument with the Lory, who at last turned
sulky, and would only say, ’I am older than you, and8must know better’; and this Alice would not allow
without knowing how old it was, and, as the Lory
positively refused to tell its age, there was no more
to be said.
At last the Mouse, who seemed to be a personof authority among them, called out, ’Sit down, allof you, and listen to me! I’LL soon make you dry
enough!’ They all sat down at once, in a large ring,with the Mouse in the middle. Alice kept her eyes
anxiously fixed on it, for she felt sure she would catcha bad cold if she did not get dry very soon.
’Ahem!’ said the Mouse with an important air,’are you all ready? This is the driest thing I know.
Silence all round, if you please! "William the Conqueror, whose cause was favoured by the pope, wassoon submitted to by the English, who wanted leaders, and had been of late much accustomed to usurpation and conquest. Edwin and Morcar, the earls ofMercia and Northumbria–"’’Ugh!’ said the Lory, with a shiver.
’I beg your pardon!’ said the Mouse, frowning, butvery politely: ’Did you speak?’’Not I!’ said the Lory hastily.
’I thought you did,’ said the Mouse. ’–I proceed. "Edwin and Morcar, the earls of Mercia
and Northumbria, declared for him: and even Stigand, the patriotic archbishop of Canterbury, foundit advisable–"’’Found WHAT?’ said the Duck.
’Found IT,’ the Mouse replied rather crossly: ’ofcourse you know what "it" means.’’I know what "it" means well enough, when I find athing,’ said the Duck: ’it’s generally a frog or a worm.
The question is, what did the archbishop find?’
The Mouse did not notice this question, but hurriedly went on, ’"–found it advisable to go with Edgar
Atheling to meet William and offer him the crown.
William’s conduct at first was moderate. But theinsolence of his Normans–" How are you getting onnow, my dear?’ it continued, turning to Alice as it
spoke.
’As wet as ever,’ said Alice in a melancholy tone:’it doesn’t seem to dry me at all.’’In that case,’ said the Dodo solemnly, rising to
its feet, ’I move that the meeting adjourn, for theimmediate adoption of more energetic remedies–’’Speak English!’ said the Eaglet. ’I don’t know themeaning of half those long words, and, what’s more,
I don’t believe you do either!’ And the Eaglet bent
down its head to hide a smile: some of the other birds
tittered audibly.
’What I was going to say,’ said the Dodo in an
offended tone, ’was, that the best thing to get us dry
would be a Caucus-race.’’What IS a Caucus-race?’ said Alice; not that she
wanted much to know, but the Dodo had paused as
if it thought that SOMEBODY ought to speak, andno one else seemed inclined to say anything.
’Why,’ said the Dodo, ’the best way to explain it
is to do it.’ (And, as you might like to try the thing
yourself, some winter day, I will tell you how the Dodo
managed it.)First it marked out a race-course, in a sort of circle,(’the exact shape doesn’t matter,’ it said,) and then
all the party were placed along the course, here andthere. There was no ’One, two, three, and away,’ butthey began running when they liked, and left off when
they liked, so that it was not easy to know when therace was over. However, when they had been runninghalf an hour or so, and were quite dry again, the Dodo
suddenly called out ’The race is over!’ and they all
crowded round it, panting, and asking, ’But who has
won?’This question the Dodo could not answer without agreat deal of thought, and it sat for a long time with
one finger pressed upon its forehead (the position inwhich you usually see Shakespeare, in the pictures of

9him), while the rest waited in silence. At last theDodo said, ’EVERYBODY has won, and all musthave prizes.’’But who is to give the prizes?’ quite a chorus ofvoices asked.
’Why, SHE, of course,’ said the Dodo, pointing to
Alice with one finger; and the whole party at once
crowded round her, calling out in a confused way,’Prizes! Prizes!’
Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair she
put her hand in her pocket, and pulled out a box ofcomfits, (luckily the salt water had not got into it),and handed them round as prizes. There was exactly
one a-piece all round.
’But she must have a prize herself, you know,’ said
the Mouse.
’Of course,’ the Dodo replied very gravely. ’Whatelse have you got in your pocket?’ he went on, turning
to Alice.
’Only a thimble,’ said Alice sadly.
’Hand it over here,’ said the Dodo.
Then they all crowded round her once more, while
the Dodo solemnly presented the thimble, saying’We beg your acceptance of this elegant thimble’;and, when it had finished this short speech, they all
cheered.
Alice thought the whole thing very absurd, butthey all looked so grave that she did not dare tolaugh; and, as she could not think of anything tosay, she simply bowed, and took the thimble, looking
as solemn as she could.
The next thing was to eat the comfits: this caused
some noise and confusion, as the large birds complained that they could not taste theirs, and the small
ones choked and had to be patted on the back. However, it was over at last, and they sat down again ina ring, and begged the Mouse to tell them something
more.
’You promised to tell me your history, you know,’
said Alice, ’and why it is you hate–C and D,’ she
added in a whisper, half afraid that it would be offended again.
’Mine is a long and a sad tale!’ said the Mouse,turning to Alice, and sighing.
’It IS a long tail, certainly,’ said Alice, looking
down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail; ’but why do

you call it sad?’ And she kept on puzzling about it
while the Mouse was speaking, so that her idea of thetale was something like this:–’Fury said to amouse, That hemet in thehouse,"Let usboth go tolaw: I willprosecuteYOU.--Come,
I’ll take nodenial; We
must have atrial: For
really thismorning I’ve
nothing
to do."
Said themouse to thecur, "Sucha trial,dear Sir,Withno juryor judge,
would bewastingourbreath.""I’ll bejudge, I’ll
be jury,"
Saidcunning
old Fury:"I’ll
try thewholecause,
andcondemnyoutodeath."’’You are not attending!’ said the Mouse to Aliceseverely. ’What are you thinking of?’10

’I beg your pardon,’ said Alice very humbly: ’you
had got to the fifth bend, I think?’’I had NOT!’ cried the Mouse, sharply and very
angrily.
’A knot!’ said Alice, always ready to make herself
useful, and looking anxiously about her. ’Oh, do letme help to undo it!’’I shall do nothing of the sort,’ said the Mouse, getting up and walking away. ’You insult me by talking
such nonsense!’’I didn’t mean it!’ pleaded poor Alice. ’But you’reso easily offended, you know!’
The Mouse only growled in reply.
’Please come back and finish your story!’ Alicecalled after it; and the others all joined in chorus,’Yes, please do!’ but the Mouse only shook its head
impatiently, and walked a little quicker.
’What a pity it wouldn’t stay!’ sighed the Lory, as
soon as it was quite out of sight; and an old Crab
took the opportunity of saying to her daughter ’Ah,
my dear! Let this be a lesson to you never to lose
YOUR temper!’ ’Hold your tongue, Ma!’ said the
young Crab, a little snappishly. ’You’re enough to
try the patience of an oyster!’’I wish I had our Dinah here, I know I do!’ said
Alice aloud, addressing nobody in particular. ’She’dsoon fetch it back!’’And who is Dinah, if I might venture to ask thequestion?’ said the Lory.
Alice replied eagerly, for she was always ready totalk about her pet: ’Dinah’s our cat. And she’s sucha capital one for catching mice you can’t think! And
oh, I wish you could see her after the birds! Why,
she’ll eat a little bird as soon as look at it!’This speech caused a remarkable sensation among
the party. Some of the birds hurried off at once: one
old Magpie began wrapping itself up very carefully,
remarking, ’I really must be getting home; the nightair doesn’t suit my throat!’ and a Canary called out
in a trembling voice to its children, ’Come away, mydears! It’s high time you were all in bed!’ On various
pretexts they all moved off, and Alice was soon left
alone.
’I wish I hadn’t mentioned Dinah!’ she said toherself in a melancholy tone. ’Nobody seems to likeher, down here, and I’m sure she’s the best cat in

the world! Oh, my dear Dinah! I wonder if I shallever see you any more!’ And here poor Alice began
to cry again, for she felt very lonely and low-spirited.
In a little while, however, she again heard a little
pattering of footsteps in the distance, and she looked
up eagerly, half hoping that the Mouse had changed
his mind, and was coming back to finish his story.

IV. The Rabbit Sends in a LittleBill
It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again,
and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had
lost something; and she heard it muttering to itself’The Duchess! The Duchess! Oh my dear paws! Oh
my fur and whiskers! She’ll get me executed, as sure
as ferrets are ferrets! Where CAN I have dropped
them, I wonder?’ Alice guessed in a moment that
it was looking for the fan and the pair of white kid
gloves, and she very good-naturedly began hunting
about for them, but they were nowhere to be seen–
everything seemed to have changed since her swim in
the pool, and the great hall, with the glass table andthe little door, had vanished completely.

11

Very soon the Rabbit noticed Alice, as she went
hunting about, and called out to her in an angry tone,’Why, Mary Ann, what ARE you doing out here?
Run home this moment, and fetch me a pair of gloves
and a fan! Quick, now!’ And Alice was so muchfrightened that she ran off at once in the direction it
pointed to, without trying to explain the mistake it
had made.
’He took me for his housemaid,’ she said to herself
as she ran. ’How surprised he’ll be when he finds
out who I am! But I’d better take him his fan andgloves–that is, if I can find them.’ As she said this,she came upon a neat little house, on the door ofwhich was a bright brass plate with the name ’W.
RABBIT’ engraved upon it. She went in without
knocking, and hurried upstairs, in great fear lest sheshould meet the real Mary Ann, and be turned outof the house before she had found the fan and gloves.
’How queer it seems,’ Alice said to herself, ’to be
going messages for a rabbit! I suppose Dinah’ll besending me on messages next!’ And she began fancying the sort of thing that would happen: ’"MissAlice! Come here directly, and get ready for yourwalk!" "Coming in a minute, nurse! But I’ve got to
see that the mouse doesn’t get out." Only I don’t
think,’ Alice went on, ’that they’d let Dinah stop in
the house if it began ordering people about like that!’
By this time she had found her way into a tidy little room with a table in the window, and on it (asshe had hoped) a fan and two or three pairs of tiny
white kid gloves: she took up the fan and a pair of the
gloves, and was just going to leave the room, whenher eye fell upon a little bottle that stood near thelooking-glass. There was no label this time with thewords ’DRINK ME,’ but nevertheless she uncorked it
and put it to her lips. ’I know SOMETHING interesting is sure to happen,’ she said to herself, ’whenever I
eat or drink anything; so I’ll just see what this bottle
does. I do hope it’ll make me grow large again, forreally I’m quite tired of being such a tiny little thing!’
It did so indeed, and much sooner than she had
expected: before she had drunk half the bottle, shefound her head pressing against the ceiling, and had
to stoop to save her neck from being broken. She
hastily put down the bottle, saying to herself ’That’squite enough–I hope I shan’t grow any more–As it is,I can’t get out at the door–I do wish I hadn’t drunkquite so much!’
Alas! it was too late to wish that! She went on
growing, and growing, and very soon had to kneel
down on the floor: in another minute there was noteven room for this, and she tried the effect of lying
down with one elbow against the door, and the otherarm curled round her head. Still she went on growing,
and, as a last resource, she put one arm out of thewindow, and one foot up the chimney, and said toherself ’Now I can do no more, whatever happens.
What WILL become of me?’Luckily for Alice, the little magic bottle had now
had its full effect, and she grew no larger: still it wasvery uncomfortable, and, as there seemed to be nosort of chance of her ever getting out of the room
again, no wonder she felt unhappy.
’It was much pleasanter at home,’ thought poor
Alice, ’when one wasn’t always growing larger andsmaller, and being ordered about by mice and rabbits. I almost wish I hadn’t gone down that rabbithole–and yet–and yet–it’s rather curious, you know,
this sort of life! I do wonder what CAN have happened to me! When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here
I am in the middle of one! There ought to be a book
written about me, that there ought! And when I growup, I’ll write one–but I’m grown up now,’ she addedin a sorrowful tone; ’at least there’s no room to growup any more HERE.’’But then,’ thought Alice, ’shall I NEVER get any
older than I am now? That’ll be a comfort, one way–

12

never to be an old woman–but then–always to havelessons to learn! Oh, I shouldn’t like THAT!’’Oh, you foolish Alice!’ she answered herself. ’How
can you learn lessons in here? Why, there’s hardly
room for YOU, and no room at all for any lessonbooks!’
And so she went on, taking first one side and thenthe other, and making quite a conversation of it altogether; but after a few minutes she heard a voiceoutside, and stopped to listen.
’Mary Ann! Mary Ann!’ said the voice. ’Fetch me
my gloves this moment!’ Then came a little patteringof feet on the stairs. Alice knew it was the Rabbit
coming to look for her, and she trembled till she shookthe house, quite forgetting that she was now about
a thousand times as large as the Rabbit, and had noreason to be afraid of it.
Presently the Rabbit came up to the door, andtried to open it; but, as the door opened inwards,
and Alice’s elbow was pressed hard against it, that
attempt proved a failure. Alice heard it say to itself’Then I’ll go round and get in at the window.’’THAT you won’t’ thought Alice, and, after waiting till she fancied she heard the Rabbit just under
the window, she suddenly spread out her hand, andmade a snatch in the air. She did not get hold of anything, but she heard a little shriek and a fall, and acrash of broken glass, from which she concluded that
it was just possible it had fallen into a cucumberframe, or something of the sort.
Next came an angry voice–the Rabbit’s–’Pat! Pat!
Where are you?’ And then a voice she had neverheard before, ’Sure then I’m here! Digging for apples,
yer honour!’’Digging for apples, indeed!’ said the Rabbit angrily. ’Here! Come and help me out of THIS!’(Sounds of more broken glass.)’Now tell me, Pat, what’s that in the window?’’Sure, it’s an arm, yer honour!’ (He pronounced it’arrum.’)’An arm, you goose! Who ever saw one that size?
Why, it fills the whole window!’’Sure, it does, yer honour: but it’s an arm for allthat.’’Well, it’s got no business there, at any rate: goand take it away!’

There was a long silence after this, and Alice could
only hear whispers now and then; such as, ’Sure, I
don’t like it, yer honour, at all, at all!’ ’Do as I
tell you, you coward!’ and at last she spread out her
hand again, and made another snatch in the air. This
time there were TWO little shrieks, and more soundsof broken glass. ’What a number of cucumber-frames
there must be!’ thought Alice. ’I wonder what they’ll
do next! As for pulling me out of the window, I only
wish they COULD! I’m sure I don’t want to stay inhere any longer!’
She waited for some time without hearing anything
more: at last came a rumbling of little cartwheels,and the sound of a good many voices all talking together: she made out the words: ’Where’s the otherladder?–Why, I hadn’t to bring but one; Bill’s got
the other–Bill! fetch it here, lad!–Here, put ’em
up at this corner–No, tie ’em together first–they
don’t reach half high enough yet–Oh! they’ll dowell enough; don’t be particular–Here, Bill! catch
hold of this rope–Will the roof bear?–Mind that loose
slate–Oh, it’s coming down! Heads below!’ (a loudcrash)–’Now, who did that?–It was Bill, I fancy–
Who’s to go down the chimney?–Nay, I shan’t! YOU
do it!–That I won’t, then!–Bill’s to go down–Here,Bill! the master says you’re to go down the chimney!’’Oh! So Bill’s got to come down the chimney, hashe?’ said Alice to herself. ’Shy, they seem to put
everything upon Bill! I wouldn’t be in Bill’s place fora good deal: this fireplace is narrow, to be sure; but
I THINK I can kick a little!’

13

next! If they had any sense, they’d take the roof
off.’ After a minute or two, they began moving about
again, and Alice heard the Rabbit say, ’A barrowful
will do, to begin with.’’A barrowful of WHAT?’ thought Alice; but she
had not long to doubt, for the next moment a showerof little pebbles came rattling in at the window, andsome of them hit her in the face. ’I’ll put a stopto this,’ she said to herself, and shouted out, ’You’dbetter not do that again!’ which produced anotherdead silence.
Alice noticed with some surprise that the pebbles
were all turning into little cakes as they lay on thefloor, and a bright idea came into her head. ’If I eat
one of these cakes,’ she thought, ’it’s sure to make
SOME change in my size; and as it can’t possibly
make me larger, it must make me smaller, I suppose.’
So she swallowed one of the cakes, and was delighted to find that she began shrinking directly. As
soon as she was small enough to get through the door,
she ran out of the house, and found quite a crowd oflittle animals and birds waiting outside. The poor litShe drew her foot as far down the chimney as she tle Lizard, Bill, was in the middle, being held up by
could, and waited till she heard a little animal (she two guinea-pigs, who were giving it something out ofcouldn’t guess of what sort it was) scratching and a bottle. They all made a rush at Alice the moment
scrambling about in the chimney close above her: she appeared; but she ran off as hard as she could,
then, saying to herself ’This is Bill,’ she gave one and soon found herself safe in a thick wood.
sharp kick, and waited to see what would happen’The first thing I’ve got to do,’ said Alice to herself,next.
as she wandered about in the wood, ’is to grow to my
The first thing she heard was a general chorus of right size again; and the second thing is to find my’There goes Bill!’ then the Rabbit’s voice along– way into that lovely garden. I think that will be the’Catch him, you by the hedge!’ then silence, and best plan.’then another confusion of voices–’Hold up his head–
It sounded an excellent plan, no doubt, and very
Brandy now–Don’t choke him–How was it, old fellow? neatly and simply arranged; the only difficulty was,What happened to you? Tell us all about it!’that she had not the smallest idea how to set about
Last came a little feeble, squeaking voice, (’That’s it; and while she was peering about anxiously among
Bill,’ thought Alice,) ’Well, I hardly know–No more, the trees, a little sharp bark just over her head madethank ye; I’m better now–but I’m a deal too flustered her look up in a great hurry.
to tell you–all I know is, something comes at me likeAn enormous puppy was looking down at her witha Jack-in-the-box, and up I goes like a sky-rocket!’large round eyes, and feebly stretching out one paw,
’So you did, old fellow!’ said the others.
trying to touch her. ’Poor little thing!’ said Alice,’We must burn the house down!’ said the Rabbit’s in a coaxing tone, and she tried hard to whistle tovoice; and Alice called out as loud as she could, ’If it; but she was terribly frightened all the time at the
you do. I’ll set Dinah at you!’thought that it might be hungry, in which case it
There was a dead silence instantly, and Alice would be very likely to eat her up in spite of all her
thought to herself, ’I wonder what they WILL do coaxing.

14

Hardly knowing what she did, she picked up a little
bit of stick, and held it out to the puppy; whereupon
the puppy jumped into the air off all its feet at once,with a yelp of delight, and rushed at the stick, andmade believe to worry it; then Alice dodged behinda great thistle, to keep herself from being run over;and the moment she appeared on the other side, thepuppy made another rush at the stick, and tumbled
head over heels in its hurry to get hold of it; thenAlice, thinking it was very like having a game of playwith a cart-horse, and expecting every moment to be
trampled under its feet, ran round the thistle again;
then the puppy began a series of short charges at the
stick, running a very little way forwards each timeand a long way back, and barking hoarsely all thewhile, till at last it sat down a good way off, panting,with its tongue hanging out of its mouth, and its
great eyes half shut.
This seemed to Alice a good opportunity for making her escape; so she set off at once, and ran till she
was quite tired and out of breath, and till the puppy’s
bark sounded quite faint in the distance.
’And yet what a dear little puppy it was!’ said
Alice, as she leant against a buttercup to rest herself,
and fanned herself with one of the leaves: ’I shouldhave liked teaching it tricks very much, if–if I’d only
been the right size to do it! Oh dear! I’d nearly
forgotten that I’ve got to grow up again! Let me see–
how IS it to be managed? I suppose I ought to eat
or drink something or other; but the great questionis, what?’
The great question certainly was, what? Alicelooked all round her at the flowers and the bladesof grass, but she did not see anything that looked
like the right thing to eat or drink under the circumstances. There was a large mushroom growing nearher, about the same height as herself; and when she
had looked under it, and on both sides of it, and behind it, it occurred to her that she might as well lookand see what was on the top of it.
She stretched herself up on tiptoe, and peeped overthe edge of the mushroom, and her eyes immediately
met those of a large caterpillar, that was sitting on
the top with its arms folded, quietly smoking a long
hookah, and taking not the smallest notice of her orof anything else.

V. Advice from a Caterpillar
The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other forsome time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took thehookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.
’Who are YOU?’ said the Caterpillar.
This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, ’I–I hardly know,
sir, just at present–at least I know who I WAS when
I got up this morning, but I think I must have beenchanged several times since then.’’What do you mean by that?’ said the Caterpillar
sternly. ’Explain yourself!’’I can’t explain MYSELF, I’m afraid, sir’ said Alice, ’because I’m not myself, you see.’’I don’t see,’ said the Caterpillar.
’I’m afraid I can’t put it more clearly,’ Alice repliedvery politely, ’for I can’t understand it myself to begin

15

with; and being so many different sizes in a day isvery confusing.’’It isn’t,’ said the Caterpillar.
’Well, perhaps you haven’t found it so yet,’ said
Alice; ’but when you have to turn into a chrysalis–
you will some day, you know–and then after that into
a butterfly, I should think you’ll feel it a little queer,
won’t you?’’Not a bit,’ said the Caterpillar.
’Well, perhaps your feelings may be different,’ said
Alice; ’all I know is, it would feel very queer to ME.’
’You!’ said the Caterpillar contemptuously. ’Who
are YOU?’
Which brought them back again to the beginningof the conversation. Alice felt a little irritated at theCaterpillar’s making such VERY short remarks, andshe drew herself up and said, very gravely, ’I think,
you ought to tell me who YOU are, first.’’Why?’ said the Caterpillar.
Here was another puzzling question; and as Alice
could not think of any good reason, and as the Caterpillar seemed to be in a VERY unpleasant state ofmind, she turned away.

’Come back!’ the Caterpillar called after her. ’I’ve
something important to say!’This sounded promising, certainly: Alice turnedand came back again.
’Keep your temper,’ said the Caterpillar.
’Is that all?’ said Alice, swallowing down her anger
as well as she could.
’No,’ said the Caterpillar.
Alice thought she might as well wait, as she had
nothing else to do, and perhaps after all it might tellher something worth hearing. For some minutes it
puffed away without speaking, but at last it unfolded
its arms, took the hookah out of its mouth again, andsaid, ’So you think you’re changed, do you?’’I’m afraid I am, sir,’ said Alice; ’I can’t remember
things as I used–and I don’t keep the same size forten minutes together!’’Can’t remember WHAT things?’ said the Caterpillar.

16’Well, I’ve tried to say "HOW DOTH THE LITTLE BUSY BEE," but it all came different!’ Alicereplied in a very melancholy voice.
’Repeat, "YOU ARE OLD, FATHER WILLIAM,"’
said the Caterpillar.
Alice folded her hands, and began:–’You are old, Father William,’ the young man
said,’And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head–Do you think, at your age, it is right?’’In my youth,’ Father William replied to his son,’I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I’m perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again.’’You are old,’ said the youth, ’as I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat;Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door–
Pray, what is the reason of that?’’In my youth,’ said the sage, as he shook his grey
locks,’I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment–one shilling the box–
Allow me to sell you a couple?’’You are old,’ said the youth, ’and your jaws are
too weakFor anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the
beak–
Pray how did you manage to do it?’

’In my youth,’ said his father, ’I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to myjaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life.’’You are old,’ said the youth, ’one would hardly
supposeThat your eye was as steady as ever;Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose–
What made you so awfully clever?’’I have answered three questions, and that isenough,’Said his father; ’don’t give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I’ll kick you down stairs!’’That is not said right,’ said the Caterpillar.
’Not QUITE right, I’m afraid,’ said Alice, timidly;’some of the words have got altered.’’It is wrong from beginning to end,’ said the Caterpillar decidedly, and there was silence for some minutes.
The Caterpillar was the first to speak.
’What size do you want to be?’ it asked.
’Oh, I’m not particular as to size,’ Alice hastily
replied; ’only one doesn’t like changing so often, you
know.’’I DON’T know,’ said the Caterpillar.
Alice said nothing: she had never been so muchcontradicted in her life before, and she felt that she
was losing her temper.
’Are you content now?’ said the Caterpillar.

17’Well, I should like to be a LITTLE larger, sir, if
you wouldn’t mind,’ said Alice: ’three inches is sucha wretched height to be.’
’It is a very good height indeed!’ said the Caterpillar angrily, rearing itself upright as it spoke (it wasexactly three inches high).
’But I’m not used to it!’ pleaded poor Alice in a
piteous tone. And she thought of herself, ’I wish thecreatures wouldn’t be so easily offended!’’You’ll get used to it in time,’ said the Caterpillar; and it put the hookah into its mouth and begansmoking again.
This time Alice waited patiently until it chose to
speak again. In a minute or two the Caterpillar took
the hookah out of its mouth and yawned once or
twice, and shook itself. Then it got down off themushroom, and crawled away in the grass, merely
remarking as it went, ’One side will make you growtaller, and the other side will make you grow shorter.’’One side of WHAT? The other side of WHAT?’
thought Alice to herself.
’Of the mushroom,’ said the Caterpillar, just as if
she had asked it aloud; and in another moment it wasout of sight.
Alice remained looking thoughtfully at the mushroom for a minute, trying to make out which were
the two sides of it; and as it was perfectly round, shefound this a very difficult question. However, at last
she stretched her arms round it as far as they would
go, and broke off a bit of the edge with each hand.

’And now which is which?’ she said to herself, andnibbled a little of the right-hand bit to try the effect:
the next moment she felt a violent blow underneathher chin: it had struck her foot!
She was a good deal frightened by this very suddenchange, but she felt that there was no time to belost, as she was shrinking rapidly; so she set to workat once to eat some of the other bit. Her chin waspressed so closely against her foot, that there was
hardly room to open her mouth; but she did it at last,and managed to swallow a morsel of the lefthand bit.
*

*
*

*

*
*

*

*
*

*

*
*

*

*
*

*

*
*

*

*

’Come, my head’s free at last!’ said Alice in atone of delight, which changed into alarm in anothermoment, when she found that her shoulders were
nowhere to be found: all she could see, when she
looked down, was an immense length of neck, which
seemed to rise like a stalk out of a sea of green leaves
that lay far below her.
’What CAN all that green stuff be?’ said Alice.
’And where HAVE my shoulders got to? And oh, mypoor hands, how is it I can’t see you?’ She was moving them about as she spoke, but no result seemed
to follow, except a little shaking among the distantgreen leaves.
As there seemed to be no chance of getting her
hands up to her head, she tried to get her head down

18

to them, and was delighted to find that her neckwould bend about easily in any direction, like a serpent. She had just succeeded in curving it down intoa graceful zigzag, and was going to dive in among theleaves, which she found to be nothing but the tops ofthe trees under which she had been wandering, whena sharp hiss made her draw back in a hurry: a large
pigeon had flown into her face, and was beating her
violently with its wings.
’Serpent!’ screamed the Pigeon.
’I’m NOT a serpent!’ said Alice indignantly. ’Letme alone!’’Serpent, I say again!’ repeated the Pigeon, but
in a more subdued tone, and added with a kind ofsob, ’I’ve tried every way, and nothing seems to suitthem!’’I haven’t the least idea what you’re talking about,’
said Alice.
’I’ve tried the roots of trees, and I’ve tried banks,and I’ve tried hedges,’ the Pigeon went on, without
attending to her; ’but those serpents! There’s nopleasing them!’
Alice was more and more puzzled, but she thought
there was no use in saying anything more till the Pigeon had finished.
’As if it wasn’t trouble enough hatching the eggs,’
said the Pigeon; ’but I must be on the look-out forserpents night and day! Why, I haven’t had a winkof sleep these three weeks!’’I’m very sorry you’ve been annoyed,’ said Alice,
who was beginning to see its meaning.
’And just as I’d taken the highest tree in the wood,’
continued the Pigeon, raising its voice to a shriek,’and just as I was thinking I should be free of themat last, they must needs come wriggling down fromthe sky! Ugh, Serpent!’’But I’m NOT a serpent, I tell you!’ said Alice.
’I’m a–I’m a–’’Well! WHAT are you?’ said the Pigeon. ’I can
see you’re trying to invent something!’’I–I’m a little girl,’ said Alice, rather doubtfully, as
she remembered the number of changes she had gone
through that day.
’A likely story indeed!’ said the Pigeon in a tone ofthe deepest contempt. ’I’ve seen a good many little
girls in my time, but never ONE with such a neck as

that! No, no! You’re a serpent; and there’s no use
denying it. I suppose you’ll be telling me next thatyou never tasted an egg!’’I HAVE tasted eggs, certainly,’ said Alice, who
was a very truthful child; ’but little girls eat eggs
quite as much as serpents do, you know.’’I don’t believe it,’ said the Pigeon; ’but if they do,
why then they’re a kind of serpent, that’s all I cansay.’This was such a new idea to Alice, that she wasquite silent for a minute or two, which gave the Pigeon the opportunity of adding, ’You’re looking for
eggs, I know THAT well enough; and what does itmatter to me whether you’re a little girl or a serpent?’’It matters a good deal to ME,’ said Alice hastily;’but I’m not looking for eggs, as it happens; and if
I was, I shouldn’t want YOURS: I don’t like themraw.’
’Well, be off, then!’ said the Pigeon in a sulky tone,
as it settled down again into its nest. Alice croucheddown among the trees as well as she could, for her
neck kept getting entangled among the branches, andevery now and then she had to stop and untwist it.
After a while she remembered that she still held thepieces of mushroom in her hands, and she set to work
very carefully, nibbling first at one and then at theother, and growing sometimes taller and sometimes
shorter, until she had succeeded in bringing herself
down to her usual height.
It was so long since she had been anything near
the right size, that it felt quite strange at first; but
she got used to it in a few minutes, and began talking to herself, as usual. ’Come, there’s half my plan
done now! How puzzling all these changes are! I’mnever sure what I’m going to be, from one minuteto another! However, I’ve got back to my right size:
the next thing is, to get into that beautiful garden–
how IS that to be done, I wonder?’ As she said this,she came suddenly upon an open place, with a little house in it about four feet high. ’Whoever lives
there,’ thought Alice, ’it’ll never do to come uponthem THIS size: why, I should frighten them out of
their wits!’ So she began nibbling at the righthand
bit again, and did not venture to go near the housetill she had brought herself down to nine inches high.

19

VI. Pig and Pepper
For a minute or two she stood looking at the house,
and wondering what to do next, when suddenly afootman in livery came running out of the wood–(sheconsidered him to be a footman because he was inlivery: otherwise, judging by his face only, she would
have called him a fish)–and rapped loudly at the door
with his knuckles. It was opened by another footman
in livery, with a round face, and large eyes like a frog;and both footmen, Alice noticed, had powdered hairthat curled all over their heads. She felt very curious
to know what it was all about, and crept a little way
out of the wood to listen.
The Fish-Footman began by producing from under
his arm a great letter, nearly as large as himself, andthis he handed over to the other, saying, in a solemn
tone, ’For the Duchess. An invitation from the Queen
to play croquet.’ The Frog-Footman repeated, in thesame solemn tone, only changing the order of thewords a little, ’From the Queen. An invitation for
the Duchess to play croquet.’
Then they both bowed low, and their curls got entangled together.
Alice laughed so much at this, that she had torun back into the wood for fear of their hearing her;
and when she next peeped out the Fish-Footman wasgone, and the other was sitting on the ground near
the door, staring stupidly up into the sky.
Alice went timidly up to the door, and knocked.
’There’s no sort of use in knocking,’ said the Footman, ’and that for two reasons. First, because I’mon the same side of the door as you are; secondly,
because they’re making such a noise inside, no one
could possibly hear you.’ And certainly there was amost extraordinary noise going on within–a constant
howling and sneezing, and every now and then a greatcrash, as if a dish or kettle had been broken to pieces.
’Please, then,’ said Alice, ’how am I to get in?’
’There might be some sense in your knocking,’ theFootman went on without attending to her, ’if we
had the door between us. For instance, if you were
INSIDE, you might knock, and I could let you out,
you know.’ He was looking up into the sky all thetime he was speaking, and this Alice thought decidedly uncivil. ’But perhaps he can’t help it,’ she said

to herself; ’his eyes are so VERY nearly at the topof his head. But at any rate he might answer questions.–How am I to get in?’ she repeated, aloud.
’I shall sit here,’ the Footman remarked, ’till
tomorrow–’
At this moment the door of the house opened, anda large plate came skimming out, straight at the Footman’s head: it just grazed his nose, and broke topieces against one of the trees behind him.
’–or next day, maybe,’ the Footman continued in
the same tone, exactly as if nothing had happened.
’How am I to get in?’ asked Alice again, in a louder
tone.
’ARE you to get in at all?’ said the Footman.
’That’s the first question, you know.’
It was, no doubt: only Alice did not like to be told
so. ’It’s really dreadful,’ she muttered to herself, ’theway all the creatures argue. It’s enough to drive one
crazy!’The Footman seemed to think this a good opportunity for repeating his remark, with variations. ’I shall
sit here,’ he said, ’on and off, for days and days.’’But what am I to do?’ said Alice.
’Anything you like,’ said the Footman, and began
whistling.
’Oh, there’s no use in talking to him,’ said Alicedesperately: ’he’s perfectly idiotic!’ And she opened
the door and went in.
The door led right into a large kitchen, which was
full of smoke from one end to the other: the Duchesswas sitting on a three-legged stool in the middle,
nursing a baby; the cook was leaning over the fire,stirring a large cauldron which seemed to be full ofsoup.
’There’s certainly too much pepper in that soup!’
Alice said to herself, as well as she could for sneezing.
There was certainly too much of it in the air. Even
the Duchess sneezed occasionally; and as for the baby,
it was sneezing and howling alternately without a moment’s pause. The only things in the kitchen that did
not sneeze, were the cook, and a large cat which was
sitting on the hearth and grinning from ear to ear.
’Please would you tell me,’ said Alice, a little
timidly, for she was not quite sure whether it wasgood manners for her to speak first, ’why your cat
grins like that?’20’It’s a Cheshire cat,’ said the Duchess, ’and that’s
why. Pig!’
She said the last word with such sudden violence
that Alice quite jumped; but she saw in another moment that it was addressed to the baby, and not toher, so she took courage, and went on again:–’I didn’t know that Cheshire cats always grinned;in fact, I didn’t know that cats COULD grin.’’They all can,’ said the Duchess; ’and most of ’emdo.’’I don’t know of any that do,’ Alice said very politely, feeling quite pleased to have got into a conversation.
’You don’t know much,’ said the Duchess; ’andthat’s a fact.’
Alice did not at all like the tone of this remark,and thought it would be as well to introduce someother subject of conversation. While she was trying
to fix on one, the cook took the cauldron of soup
off the fire, and at once set to work throwing everything within her reach at the Duchess and the baby–

the fire-irons came first; then followed a shower ofsaucepans, plates, and dishes. The Duchess took no
notice of them even when they hit her; and the baby
was howling so much already, that it was quite impossible to say whether the blows hurt it or not.
’Oh, PLEASE mind what you’re doing!’ cried Alice, jumping up and down in an agony of terror. ’Oh,
there goes his PRECIOUS nose’; as an unusuallylarge saucepan flew close by it, and very nearly carried it off.
’If everybody minded their own business,’ theDuchess said in a hoarse growl, ’the world would go
round a deal faster than it does.’’Which would NOT be an advantage,’ said Alice,
who felt very glad to get an opportunity of showing
off a little of her knowledge. ’Just think of what work
it would make with the day and night! You see theearth takes twenty-four hours to turn round on its
axis–’’Talking of axes,’ said the Duchess, ’chop off her
head!’
Alice glanced rather anxiously at the cook, to see
if she meant to take the hint; but the cook was busily
stirring the soup, and seemed not to be listening, so
she went on again: ’Twenty-four hours, I THINK; oris it twelve? I–’’Oh, don’t bother ME,’ said the Duchess; ’I never
could abide figures!’ And with that she began nursing
her child again, singing a sort of lullaby to it as she

21

did so, and giving it a violent shake at the end of
every line:’Speak roughly to your little boy,
And beat him when he sneezes:
He only does it to annoy,
Because he knows it teases.’
CHORUS.

(In which the cook and the baby joined):–’Wow! wow! wow!’

While the Duchess sang the second verse of thesong, she kept tossing the baby violently up anddown, and the poor little thing howled so, that Alice
could hardly hear the words:–’I speak severely to my boy,
I beat him when he sneezes;
For he can thoroughly enjoy
The pepper when he pleases!’
CHORUS.
’Wow! wow! wow!’’Here! you may nurse it a bit, if you like!’ the Duchesssaid to Alice, flinging the baby at her as she spoke.
’I must go and get ready to play croquet with the
Queen,’ and she hurried out of the room. The cookthrew a frying-pan after her as she went out, but it
just missed her.
Alice caught the baby with some difficulty, as it
was a queer-shaped little creature, and held out its
arms and legs in all directions, ’just like a star-fish,’thought Alice. The poor little thing was snorting likea steam-engine when she caught it, and kept doubling
itself up and straightening itself out again, so that
altogether, for the first minute or two, it was as muchas she could do to hold it.
As soon as she had made out the proper way ofnursing it, (which was to twist it up into a sort ofknot, and then keep tight hold of its right ear and left
foot, so as to prevent its undoing itself,) she carried
it out into the open air. ’IF I don’t take this childaway with me,’ thought Alice, ’they’re sure to kill it
in a day or two: wouldn’t it be murder to leave it

behind?’ She said the last words out loud, and thelittle thing grunted in reply (it had left off sneezingby this time). ’Don’t grunt,’ said Alice; ’that’s not
at all a proper way of expressing yourself.’
The baby grunted again, and Alice looked very
anxiously into its face to see what was the matter with it. There could be no doubt that it had
a VERY turn-up nose, much more like a snout thana real nose; also its eyes were getting extremely small
for a baby: altogether Alice did not like the look of
the thing at all. ’But perhaps it was only sobbing,’
she thought, and looked into its eyes again, to see if
there were any tears.
No, there were no tears. ’If you’re going to turninto a pig, my dear,’ said Alice, seriously, ’I’ll havenothing more to do with you. Mind now!’ The poor
little thing sobbed again (or grunted, it was impossible to say which), and they went on for some whilein silence.
Alice was just beginning to think to herself, ’Now,
what am I to do with this creature when I get it
home?’ when it grunted again, so violently, that she
looked down into its face in some alarm. This time
there could be NO mistake about it: it was neither
more nor less than a pig, and she felt that it would
be quite absurd for her to carry it further.
So she set the little creature down, and felt quite
relieved to see it trot away quietly into the wood. ’If
it had grown up,’ she said to herself, ’it would havemade a dreadfully ugly child: but it makes rather
a handsome pig, I think.’ And she began thinking
over other children she knew, who might do very wellas pigs, and was just saying to herself, ’if one only
knew the right way to change them–’ when she wasa little startled by seeing the Cheshire Cat sitting on
a bough of a tree a few yards off.
The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice. It looked
good-natured, she thought: still it had VERY long
claws and a great many teeth, so she felt that it ought
to be treated with respect.
’Cheshire Puss,’ she began, rather timidly, as she
did not at all know whether it would like the name:however, it only grinned a little wider. ’Come, it’spleased so far,’ thought Alice, and she went on.
’Would you tell me, please, which way I ought togo from here?’22’That depends a good deal on where you want to
get to,’ said the Cat.
’I don’t much care where–’ said Alice.
’Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,’ said
the Cat.
’–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,’ Alice added as
an explanation.
’Oh, you’re sure to do that,’ said the Cat, ’if you
only walk long enough.’
Alice felt that this could not be denied, so she tried
another question. ’What sort of people live about
here?’’In THAT direction,’ the Cat said, waving its right
paw round, ’lives a Hatter: and in THAT direction,’waving the other paw, ’lives a March Hare. Visit
either you like: they’re both mad.’’But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ Aliceremarked.
’Oh, you can’t help that,’ said the Cat: ’we’re all
mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.’’How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice.

’You must be,’ said the Cat, ’or you wouldn’t havecome here.’
Alice didn’t think that proved it at all; however,
she went on ’And how do you know that you’re mad?’’To begin with,’ said the Cat, ’a dog’s not mad.
You grant that?’’I suppose so,’ said Alice.
’Well, then,’ the Cat went on, ’you see, a dog growls
when it’s angry, and wags its tail when it’s pleased.
Now I growl when I’m pleased, and wag my tail when
I’m angry. Therefore I’m mad.’’I call it purring, not growling,’ said Alice.

23’Call it what you like,’ said the Cat. ’Do you playcroquet with the Queen to-day?’’I should like it very much,’ said Alice, ’but I
haven’t been invited yet.’’You’ll see me there,’ said the Cat, and vanished.
Alice was not much surprised at this, she was getting so used to queer things happening. While she
was looking at the place where it had been, it suddenly appeared again.
’By-the-bye, what became of the baby?’ said theCat. ’I’d nearly forgotten to ask.’’It turned into a pig,’ Alice quietly said, just as if
it had come back in a natural way.
’I thought it would,’ said the Cat, and vanishedagain.
Alice waited a little, half expecting to see it again,
but it did not appear, and after a minute or two she
walked on in the direction in which the March Harewas said to live. ’I’ve seen hatters before,’ she said
to herself; ’the March Hare will be much the mostinteresting, and perhaps as this is May it won’t beraving mad–at least not so mad as it was in March.’
As she said this, she looked up, and there was the
Cat again, sitting on a branch of a tree.
’Did you say pig, or fig?’ said the Cat.
’I said pig,’ replied Alice; ’and I wish you wouldn’t
keep appearing and vanishing so suddenly: you makeone quite giddy.’’All right,’ said the Cat; and this time it vanishedquite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, andending with the grin, which remained some time after
the rest of it had gone.
’Well! I’ve often seen a cat without a grin,’ thought
Alice; ’but a grin without a cat! It’s the most curious
thing I ever saw in my life!’
She had not gone much farther before she came insight of the house of the March Hare: she thought it
must be the right house, because the chimneys wereshaped like ears and the roof was thatched with fur.
It was so large a house, that she did not like to gonearer till she had nibbled some more of the lefthand bit of mushroom, and raised herself to about
two feet high: even then she walked up towards it
rather timidly, saying to herself ’Suppose it shouldbe raving mad after all! I almost wish I’d gone to see
the Hatter instead!’VII. A Mad Tea-Party
There was a table set out under a tree in front of
the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were
having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between
them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it
as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. ’Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,’ thought Alice; ’only, as it’s asleep, I suppose
it doesn’t mind.’
The table was a large one, but the three were all
crowded together at one corner of it: ’No room! No
room!’ they cried out when they saw Alice coming.
’There’s PLENTY of room!’ said Alice indignantly,
and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of
the table.
’Have some wine,’ the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.
Alice looked all round the table, but there wasnothing on it but tea. ’I don’t see any wine,’ sheremarked.
’There isn’t any,’ said the March Hare.
’Then it wasn’t very civil of you to offer it,’ said
Alice angrily.
’It wasn’t very civil of you to sit down without
being invited,’ said the March Hare.
’I didn’t know it was YOUR table,’ said Alice; ’it’slaid for a great many more than three.’’Your hair wants cutting,’ said the Hatter. He had
been looking at Alice for some time with great curiosity, and this was his first speech.
’You should learn not to make personal remarks,’
Alice said with some severity; ’it’s very rude.’
The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing
this; but all he SAID was, ’Why is a raven like awriting-desk?’’Come, we shall have some fun now!’ thought Alice.
’I’m glad they’ve begun asking riddles.–I believe I canguess that,’ she added aloud.
’Do you mean that you think you can find out theanswer to it?’ said the March Hare.
’Exactly so,’ said Alice.
’Then you should say what you mean,’ the MarchHare went on.
’I do,’ Alice hastily replied; ’at least–at least I mean
what I say–that’s the same thing, you know.’

24’Not the same thing a bit!’ said the Hatter. ’You
might just as well say that "I see what I eat" is thesame thing as "I eat what I see"!’’You might just as well say,’ added the March Hare,’that "I like what I get" is the same thing as "I get
what I like"!’’You might just as well say,’ added the Dormouse,
who seemed to be talking in his sleep, ’that "I breathe
when I sleep" is the same thing as "I sleep when I
breathe"!’’It IS the same thing with you,’ said the Hatter,and here the conversation dropped, and the party
sat silent for a minute, while Alice thought over all
she could remember about ravens and writing-desks,
which wasn’t much.
The Hatter was the first to break the silence.
’What day of the month is it?’ he said, turning to
Alice: he had taken his watch out of his pocket, andwas looking at it uneasily, shaking it every now andthen, and holding it to his ear.
Alice considered a little, and then said ’The fourth.’’Two days wrong!’ sighed the Hatter. ’I told you
butter wouldn’t suit the works!’ he added looking
angrily at the March Hare.
’It was the BEST butter,’ the March Hare meekly
replied.
’Yes, but some crumbs must have got in as well,’the Hatter grumbled: ’you shouldn’t have put it inwith the bread-knife.’
The March Hare took the watch and looked at it
gloomily: then he dipped it into his cup of tea, andlooked at it again: but he could think of nothing
better to say than his first remark, ’It was the BESTbutter, you know.’
Alice had been looking over his shoulder with somecuriosity. ’What a funny watch!’ she remarked. ’It
tells the day of the month, and doesn’t tell whato’clock it is!’’Why should it?’ muttered the Hatter. ’Does
YOUR watch tell you what year it is?’’Of course not,’ Alice replied very readily: ’butthat’s because it stays the same year for such a longtime together.’’Which is just the case with MINE,’ said the Hatter.
Alice felt dreadfully puzzled. The Hatter’s remark
seemed to have no sort of meaning in it, and yet it
was certainly English. ’I don’t quite understand you,’she said, as politely as she could.
’The Dormouse is asleep again,’ said the Hatter,and he poured a little hot tea upon its nose.
The Dormouse shook its head impatiently, andsaid, without opening its eyes, ’Of course, of course;
just what I was going to remark myself.’’Have you guessed the riddle yet?’ the Hatter said,
turning to Alice again.
’No, I give it up,’ Alice replied: ’what’s the answer?’’I haven’t the slightest idea,’ said the Hatter.
’Nor I,’ said the March Hare.
Alice sighed wearily. ’I think you might do something better with the time,’ she said, ’than waste itin asking riddles that have no answers.’’If you knew Time as well as I do,’ said the Hatter,’you wouldn’t talk about wasting IT. It’s HIM.’’I don’t know what you mean,’ said Alice.
’Of course you don’t!’ the Hatter said, tossing hishead contemptuously. ’I dare say you never evenspoke to Time!’’Perhaps not,’ Alice cautiously replied: ’but I know
I have to beat time when I learn music.’’Ah! that accounts for it,’ said the Hatter. ’He
won’t stand beating. Now, if you only kept on goodterms with him, he’d do almost anything you liked
with the clock. For instance, suppose it were nineo’clock in the morning, just time to begin lessons:
you’d only have to whisper a hint to Time, and round25

goes the clock in a twinkling! Half-past one, time fordinner!’(’I only wish it was,’ the March Hare said to itself
in a whisper.)’That would be grand, certainly,’ said Alicethoughtfully: ’but then–I shouldn’t be hungry for it,
you know.’’Not at first, perhaps,’ said the Hatter: ’but you
could keep it to half-past one as long as you liked.’’Is that the way YOU manage?’ Alice asked.
The Hatter shook his head mournfully. ’Not I!’ hereplied. ’We quarrelled last March–just before HE
went mad, you know–’ (pointing with his tea spoonat the March Hare,) ’–it was at the great concert
given by the Queen of Hearts, and I had to sing"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you’re at!"

You know the song, perhaps?’’I’ve heard something like it,’ said Alice.
’It goes on, you know,’ the Hatter continued, ’inthis way:–"Up above the world you fly,Like a tea-tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle--"’Here the Dormouse shook itself, and began singing
in its sleep ’Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle–’ andwent on so long that they had to pinch it to make it
stop.
’Well, I’d hardly finished the first verse,’ said theHatter, ’when the Queen jumped up and bawled out,
"He’s murdering the time! Off with his head!"’’How dreadfully savage!’ exclaimed Alice.
’And ever since that,’ the Hatter went on in amournful tone, ’he won’t do a thing I ask! It’s always six o’clock now.’
A bright idea came into Alice’s head. ’Is that thereason so many tea-things are put out here?’ she
asked.
’Yes, that’s it,’ said the Hatter with a sigh: ’it’salways tea-time, and we’ve no time to wash the things
between whiles.’’Then you keep moving round, I suppose?’ said
Alice.
’Exactly so,’ said the Hatter: ’as the things getused up.’’But what happens when you come to the beginning again?’ Alice ventured to ask.
’Suppose we change the subject,’ the March Hareinterrupted, yawning. ’I’m getting tired of this. I
vote the young lady tells us a story.’’I’m afraid I don’t know one,’ said Alice, rather
alarmed at the proposal.
’Then the Dormouse shall!’ they both cried. ’Wakeup, Dormouse!’ And they pinched it on both sides atonce.
The Dormouse slowly opened his eyes. ’I wasn’t
asleep,’ he said in a hoarse, feeble voice: ’I heard
every word you fellows were saying.’’Tell us a story!’ said the March Hare.
’Yes, please do!’ pleaded Alice.
’And be quick about it,’ added the Hatter, ’or
you’ll be asleep again before it’s done.’’Once upon a time there were three little sisters,’
the Dormouse began in a great hurry; ’and theirnames were Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie; and they lived
at the bottom of a well–’’What did they live on?’ said Alice, who always
took a great interest in questions of eating and drinking.
’They lived on treacle,’ said the Dormouse, after
thinking a minute or two.
’They couldn’t have done that, you know,’ Alicegently remarked; ’they’d have been ill.’’So they were,’ said the Dormouse; ’VERY ill.’
Alice tried to fancy to herself what such an extraordinary ways of living would be like, but it puzzled her
too much, so she went on: ’But why did they live atthe bottom of a well?’’Take some more tea,’ the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
’I’ve had nothing yet,’ Alice replied in an offended
tone, ’so I can’t take more.’’You mean you can’t take LESS,’ said the Hatter:’it’s very easy to take MORE than nothing.’’Nobody asked YOUR opinion,’ said Alice.
’Who’s making personal remarks now?’ the Hatter
asked triumphantly.
Alice did not quite know what to say to this: so
she helped herself to some tea and bread-and-butter,and then turned to the Dormouse, and repeated herquestion. ’Why did they live at the bottom of a well?’

26

The Dormouse again took a minute or two to think
about it, and then said, ’It was a treacle-well.’’There’s no such thing!’ Alice was beginning very
angrily, but the Hatter and the March Hare went ’Sh!
sh!’ and the Dormouse sulkily remarked, ’If you can’t
be civil, you’d better finish the story for yourself.’’No, please go on!’ Alice said very humbly; ’I won’t
interrupt again. I dare say there may be ONE.’’One, indeed!’ said the Dormouse indignantly.
However, he consented to go on. ’And so these threelittle sisters–they were learning to draw, you know–’’What did they draw?’ said Alice, quite forgetting
her promise.
’Treacle,’ said the Dormouse, without considering
at all this time.
’I want a clean cup,’ interrupted the Hatter: ’let’s
all move one place on.’He moved on as he spoke, and the Dormouse followed him: the March Hare moved into the Dormouse’s place, and Alice rather unwillingly took theplace of the March Hare. The Hatter was the only one
who got any advantage from the change: and Alicewas a good deal worse off than before, as the MarchHare had just upset the milk-jug into his plate.
Alice did not wish to offend the Dormouse again, so
she began very cautiously: ’But I don’t understand.
Where did they draw the treacle from?’’You can draw water out of a water-well,’ said theHatter; ’so I should think you could draw treacle outof a treacle-well–eh, stupid?’’But they were IN the well,’ Alice said to the Dormouse, not choosing to notice this last remark.
’Of course they were’, said the Dormouse; ’–wellin.’This answer so confused poor Alice, that she let the
Dormouse go on for some time without interruptingit.
’They were learning to draw,’ the Dormouse wenton, yawning and rubbing its eyes, for it was getting
very sleepy; ’and they drew all manner of things–
everything that begins with an M–’’Why with an M?’ said Alice.
’Why not?’ said the March Hare.
Alice was silent.
The Dormouse had closed its eyes by this time,
and was going off into a doze; but, on being pinchedby the Hatter, it woke up again with a little shriek,
and went on: ’–that begins with an M, such as mousetraps, and the moon, and memory, and muchness–you
know you say things are "much of a muchness"–didyou ever see such a thing as a drawing of a muchness?’’Really, now you ask me,’ said Alice, very much
confused, ’I don’t think–’

27

VIII. The Queen’s
Croquet-Ground’Then you shouldn’t talk,’ said the Hatter.
This piece of rudeness was more than Alice could
bear: she got up in great disgust, and walked off;
the Dormouse fell asleep instantly, and neither ofthe others took the least notice of her going, though
she looked back once or twice, half hoping that theywould call after her: the last time she saw them, they
were trying to put the Dormouse into the teapot.
’At any rate I’ll never go THERE again!’ said Aliceas she picked her way through the wood. ’It’s thestupidest tea-party I ever was at in all my life!’
Just as she said this, she noticed that one of thetrees had a door leading right into it. ’That’s very
curious!’ she thought. ’But everything’s curious today. I think I may as well go in at once.’ And in she
went.
Once more she found herself in the long hall, andclose to the little glass table. ’Now, I’ll manage better
this time,’ she said to herself, and began by taking thelittle golden key, and unlocking the door that led into
the garden. Then she went to work nibbling at themushroom (she had kept a piece of it in her pocket)
till she was about a foot high: then she walked down
the little passage: and THEN–she found herself atlast in the beautiful garden, among the bright flowerbeds and the cool fountains.

A large rose-tree stood near the entrance of the garden: the roses growing on it were white, but there
were three gardeners at it, busily painting them red.
Alice thought this a very curious thing, and she went
nearer to watch them, and just as she came up tothem she heard one of them say, ’Look out now, Five!
Don’t go splashing paint over me like that!’’I couldn’t help it,’ said Five, in a sulky tone;’Seven jogged my elbow.’
On which Seven looked up and said, ’That’s right,
Five! Always lay the blame on others!’’YOU’D better not talk!’ said Five. ’I heard theQueen say only yesterday you deserved to be beheaded!’’What for?’ said the one who had spoken first.
’That’s none of YOUR business, Two!’ said Seven.
’Yes, it IS his business!’ said Five, ’and I’ll tell
him–it was for bringing the cook tulip-roots insteadof onions.’
Seven flung down his brush, and had just begun’Well, of all the unjust things–’ when his eye chanced
to fall upon Alice, as she stood watching them, andhe checked himself suddenly: the others looked roundalso, and all of them bowed low.
’Would you tell me,’ said Alice, a little timidly,’why you are painting those roses?’Five and Seven said nothing, but looked at Two.
Two began in a low voice, ’Why the fact is, you see,Miss, this here ought to have been a RED rose-tree,
and we put a white one in by mistake; and if the
Queen was to find it out, we should all have our heads
cut off, you know. So you see, Miss, we’re doing
our best, afore she comes, to–’ At this moment Five,
who had been anxiously looking across the garden,
called out ’The Queen! The Queen!’ and the threegardeners instantly threw themselves flat upon theirfaces. There was a sound of many footsteps, andAlice looked round, eager to see the Queen.
First came ten soldiers carrying clubs; these were
all shaped like the three gardeners, oblong and flat,with their hands and feet at the corners: next the ten
courtiers; these were ornamented all over with dia-28

monds, and walked two and two, as the soldiers did.
After these came the royal children; there were ten ofthem, and the little dears came jumping merrily along
hand in hand, in couples: they were all ornamented
with hearts. Next came the guests, mostly Kings andQueens, and among them Alice recognised the White
Rabbit: it was talking in a hurried nervous manner, smiling at everything that was said, and went
by without noticing her. Then followed the Knaveof Hearts, carrying the King’s crown on a crimson
velvet cushion; and, last of all this grand procession,came THE KING AND QUEEN OF HEARTS.
Alice was rather doubtful whether she ought not
to lie down on her face like the three gardeners, but
she could not remember ever having heard of such arule at processions; ’and besides, what would be theuse of a procession,’ thought she, ’if people had all to
lie down upon their faces, so that they couldn’t see
it?’ So she stood still where she was, and waited.
When the procession came opposite to Alice, they
all stopped and looked at her, and the Queen said
severely ’Who is this?’ She said it to the Knave ofHearts, who only bowed and smiled in reply.
’Idiot!’ said the Queen, tossing her head impatiently; and, turning to Alice, she went on, ’What’s
your name, child?’’My name is Alice, so please your Majesty,’ said
Alice very politely; but she added, to herself, ’Why,they’re only a pack of cards, after all. I needn’t beafraid of them!’’And who are THESE?’ said the Queen, pointing
to the three gardeners who were lying round the rosetree; for, you see, as they were lying on their faces,
and the pattern on their backs was the same as therest of the pack, she could not tell whether they were
gardeners, or soldiers, or courtiers, or three of her
own children.
’How should I know?’ said Alice, surprised at her
own courage. ’It’s no business of MINE.’
The Queen turned crimson with fury, and, after glaring at her for a moment like a wild beast,
screamed ’Off with her head! Off–’’Nonsense!’ said Alice, very loudly and decidedly,
and the Queen was silent.
The King laid his hand upon her arm, and timidly
said ’Consider, my dear: she is only a child!’

The Queen turned angrily away from him, and said
to the Knave ’Turn them over!’The Knave did so, very carefully, with one foot.
’Get up!’ said the Queen, in a shrill, loud voice, andthe three gardeners instantly jumped up, and began
bowing to the King, the Queen, the royal children,and everybody else.
’Leave off that!’ screamed the Queen. ’You makeme giddy.’ And then, turning to the rose-tree, shewent on, ’What HAVE you been doing here?’’May it please your Majesty,’ said Two, in a very
humble tone, going down on one knee as he spoke,’we were trying–’’I see!’ said the Queen, who had meanwhile been
examining the roses. ’Off with their heads!’ and theprocession moved on, three of the soldiers remaining
behind to execute the unfortunate gardeners, who ran
to Alice for protection.
’You shan’t be beheaded!’ said Alice, and she putthem into a large flower-pot that stood near. The
three soldiers wandered about for a minute or two,29

looking for them, and then quietly marched off after
the others.
’Are their heads off?’ shouted the Queen.
’Their heads are gone, if it please your Majesty!’
the soldiers shouted in reply.
’That’s right!’ shouted the Queen. ’Can you playcroquet?’The soldiers were silent, and looked at Alice, as thequestion was evidently meant for her.
’Yes!’ shouted Alice.
’Come on, then!’ roared the Queen, and Alicejoined the procession, wondering very much what
would happen next.
’It’s–it’s a very fine day!’ said a timid voice at her
side. She was walking by the White Rabbit, who was
peeping anxiously into her face.
’Very,’ said Alice: ’–where’s the Duchess?’’Hush! Hush!’ said the Rabbit in a low, hurried
tone. He looked anxiously over his shoulder as hespoke, and then raised himself upon tiptoe, put his
mouth close to her ear, and whispered ’She’s undersentence of execution.’’What for?’ said Alice.
’Did you say "What a pity!"?’ the Rabbit asked.
’No, I didn’t,’ said Alice: ’I don’t think it’s at alla pity. I said "What for?"’’She boxed the Queen’s ears–’ the Rabbit began.
Alice gave a little scream of laughter. ’Oh, hush!’ theRabbit whispered in a frightened tone. ’The Queen
will hear you! You see, she came rather late, and theQueen said–’’Get to your places!’ shouted the Queen in a voiceof thunder, and people began running about in all
directions, tumbling up against each other; however,they got settled down in a minute or two, and thegame began. Alice thought she had never seen sucha curious croquet-ground in her life; it was all ridges
and furrows; the balls were live hedgehogs, the mallets live flamingoes, and the soldiers had to double
themselves up and to stand on their hands and feet,to make the arches.
The chief difficulty Alice found at first was in managing her flamingo: she succeeded in getting its bodytucked away, comfortably enough, under her arm,with its legs hanging down, but generally, just as she
had got its neck nicely straightened out, and was going to give the hedgehog a blow with its head, it
WOULD twist itself round and look up in her face,with such a puzzled expression that she could not
help bursting out laughing: and when she had got its
head down, and was going to begin again, it was very
provoking to find that the hedgehog had unrolled itself, and was in the act of crawling away: besides all
this, there was generally a ridge or furrow in the way
wherever she wanted to send the hedgehog to, and, as
the doubled-up soldiers were always getting up andwalking off to other parts of the ground, Alice soon
came to the conclusion that it was a very difficult
game indeed.
The players all played at once without waiting forturns, quarrelling all the while, and fighting for thehedgehogs; and in a very short time the Queen was
in a furious passion, and went stamping about, andshouting ’Off with his head!’ or ’Off with her head!’about once in a minute.
Alice began to feel very uneasy: to be sure, she had
not as yet had any dispute with the Queen, but she
knew that it might happen any minute, ’and then,’

30thought she, ’what would become of me? They’redreadfully fond of beheading people here; the great
wonder is, that there’s any one left alive!’
She was looking about for some way of escape, andwondering whether she could get away without being seen, when she noticed a curious appearance inthe air: it puzzled her very much at first, but, after
watching it a minute or two, she made it out to bea grin, and she said to herself ’It’s the Cheshire Cat:now I shall have somebody to talk to.’’How are you getting on?’ said the Cat, as soon as
there was mouth enough for it to speak with.
Alice waited till the eyes appeared, and then nodded. ’It’s no use speaking to it,’ she thought, ’till
its ears have come, or at least one of them.’ In another minute the whole head appeared, and then Alice put down her flamingo, and began an account of
the game, feeling very glad she had someone to listen to her. The Cat seemed to think that there wasenough of it now in sight, and no more of it appeared.

’I don’t think they play at all fairly,’ Alice began,in rather a complaining tone, ’and they all quarrelso dreadfully one can’t hear oneself speak–and they
don’t seem to have any rules in particular; at least,
if there are, nobody attends to them–and you’ve noidea how confusing it is all the things being alive; forinstance, there’s the arch I’ve got to go through next
walking about at the other end of the ground–andI should have croqueted the Queen’s hedgehog justnow, only it ran away when it saw mine coming!’’How do you like the Queen?’ said the Cat in a low
voice.
’Not at all,’ said Alice: ’she’s so extremely–’ Just
then she noticed that the Queen was close behind
her, listening: so she went on, ’–likely to win, thatit’s hardly worth while finishing the game.’
The Queen smiled and passed on.
’Who ARE you talking to?’ said the King, goingup to Alice, and looking at the Cat’s head with great
curiosity.

31’It’s a friend of mine–a Cheshire Cat,’ said Alice:’allow me to introduce it.’
’I don’t like the look of it at all,’ said the King:’however, it may kiss my hand if it likes.’’I’d rather not,’ the Cat remarked.
’Don’t be impertinent,’ said the King, ’and don’t
look at me like that!’ He got behind Alice as he spoke.
’A cat may look at a king,’ said Alice. ’I’ve readthat in some book, but I don’t remember where.’’Well, it must be removed,’ said the King very decidedly, and he called the Queen, who was passing at
the moment, ’My dear! I wish you would have thiscat removed!’
The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. ’Off with his head!’ she said,
without even looking round.
’I’ll fetch the executioner myself,’ said the King
eagerly, and he hurried off.
Alice thought she might as well go back, and see
how the game was going on, as she heard the Queen’s
voice in the distance, screaming with passion. She
had already heard her sentence three of the players
to be executed for having missed their turns, and she
did not like the look of things at all, as the game
was in such confusion that she never knew whether
it was her turn or not. So she went in search of her
hedgehog.
The hedgehog was engaged in a fight with anotherhedgehog, which seemed to Alice an excellent opportunity for croqueting one of them with the other: theonly difficulty was, that her flamingo was gone acrossto the other side of the garden, where Alice could see
it trying in a helpless sort of way to fly up into a tree.
By the time she had caught the flamingo andbrought it back, the fight was over, and both thehedgehogs were out of sight: ’but it doesn’t matter
much,’ thought Alice, ’as all the arches are gone fromthis side of the ground.’ So she tucked it away under
her arm, that it might not escape again, and went
back for a little more conversation with her friend.
When she got back to the Cheshire Cat, she wassurprised to find quite a large crowd collected round
it: there was a dispute going on between the executioner, the King, and the Queen, who were all talking
at once, while all the rest were quite silent, and lookedvery uncomfortable.

The moment Alice appeared, she was appealed toby all three to settle the question, and they repeatedtheir arguments to her, though, as they all spoke atonce, she found it very hard indeed to make out exactly what they said.
The executioner’s argument was, that you couldn’t
cut off a head unless there was a body to cut it off
from: that he had never had to do such a thing before,and he wasn’t going to begin at HIS time of life.
The King’s argument was, that anything that hada head could be beheaded, and that you weren’t totalk nonsense.
The Queen’s argument was, that if somethingwasn’t done about it in less than no time she’d haveeverybody executed, all round. (It was this last remark that had made the whole party look so grave
and anxious.)
Alice could think of nothing else to say but ’It belongs to the Duchess: you’d better ask HER about
it.’’She’s in prison,’ the Queen said to the executioner:’fetch her here.’ And the executioner went off like anarrow.
The Cat’s head began fading away the moment he
was gone, and, by the time he had come back with
the Duchess, it had entirely disappeared; so the Kingand the executioner ran wildly up and down looking
for it, while the rest of the party went back to thegame.

IX. The Mock Turtle’s Story’You can’t think how glad I am to see you again, youdear old thing!’ said the Duchess, as she tucked her
arm affectionately into Alice’s, and they walked off
together.
Alice was very glad to find her in such a pleasanttemper, and thought to herself that perhaps it was
only the pepper that had made her so savage when
they met in the kitchen.
’When I’M a Duchess,’ she said to herself, (notin a very hopeful tone though), ’I won’t have any
pepper in my kitchen AT ALL. Soup does very wellwithout–Maybe it’s always pepper that makes peo-32

ple hot-tempered,’ she went on, very much pleased
at having found out a new kind of rule, ’and vinegar that makes them sour–and camomile that makes
them bitter–and–and barley-sugar and such things
that make children sweet-tempered. I only wish people knew that: then they wouldn’t be so stingy about
it, you know–’
She had quite forgotten the Duchess by this time,
and was a little startled when she heard her voiceclose to her ear. ’You’re thinking about something,
my dear, and that makes you forget to talk. I can’ttell you just now what the moral of that is, but I shallremember it in a bit.’’Perhaps it hasn’t one,’ Alice ventured to remark.
’Tut, tut, child!’ said the Duchess. ’Everything’s
got a moral, if only you can find it.’ And she squeezed
herself up closer to Alice’s side as she spoke.
Alice did not much like keeping so close to her:first, because the Duchess was VERY ugly; and secondly, because she was exactly the right height to rest
her chin upon Alice’s shoulder, and it was an uncomfortably sharp chin. However, she did not like to be
rude, so she bore it as well as she could.
’The game’s going on rather better now,’ she said,by way of keeping up the conversation a little.
”Tis so,’ said the Duchess: ’and the moral of that
is–"Oh, ’tis love, ’tis love, that makes the world go
round!"’’Somebody said,’ Alice whispered, ’that it’s doneby everybody minding their own business!’’Ah, well! It means much the same thing,’ said
the Duchess, digging her sharp little chin into Alice’s shoulder as she added, ’and the moral of THAT
is–"Take care of the sense, and the sounds will takecare of themselves."’’How fond she is of finding morals in things!’ Alicethought to herself.
’I dare say you’re wondering why I don’t put myarm round your waist,’ the Duchess said after apause: ’the reason is, that I’m doubtful about thetemper of your flamingo. Shall I try the experiment?’’HE might bite,’ Alice cautiously replied, not feeling at all anxious to have the experiment tried.
’Very true,’ said the Duchess: ’flamingoes and mustard both bite. And the moral of that is–"Birds of afeather flock together."’’Only mustard isn’t a bird,’ Alice remarked.
’Right, as usual,’ said the Duchess: ’what a clear
way you have of putting things!’’It’s a mineral, I THINK,’ said Alice.
’Of course it is,’ said the Duchess, who seemed
ready to agree to everything that Alice said; ’there’s
a large mustard-mine near here. And the moral ofthat is–"The more there is of mine, the less there isof yours."’’Oh, I know!’ exclaimed Alice, who had not attended to this last remark, ’it’s a vegetable. It doesn’tlook like one, but it is.’’I quite agree with you,’ said the Duchess; ’and themoral of that is–"Be what you would seem to be"–or if
you’d like it put more simply–"Never imagine yourself
not to be otherwise than what it might appear to33others that what you were or might have been was
not otherwise than what you had been would haveappeared to them to be otherwise."’’I think I should understand that better,’ Alice saidvery politely, ’if I had it written down: but I can’t
quite follow it as you say it.’’That’s nothing to what I could say if I chose,’ theDuchess replied, in a pleased tone.
’Pray don’t trouble yourself to say it any longer
than that,’ said Alice.
’Oh, don’t talk about trouble!’ said the Duchess.
’I make you a present of everything I’ve said as yet.’’A cheap sort of present!’ thought Alice. ’I’m glad
they don’t give birthday presents like that!’ But she
did not venture to say it out loud.
’Thinking again?’ the Duchess asked, with anotherdig of her sharp little chin.
’I’ve a right to think,’ said Alice sharply, for she
was beginning to feel a little worried.
’Just about as much right,’ said the Duchess, ’as
pigs have to fly; and the m–’
But here, to Alice’s great surprise, the Duchess’s
voice died away, even in the middle of her favourite
word ’moral,’ and the arm that was linked into hers
began to tremble. Alice looked up, and there stood
the Queen in front of them, with her arms folded,
frowning like a thunderstorm.
’A fine day, your Majesty!’ the Duchess began ina low, weak voice.
’Now, I give you fair warning,’ shouted the Queen,stamping on the ground as she spoke; ’either you or
your head must be off, and that in about half no time!
Take your choice!’
The Duchess took her choice, and was gone in a
moment.
’Let’s go on with the game,’ the Queen said to
Alice; and Alice was too much frightened to say aword, but slowly followed her back to the croquetground.
The other guests had taken advantage of the
Queen’s absence, and were resting in the shade: however, the moment they saw her, they hurried back to
the game, the Queen merely remarking that a moment’s delay would cost them their lives.
All the time they were playing the Queen never left
off quarrelling with the other players, and shouting’Off with his head!’ or ’Off with her head!’ Those
whom she sentenced were taken into custody by thesoldiers, who of course had to leave off being arches
to do this, so that by the end of half an hour or so
there were no arches left, and all the players, except
the King, the Queen, and Alice, were in custody andunder sentence of execution.
Then the Queen left off, quite out of breath, andsaid to Alice, ’Have you seen the Mock Turtle yet?’’No,’ said Alice. ’I don’t even know what a Mock
Turtle is.’’It’s the thing Mock Turtle Soup is made from,’said the Queen.
’I never saw one, or heard of one,’ said Alice.
’Come on, then,’ said the Queen, ’and he shall tell
you his history,’
As they walked off together, Alice heard the Kingsay in a low voice, to the company generally, ’You
are all pardoned.’ ’Come, THAT’S a good thing!’
she said to herself, for she had felt quite unhappy atthe number of executions the Queen had ordered.
They very soon came upon a Gryphon, lying fastasleep in the sun. (IF you don’t know what a
Gryphon is, look at the picture.) ’Up, lazy thing!’
said the Queen, ’and take this young lady to see theMock Turtle, and to hear his history. I must go backand see after some executions I have ordered’; and she
walked off, leaving Alice alone with the Gryphon. Alice did not quite like the look of the creature, but on
the whole she thought it would be quite as safe tostay with it as to go after that savage Queen: so she
waited.
The Gryphon sat up and rubbed its eyes: then it
watched the Queen till she was out of sight: thenit chuckled. ’What fun!’ said the Gryphon, half toitself, half to Alice.
’What IS the fun?’ said Alice.
’Why, SHE,’ said the Gryphon. ’It’s all her fancy,
that: they never executes nobody, you know. Comeon!’
’Everybody says "come on!" here,’ thought Alice,
as she went slowly after it: ’I never was so ordered
about in all my life, never!’They had not gone far before they saw the Mock
Turtle in the distance, sitting sad and lonely on alittle ledge of rock, and, as they came nearer, Alice34

could hear him sighing as if his heart would break.
She pitied him deeply. ’What is his sorrow?’ she
asked the Gryphon, and the Gryphon answered, very
nearly in the same words as before, ’It’s all his fancy,
that: he hasn’t got no sorrow, you know. Come on!’So they went up to the Mock Turtle, who looked atthem with large eyes full of tears, but said nothing.
’This here young lady,’ said the Gryphon, ’shewants for to know your history, she do.’’I’ll tell it her,’ said the Mock Turtle in a deep,
hollow tone: ’sit down, both of you, and don’t speaka word till I’ve finished.’
So they sat down, and nobody spoke for some minutes. Alice thought to herself, ’I don’t see how he can
EVEN finish, if he doesn’t begin.’ But she waited patiently.
’Once,’ said the Mock Turtle at last, with a deepsigh, ’I was a real Turtle.’
These words were followed by a very long silence,broken only by an occasional exclamation of ’Hjckrrh!’ from the Gryphon, and the constant heavy sobbing of the Mock Turtle. Alice was very nearly getting up and saying, ’Thank you, sir, for your interesting story,’ but she could not help thinking there
MUST be more to come, so she sat still and said
nothing.
’When we were little,’ the Mock Turtle went on atlast, more calmly, though still sobbing a little now
and then, ’we went to school in the sea. The master
was an old Turtle–we used to call him Tortoise–’’Why did you call him Tortoise, if he wasn’t one?’
Alice asked.
’We called him Tortoise because he taught us,’ said
the Mock Turtle angrily: ’really you are very dull!’’You ought to be ashamed of yourself for asking
such a simple question,’ added the Gryphon; and thenthey both sat silent and looked at poor Alice, who felt
ready to sink into the earth. At last the Gryphon said
to the Mock Turtle, ’Drive on, old fellow! Don’t be
all day about it!’ and he went on in these words:’Yes, we went to school in the sea, though you
mayn’t believe it–’’I never said I didn’t!’ interrupted Alice.
’You did,’ said the Mock Turtle.
’Hold your tongue!’ added the Gryphon, before
Alice could speak again. The Mock Turtle went on.

’We had the best of educations–in fact, we went toschool every day–’’I’VE been to a day-school, too,’ said Alice; ’you
needn’t be so proud as all that.’’With extras?’ asked the Mock Turtle a little anxiously.
’Yes,’ said Alice, ’we learned French and music.’’And washing?’ said the Mock Turtle.
’Certainly not!’ said Alice indignantly.
’Ah! then yours wasn’t a really good school,’ said
the Mock Turtle in a tone of great relief. ’Now at
OURS they had at the end of the bill, "French, music,
AND WASHING–extra."’’You couldn’t have wanted it much,’ said Alice; ’living at the bottom of the sea.’’I couldn’t afford to learn it.’ said the Mock Turtle
with a sigh. ’I only took the regular course.’’What was that?’ inquired Alice.
’Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with,’
the Mock Turtle replied; ’and then the different
branches of Arithmetic–Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.’’I never heard of "Uglification,"’ Alice ventured tosay. ’What is it?’
The Gryphon lifted up both its paws in surprise.
’What! Never heard of uglifying!’ it exclaimed. ’Youknow what to beautify is, I suppose?’’Yes,’ said Alice doubtfully: ’it means–to–make–anything–prettier.’’Well, then,’ the Gryphon went on, ’if you don’tknow what to uglify is, you ARE a simpleton.’

35

Alice did not feel encouraged to ask any more questions about it, so she turned to the Mock Turtle, andsaid ’What else had you to learn?’’Well, there was Mystery,’ the Mock Turtle
replied, counting off the subjects on his flappers,’–Mystery, ancient and modern, with Seaography:
then Drawling–the Drawling-master was an old
conger-eel, that used to come once a week: HE taught
us Drawling, Stretching, and Fainting in Coils.’’What was THAT like?’ said Alice.
’Well, I can’t show it you myself,’ the Mock Turtle
said: ’I’m too stiff. And the Gryphon never learnt it.’’Hadn’t time,’ said the Gryphon: ’I went to theClassics master, though. He was an old crab, HE
was.’’I never went to him,’ the Mock Turtle said witha sigh: ’he taught Laughing and Grief, they used tosay.’’So he did, so he did,’ said the Gryphon, sighing in
his turn; and both creatures hid their faces in theirpaws.
’And how many hours a day did you do lessons?’
said Alice, in a hurry to change the subject.
’Ten hours the first day,’ said the Mock Turtle:’nine the next, and so on.’’What a curious plan!’ exclaimed Alice.
’That’s the reason they’re called lessons,’ theGryphon remarked: ’because they lessen from day
to day.’This was quite a new idea to Alice, and she thought
it over a little before she made her next remark.
’Then the eleventh day must have been a holiday?’’Of course it was,’ said the Mock Turtle.
’And how did you manage on the twelfth?’ Alicewent on eagerly.
’That’s enough about lessons,’ the Gryphon interrupted in a very decided tone: ’tell her something
about the games now.’

his voice. ’Same as if he had a bone in his throat,’said the Gryphon: and it set to work shaking him andpunching him in the back. At last the Mock Turtle
recovered his voice, and, with tears running down his
cheeks, he went on again:–’You may not have lived much under the sea–’ (’Ihaven’t,’ said Alice)–’and perhaps you were nevereven introduced to a lobster–’ (Alice began to say’I once tasted–’ but checked herself hastily, and said
’No, never’) ’–so you can have no idea what a delightful thing a Lobster Quadrille is!’’No, indeed,’ said Alice. ’What sort of a dance is
it?’’Why,’ said the Gryphon, ’you first form into a line
along the sea-shore–’’Two lines!’ cried the Mock Turtle. ’Seals, turtles,
salmon, and so on; then, when you’ve cleared all thejelly-fish out of the way–’’THAT generally takes some time,’ interrupted the
Gryphon.
’–you advance twice–’’Each with a lobster as a partner!’ cried the
Gryphon.
’Of course,’ the Mock Turtle said: ’advance twice,
set to partners–’’–change lobsters, and retire in same order,’ continued the Gryphon.
’Then, you know,’ the Mock Turtle went on, ’you
throw the–’’The lobsters!’ shouted the Gryphon, with a boundinto the air.
’–as far out to sea as you can–’’Swim after them!’ screamed the Gryphon.
’Turn a somersault in the sea!’ cried the Mock
Turtle, capering wildly about.
’Change lobsters again!’ yelled the Gryphon at the
top of its voice.
’Back to land again, and that’s all the first figure,’
said the Mock Turtle, suddenly dropping his voice;and the two creatures, who had been jumping about
like mad things all this time, sat down again very
X. The Lobster Quadrillesadly and quietly, and looked at Alice.
’It must be a very pretty dance,’ said Alice timidly.
The Mock Turtle sighed deeply, and drew the back of’Would you like to see a little of it?’ said the Mock
one flapper across his eyes. He looked at Alice, and Turtle.
tried to speak, but for a minute or two sobs choked’Very much indeed,’ said Alice.

36’Come, let’s try the first figure!’ said the Mock
Turtle to the Gryphon. ’We can do without lobsters,
you know. Which shall sing?’’Oh, YOU sing,’ said the Gryphon. ’I’ve forgotten
the words.’
So they began solemnly dancing round and round
Alice, every now and then treading on her toes when
they passed too close, and waving their forepaws tomark the time, while the Mock Turtle sang this, very
slowly and sadly:–’"Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to asnail. "There’s a porpoise close behind us, and he’streading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance! They are waiting on the shingle–will you comeand join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you
join the dance? Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t
you, won’t you join the dance?
"You can really have no notion how delightful it
will be When they take us up and throw us, with thelobsters, out to sea!" But the snail replied "Too far,too far!" and gave a look askance– Said he thanked
the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.

Would not, could not, would not, could not, would
not join the dance. Would not, could not, would not,could not, could not join the dance.
’"What matters it how far we go?" his scaly friend
replied. "There is another shore, you know, upon theother side. The further off from England the nearer
is to France– Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but
come and join the dance.
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you
join the dance? Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t
you, won’t you join the dance?"’’Thank you, it’s a very interesting dance to watch,’said Alice, feeling very glad that it was over at last:’and I do so like that curious song about the whiting!’’Oh, as to the whiting,’ said the Mock Turtle,’they–you’ve seen them, of course?’’Yes,’ said Alice, ’I’ve often seen them at dinn–’
she checked herself hastily.
’I don’t know where Dinn may be,’ said the Mock
Turtle, ’but if you’ve seen them so often, of course
you know what they’re like.’’I believe so,’ Alice replied thoughtfully. ’They
have their tails in their mouths–and they’re all overcrumbs.’37’You’re wrong about the crumbs,’ said the Mock
Turtle: ’crumbs would all wash off in the sea. But
they HAVE their tails in their mouths; and the reason is–’ here the Mock Turtle yawned and shut hiseyes.–’Tell her about the reason and all that,’ he said
to the Gryphon.
’The reason is,’ said the Gryphon, ’that theyWOULD go with the lobsters to the dance. So they
got thrown out to sea. So they had to fall a long way.
So they got their tails fast in their mouths. So they
couldn’t get them out again. That’s all.’’Thank you,’ said Alice, ’it’s very interesting. I
never knew so much about a whiting before.’’I can tell you more than that, if you like,’ said the
Gryphon. ’Do you know why it’s called a whiting?’’I never thought about it,’ said Alice. ’Why?’’IT DOES THE BOOTS AND SHOES.’ theGryphon replied very solemnly.
Alice was thoroughly puzzled. ’Does the boots andshoes!’ she repeated in a wondering tone.
’Why, what are YOUR shoes done with?’ said the
Gryphon. ’I mean, what makes them so shiny?’
Alice looked down at them, and considered a little before she gave her answer. ’They’re done withblacking, I believe.’’Boots and shoes under the sea,’ the Gryphon went
on in a deep voice, ’are done with a whiting. Now you
know.’’And what are they made of?’ Alice asked in a toneof great curiosity.
’Soles and eels, of course,’ the Gryphon replied
rather impatiently: ’any shrimp could have told you
that.’’If I’d been the whiting,’ said Alice, whose thoughts
were still running on the song, ’I’d have said to the
porpoise, "Keep back, please: we don’t want YOU
with us!"’’They were obliged to have him with them,’ theMock Turtle said: ’no wise fish would go anywhere
without a porpoise.’’Wouldn’t it really?’ said Alice in a tone of great
surprise.
’Of course not,’ said the Mock Turtle: ’why, if a fishcame to ME, and told me he was going a journey, I
should say "With what porpoise?"’’Don’t you mean "purpose"?’ said Alice.

’I mean what I say,’ the Mock Turtle replied in an
offended tone. And the Gryphon added ’Come, let’s
hear some of YOUR adventures.’’I could tell you my adventures–beginning from thismorning,’ said Alice a little timidly: ’but it’s no use
going back to yesterday, because I was a different
person then.’’Explain all that,’ said the Mock Turtle.
’No, no! The adventures first,’ said the Gryphon in
an impatient tone: ’explanations take such a dreadfultime.’So Alice began telling them her adventures fromthe time when she first saw the White Rabbit. She
was a little nervous about it just at first, the twocreatures got so close to her, one on each side, andopened their eyes and mouths so VERY wide, but
she gained courage as she went on. Her listeners were
perfectly quiet till she got to the part about her repeating ’YOU ARE OLD, FATHER WILLIAM,’ tothe Caterpillar, and the words all coming different,
and then the Mock Turtle drew a long breath, andsaid ’That’s very curious.’’It’s all about as curious as it can be,’ said the
Gryphon.
’It all came different!’ the Mock Turtle repeatedthoughtfully. ’I should like to hear her try and repeat
something now. Tell her to begin.’ He looked at
the Gryphon as if he thought it had some kind of
authority over Alice.
’Stand up and repeat "’TIS THE VOICE OF THE
SLUGGARD,"’ said the Gryphon.
’How the creatures order one about, and make one
repeat lessons!’ thought Alice; ’I might as well be
at school at once.’ However, she got up, and began
to repeat it, but her head was so full of the Lobster
Quadrille, that she hardly knew what she was saying,
and the words came very queer indeed:–”Tis the voice of the Lobster; I heard him declare,"You have baked me too brown, I must sugar
my hair."
As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his nose
Trims his belt and his buttons, and turns out
his toes.’38’She can’t explain it,’ said the Gryphon hastily.
’Go on with the next verse.’’But about his toes?’ the Mock Turtle persisted.
’How COULD he turn them out with his nose, you
know?’’It’s the first position in dancing.’ Alice said;
but was dreadfully puzzled by the whole thing, andlonged to change the subject.
’Go on with the next verse,’ the Gryphon repeated
impatiently: ’it begins "I passed by his garden."’
Alice did not dare to disobey, though she felt sure it
would all come wrong, and she went on in a trembling
voice:–’I passed by his garden, and marked, with oneeye,
How the Owl and the Panther were sharing apie–’[later editions continued as follows
When the sands are all dry, he is gay as a lark,
And will talk in contemptuous tones of the
Shark,
But, when the tide rises and sharks arearound,His voice has a timid and tremulous sound.][later editions continued as follows
The Panther took pie-crust, and gravy, andmeat,
While the Owl had the dish as its share of thetreat.
When the pie was all finished, the Owl, as aboon,
Was kindly permitted to pocket the spoon:
While the Panther received knife and fork witha growl,
And concluded the banquet–]’What IS the use of repeating all that stuff,’ the Mock
Turtle interrupted, ’if you don’t explain it as you go
on? It’s by far the most confusing thing I ever heard!’’Yes, I think you’d better leave off,’ said the
Gryphon: and Alice was only too glad to do so.
’That’s different from what I used to say when I was’Shall we try another figure of the Lobster
a child,’ said the Gryphon.
Quadrille?’ the Gryphon went on. ’Or would you’Well, I never heard it before,’ said the Mock Tur- like the Mock Turtle to sing you a song?’
tle; ’but it sounds uncommon nonsense.’’Oh, a song, please, if the Mock Turtle would be so
Alice said nothing; she had sat down with her face kind,’ Alice replied, so eagerly that the Gryphon said,in her hands, wondering if anything would EVER in a rather offended tone, ’Hm! No accounting forhappen in a natural way again.
tastes! Sing her "Turtle Soup," will you, old fellow?’’I should like to have it explained,’ said the Mock
The Mock Turtle sighed deeply, and began, in a
Turtle.
voice sometimes choked with sobs, to sing this:–39’Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Beau–ootiful Soo–oop!
Beau–ootiful Soo–oop!
Soo–oop of the e–e–evening,
Beautiful, beautiful Soup!

upon it: they looked so good, that it made Alicequite hungry to look at them–’I wish they’d get thetrial done,’ she thought, ’and hand round the refreshments!’ But there seemed to be no chance of this, so
she began looking at everything about her, to passaway the time.
Alice had never been in a court of justice before,
but she had read about them in books, and she wasquite pleased to find that she knew the name of nearly
everything there. ’That’s the judge,’ she said to herself, ’because of his great wig.’’Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish,
The judge, by the way, was the King; and as heGame, or any other dish?
wore his crown over the wig, (look at the frontispiece
Who would not give all else for two
if you want to see how he did it,) he did not look at
Pennyworth only of beautiful Soup?
all comfortable, and it was certainly not becoming.
Pennyworth only of beautiful Soup?
’And that’s the jury-box,’ thought Alice, ’and thoseBeau–ootiful Soo–oop!
twelve creatures,’ (she was obliged to say ’creatures,’Beau–ootiful Soo–oop!
you see, because some of them were animals, andSoo–oop of the e–e–evening,some were birds,) ’I suppose they are the jurors.’ She
Beautiful, beauti–FUL SOUP!’
said this last word two or three times over to herself,’Chorus again!’ cried the Gryphon, and the Mock being rather proud of it: for she thought, and rightly
Turtle had just begun to repeat it, when a cry of too, that very few little girls of her age knew themeaning of it at all. However, ’jury-men’ would have
’The trial’s beginning!’ was heard in the distance.
’Come on!’ cried the Gryphon, and, taking Alice done just as well.
The twelve jurors were all writing very busily onby the hand, it hurried off, without waiting for theslates. ’What are they doing?’ Alice whispered to
end of the song.
’What trial is it?’ Alice panted as she ran; but the Gryphon. ’They can’t have anything to put down
the Gryphon only answered ’Come on!’ and ran the yet, before the trial’s begun.’’They’re putting down their names,’ the Gryphon
faster, while more and more faintly came, carriedon the breeze that followed them, the melancholy whispered in reply, ’for fear they should forget them
before the end of the trial.’words:–’Stupid things!’ Alice began in a loud, indignant’Soo–oop of the e–e–evening, Beautiful, beautiful
voice, but she stopped hastily, for the White Rabbit
Soup!’
cried out, ’Silence in the court!’ and the King put on
his spectacles and looked anxiously round, to makeout who was talking.
XI. Who Stole the Tarts?
Alice could see, as well as if she were looking over
The King and Queen of Hearts were seated on their their shoulders, that all the jurors were writing downthrone when they arrived, with a great crowd assem- ’stupid things!’ on their slates, and she could evenbled about them–all sorts of little birds and beasts, make out that one of them didn’t know how to spell
as well as the whole pack of cards: the Knave was ’stupid,’ and that he had to ask his neighbour to tellstanding before them, in chains, with a soldier on him. ’A nice muddle their slates’ll be in before theeach side to guard him; and near the King was the trial’s over!’ thought Alice.
White Rabbit, with a trumpet in one hand, and a
One of the jurors had a pencil that squeaked. This
scroll of parchment in the other. In the very middle of course, Alice could not stand, and she went roundof the court was a table, with a large dish of tarts the court and got behind him, and very soon found an

40

opportunity of taking it away. She did it so quickly
that the poor little juror (it was Bill, the Lizard)
could not make out at all what had become of it; so,after hunting all about for it, he was obliged to writewith one finger for the rest of the day; and this wasof very little use, as it left no mark on the slate.
’Herald, read the accusation!’ said the King.
On this the White Rabbit blew three blasts on thetrumpet, and then unrolled the parchment scroll, andread as follows:–’The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts,
All on a summer day:
The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts,
And took them quite away!’’Consider your verdict,’ the King said to the jury.
’Not yet, not yet!’ the Rabbit hastily interrupted.
’There’s a great deal to come before that!’’Call the first witness,’ said the King; and theWhite Rabbit blew three blasts on the trumpet, andcalled out, ’First witness!’
The first witness was the Hatter. He came in witha teacup in one hand and a piece of bread-and-butter
in the other. ’I beg pardon, your Majesty,’ he began,’for bringing these in: but I hadn’t quite finished mytea when I was sent for.’’You ought to have finished,’ said the King. ’When
did you begin?’
The Hatter looked at the March Hare, who had followed him into the court, arm-in-arm with the Dormouse. ’Fourteenth of March, I think it was,’ he said.
’Fifteenth,’ said the March Hare.
’Sixteenth,’ added the Dormouse.
’Write that down,’ the King said to the jury, andthe jury eagerly wrote down all three dates on theirslates, and then added them up, and reduced the answer to shillings and pence.
’Take off your hat,’ the King said to the Hatter.
’It isn’t mine,’ said the Hatter.
’Stolen!’ the King exclaimed, turning to the jury,
who instantly made a memorandum of the fact.
’I keep them to sell,’ the Hatter added as an explanation; ’I’ve none of my own. I’m a hatter.’Here the Queen put on her spectacles, and began
staring at the Hatter, who turned pale and fidgeted.

’Give your evidence,’ said the King; ’and don’t be
nervous, or I’ll have you executed on the spot.’
This did not seem to encourage the witness at all:he kept shifting from one foot to the other, looking
uneasily at the Queen, and in his confusion he bita large piece out of his teacup instead of the breadand-butter.
Just at this moment Alice felt a very curious sensation, which puzzled her a good deal until she madeout what it was: she was beginning to grow larger
again, and she thought at first she would get up andleave the court; but on second thoughts she decided
to remain where she was as long as there was roomfor her.
’I wish you wouldn’t squeeze so.’ said the Dormouse, who was sitting next to her. ’I can hardly
breathe.’’I can’t help it,’ said Alice very meekly: ’I’m growing.’’You’ve no right to grow here,’ said the Dormouse.

41’Don’t talk nonsense,’ said Alice more boldly: ’you
know you’re growing too.’’Yes, but I grow at a reasonable pace,’ said the
Dormouse: ’not in that ridiculous fashion.’ And hegot up very sulkily and crossed over to the other sideof the court.
All this time the Queen had never left off staring
at the Hatter, and, just as the Dormouse crossed thecourt, she said to one of the officers of the court,’Bring me the list of the singers in the last concert!’
on which the wretched Hatter trembled so, that heshook both his shoes off.
’Give your evidence,’ the King repeated angrily, ’or
I’ll have you executed, whether you’re nervous or not.’’I’m a poor man, your Majesty,’ the Hatter began,in a trembling voice, ’–and I hadn’t begun my tea–
not above a week or so–and what with the breadand-butter getting so thin–and the twinkling of thetea–’’The twinkling of the what?’ said the King.
’It began with the tea,’ the Hatter replied.
’Of course twinkling begins with a T!’ said the King
sharply. ’Do you take me for a dunce? Go on!’’I’m a poor man,’ the Hatter went on, ’and mostthings twinkled after that–only the March Hare said–’’I didn’t!’ the March Hare interrupted in a great
hurry.
’You did!’ said the Hatter.
’I deny it!’ said the March Hare.
’He denies it,’ said the King: ’leave out that part.’’Well, at any rate, the Dormouse said–’ the Hatterwent on, looking anxiously round to see if he would
deny it too: but the Dormouse denied nothing, being
fast asleep.
’After that,’ continued the Hatter, ’I cut some morebread-and-butter–’’But what did the Dormouse say?’ one of the jury
asked.
’That I can’t remember,’ said the Hatter.
’You MUST remember,’ remarked the King, ’or I’ll
have you executed.’
The miserable Hatter dropped his teacup andbread-and-butter, and went down on one knee. ’I’ma poor man, your Majesty,’ he began.
’You’re a very poor speaker,’ said the King.

Here one of the guinea-pigs cheered, and was immediately suppressed by the officers of the court. (Asthat is rather a hard word, I will just explain to you
how it was done. They had a large canvas bag, whichtied up at the mouth with strings: into this theyslipped the guinea-pig, head first, and then sat uponit.)
’I’m glad I’ve seen that done,’ thought Alice. ’I’ve
so often read in the newspapers, at the end of trials,"There was some attempts at applause, which wasimmediately suppressed by the officers of the court,"
and I never understood what it meant till now.’’If that’s all you know about it, you may standdown,’ continued the King.
’I can’t go no lower,’ said the Hatter: ’I’m on thefloor, as it is.’’Then you may SIT down,’ the King replied.
Here the other guinea-pig cheered, and was suppressed.
’Come, that finished the guinea-pigs!’ thought Alice. ’Now we shall get on better.’’I’d rather finish my tea,’ said the Hatter, with ananxious look at the Queen, who was reading the listof singers.
’You may go,’ said the King, and the Hatter hurriedly left the court, without even waiting to put his
shoes on.
’–and just take his head off outside,’ the Queen
added to one of the officers: but the Hatter was outof sight before the officer could get to the door.
’Call the next witness!’ said the King.
The next witness was the Duchess’s cook. She carried the pepper-box in her hand, and Alice guessed
who it was, even before she got into the court, by theway the people near the door began sneezing all at
once.
’Give your evidence,’ said the King.
’Shan’t,’ said the cook.
The King looked anxiously at the White Rabbit,
who said in a low voice, ’Your Majesty must crossexamine THIS witness.’’Well, if I must, I must,’ the King said, with amelancholy air, and, after folding his arms and frowning at the cook till his eyes were nearly out of sight,
he said in a deep voice, ’What are tarts made of?’
’Pepper, mostly,’ said the cook.

42

XII. Alice’s Evidence’Treacle,’ said a sleepy voice behind her.
’Collar that Dormouse,’ the Queen shrieked out.
’Behead that Dormouse! Turn that Dormouse outof court! Suppress him! Pinch him! Off with hiswhiskers!’
For some minutes the whole court was in confusion, getting the Dormouse turned out, and, by thetime they had settled down again, the cook had disappeared.
’Never mind!’ said the King, with an air of great
relief. ’Call the next witness.’ And he added in anundertone to the Queen, ’Really, my dear, YOU mustcross-examine the next witness. It quite makes myforehead ache!’
Alice watched the White Rabbit as he fumbled overthe list, feeling very curious to see what the next
witness would be like, ’–for they haven’t got muchevidence YET,’ she said to herself. Imagine her surprise, when the White Rabbit read out, at the top of
his shrill little voice, the name ’Alice!’’Here!’ cried Alice, quite forgetting in the flurry of
the moment how large she had grown in the last few
minutes, and she jumped up in such a hurry that
she tipped over the jury-box with the edge of her
skirt, upsetting all the jurymen on to the heads ofthe crowd below, and there they lay sprawling about,reminding her very much of a globe of goldfish she
had accidentally upset the week before.
’Oh, I BEG your pardon!’ she exclaimed in a toneof great dismay, and began picking them up again as
quickly as she could, for the accident of the goldfish
kept running in her head, and she had a vague sortof idea that they must be collected at once and put
back into the jury-box, or they would die.
’The trial cannot proceed,’ said the King in a very
grave voice, ’until all the jurymen are back in theirproper places–ALL,’ he repeated with great emphasis, looking hard at Alice as he said do.
Alice looked at the jury-box, and saw that, in her
haste, she had put the Lizard in head downwards,
and the poor little thing was waving its tail about ina melancholy way, being quite unable to move. Shesoon got it out again, and put it right; ’not that it
signifies much,’ she said to herself; ’I should think it
would be QUITE as much use in the trial one way up
as the other.’
As soon as the jury had a little recovered fromthe shock of being upset, and their slates and pencils
had been found and handed back to them, they set

43

to work very diligently to write out a history of theaccident, all except the Lizard, who seemed too muchovercome to do anything but sit with its mouth open,
gazing up into the roof of the court.
’What do you know about this business?’ the King
said to Alice.
’Nothing,’ said Alice.
’Nothing WHATEVER?’ persisted the King.
’Nothing whatever,’ said Alice.
’That’s very important,’ the King said, turning to
the jury. They were just beginning to write this downon their slates, when the White Rabbit interrupted:’UNimportant, your Majesty means, of course,’ hesaid in a very respectful tone, but frowning and making faces at him as he spoke.
’UNimportant, of course, I meant,’ the King hastily
said, and went on to himself in an undertone,’important-unimportant-unimportant-important-’
as if he were trying which word sounded best.
Some of the jury wrote it down ’important,’ andsome ’unimportant.’ Alice could see this, as she wasnear enough to look over their slates; ’but it doesn’t
matter a bit,’ she thought to herself.
At this moment the King, who had been for sometime busily writing in his note-book, cackled out ’Silence!’ and read out from his book, ’Rule Forty-two.
ALL PERSONS MORE THAN A MILE HIGH TOLEAVE THE COURT.’
Everybody looked at Alice.
’I’M not a mile high,’ said Alice.
’You are,’ said the King.
’Nearly two miles high,’ added the Queen.
’Well, I shan’t go, at any rate,’ said Alice: ’besides,
that’s not a regular rule: you invented it just now.’’It’s the oldest rule in the book,’ said the King.
’Then it ought to be Number One,’ said Alice.
The King turned pale, and shut his note-bookhastily. ’Consider your verdict,’ he said to the jury,
in a low, trembling voice.
’There’s more evidence to come yet, please yourMajesty,’ said the White Rabbit, jumping up in agreat hurry; ’this paper has just been picked up.’
’What’s in it?’ said the Queen.
’I haven’t opened it yet,’ said the White Rabbit,’but it seems to be a letter, written by the prisoner
to–to somebody.’’It must have been that,’ said the King, ’unless it
was written to nobody, which isn’t usual, you know.’’Who is it directed to?’ said one of the jurymen.
’It isn’t directed at all,’ said the White Rabbit; ’in
fact, there’s nothing written on the OUTSIDE.’ Heunfolded the paper as he spoke, and added ’It isn’t aletter, after all: it’s a set of verses.’’Are they in the prisoner’s handwriting?’ asked
another of the jurymen.
’No, they’re not,’ said the White Rabbit, ’andthat’s the queerest thing about it.’ (The jury all
looked puzzled.)’He must have imitated somebody else’s hand,’ said
the King. (The jury all brightened up again.)’Please your Majesty,’ said the Knave, ’I didn’t
write it, and they can’t prove I did: there’s no namesigned at the end.’’If you didn’t sign it,’ said the King, ’that only
makes the matter worse. You MUST have meantsome mischief, or else you’d have signed your namelike an honest man.’

44’Read them,’ said the King.
The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. ’Where
shall I begin, please your Majesty?’ he asked.
’Begin at the beginning,’ the King said gravely,’and go on till you come to the end: then stop.’
These were the verses the White Rabbit read:–’They told me you had been to her,
And mentioned me to him:
She gave me a good character,
But said I could not swim.
He sent them word I had not gone
(We know it to be true):If she should push the matter on,
What would become of you?
I gave her one, they gave him two,
You gave us three or more;
They all returned from him to you,Though they were mine before.
If I or she should chance to be
Involved in this affair,He trusts to you to set them free,
Exactly as we were.
My notion was that you had been
(Before she had this fit)
An obstacle that came between
Him, and ourselves, and it.
Don’t let him know she liked them best,
For this must ever be
A secret, kept from all the rest,
Between yourself and me.’’That’s the most important piece of evidence we’veheard yet,’ said the King, rubbing his hands; ’so now
There was a general clapping of hands at this: it let the jury–’
was the first really clever thing the King had said
’If any one of them can explain it,’ said Alice, (shethat day.
had grown so large in the last few minutes that she’That PROVES his guilt,’ said the Queen.
wasn’t a bit afraid of interrupting him,) ’I’ll give him’It proves nothing of the sort!’ said Alice. ’Why, sixpence. I don’t believe there’s an atom of meaning
you don’t even know what they’re about!’
in it.’

45

The jury all wrote down on their slates, ’SHE
doesn’t believe there’s an atom of meaning in it,’ butnone of them attempted to explain the paper.
’If there’s no meaning in it,’ said the King, ’thatsaves a world of trouble, you know, as we needn’t
try to find any. And yet I don’t know,’ he went on,
spreading out the verses on his knee, and looking atthem with one eye; ’I seem to see some meaning inthem, after all. "–SAID I COULD NOT SWIM–"
you can’t swim, can you?’ he added, turning to the
Knave.
The Knave shook his head sadly. ’Do I look likeit?’ he said. (Which he certainly did NOT, being
made entirely of cardboard.)’All right, so far,’ said the King, and he went on
muttering over the verses to himself: ’"WE KNOWIT TO BE TRUE–" that’s the jury, of course–"I
GAVE HER ONE, THEY GAVE HIM TWO–" why,that must be what he did with the tarts, you know–’’But, it goes on "THEY ALL RETURNED FROMHIM TO YOU,"’ said Alice.
’Why, there they are!’ said the King triumphantly,
pointing to the tarts on the table. ’Nothing can
be clearer than THAT. Then again–"BEFORE SHE
HAD THIS FIT–" you never had fits, my dear, I
think?’ he said to the Queen.
’Never!’ said the Queen furiously, throwing an inkstand at the Lizard as she spoke. (The unfortunate
little Bill had left off writing on his slate with one finger, as he found it made no mark; but he now hastily
began again, using the ink, that was trickling down
his face, as long as it lasted.)’Then the words don’t FIT you,’ said the King,
looking round the court with a smile. There was adead silence.
’It’s a pun!’ the King added in an offended tone,
and everybody laughed, ’Let the jury consider theirverdict,’ the King said, for about the twentieth timethat day.
’No, no!’ said the Queen. ’Sentence first–verdict
afterwards.’’Stuff and nonsense!’ said Alice loudly. ’The ideaof having the sentence first!’’Hold your tongue!’ said the Queen, turning purple.
’I won’t!’ said Alice.

’Off with her head!’ the Queen shouted at the topof her voice. Nobody moved.
’Who cares for you?’ said Alice, (she had grown
to her full size by this time.) ’You’re nothing but apack of cards!’
At this the whole pack rose up into the air, andcame flying down upon her: she gave a little scream,
half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat themoff, and found herself lying on the bank, with her headin the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing awaysome dead leaves that had fluttered down from thetrees upon her face.
’Wake up, Alice dear!’ said her sister; ’Why, whata long sleep you’ve had!’’Oh, I’ve had such a curious dream!’ said Alice,
and she told her sister, as well as she could remember them, all these strange Adventures of hers thatyou have just been reading about; and when she hadfinished, her sister kissed her, and said, ’It WAS a
curious dream, dear, certainly: but now run in to
your tea; it’s getting late.’ So Alice got up and ran

46

off, thinking while she ran, as well she might, what awonderful dream it had been.
But her sister sat still just as she left her, leaning
her head on her hand, watching the setting sun, andthinking of little Alice and all her wonderful Adventures, till she too began dreaming after a fashion, andthis was her dream:–First, she dreamed of little Alice herself, and once
again the tiny hands were clasped upon her knee, andthe bright eager eyes were looking up into hers–she
could hear the very tones of her voice, and see thatqueer little toss of her head to keep back the wandering hair that WOULD always get into her eyes–andstill as she listened, or seemed to listen, the wholeplace around her became alive with the strange creatures of her little sister’s dream.
The long grass rustled at her feet as the White
Rabbit hurried by–the frightened Mouse splashed his
way through the neighbouring pool–she could hear
the rattle of the teacups as the March Hare and his
friends shared their never-ending meal, and the shrill
voice of the Queen ordering off her unfortunate guests
to execution–once more the pig-baby was sneezing on
the Duchess’s knee, while plates and dishes crashedaround it–once more the shriek of the Gryphon, thesqueaking of the Lizard’s slate-pencil, and the choking of the suppressed guinea-pigs, filled the air, mixed
up with the distant sobs of the miserable Mock Turtle.
So she sat on, with closed eyes, and half believed
herself in Wonderland, though she knew she had but
to open them again, and all would change to dull
reality–the grass would be only rustling in the wind,
and the pool rippling to the waving of the reeds–
the rattling teacups would change to tinkling sheepbells, and the Queen’s shrill cries to the voice of the
shepherd boy–and the sneeze of the baby, the shriekof the Gryphon, and all the other queer noises, wouldchange (she knew) to the confused clamour of thebusy farm-yard–while the lowing of the cattle in the
distance would take the place of the Mock Turtle’s
heavy sobs.
Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself
a grown woman; and how she would keep, throughall her riper years, the simple and loving heart ofher childhood: and how she would gather about herother little children, and make THEIR eyes brightand eager with many a strange tale, perhaps evenwith the dream of Wonderland of long ago: and how
she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and finda pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her
own child-life, and the happy summer days.

THE END47