“What is a Caucus-race?” said Alice; not that she wanted much to know, but the Dodo had paused as if it thought |как будто он подумал| that somebody ought to speak, and no one else seemed inclined |склонен| 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 |Во-первых он нарисовал маршрут|, in a sort of |что-то вроде| circle, (“the exact shape doesn’t matter,” it said,) and then all the party were placed along the course |по кругу|, here and there. There was no “One, two, three, and away,” but they began running when they liked, and left off |останавливались| when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when the race was over. However, when they had been running half an hour or so, and were quite dry again, the Dodo suddenly called out “The race is over!” and they all crowded round it |собрались вокруг него|, panting |пыхтя|, and asking, “But who has won?”
This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought |буквально – без большого количества мысли. Лучше – без того, чтобы хорошенько подумать|, and it sat for a long time with one finger pressed upon its forehead |приложив палец ко лбу| (the position in which you usually see Shakespeare, in the pictures of him), while the rest waited in silence. At last the Dodo said, “Everybody has won, and all must have prizes.”
“But who is to give the prizes?” quite a chorus of voices asked.
“Why, she, of course,” said the Dodo, pointing to Alice with one finger; and the whole party at once |сразу же| crowded round her, calling out in a confused way |наперебой|, “Prizes! Prizes!”
Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair |в отчаянии| she put her hand in her pocket, and pulled out a box of comfits |конфетами|, (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 |серьезно|. “What else have you got in your pocket?” he went on, turning to Alice.
“Only a thimble |наперсток|,” said Alice sadly.
“Hand it over here,” |Передай сюда| said the Dodo.
Then they all crowded round her once more, while the Dodo solemnly |торжественно| presented the thimble, saying “We beg your acceptance |Мы просим принять| of this elegant thimble;” and, when it had finished this short speech, they all cheered.
Alice thought the whole thing very absurd, but they all looked so grave that she did not dare to laugh; and, as she could not think of anything to say, she simply bowed |поклонилась|, 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 |поперхнулись| and had to be patted |надо было похлопать| on the back. However, it was over at last, and they sat down again in a 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 |Алиса имеет в виду кошек и собак|,” she added in a whisper, half afraid that it would be offended again.
“Mine is a long and a sad tale |история|!” said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing.
“It is a long tail |хвост. Игра слов a tale и a 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 |долго удивлялась| about it while the Mouse was speaking, so that her idea of the tale was something like this:
“Fury |здесь – пушистый| said to a
mouse, That he
met in the
house,
‘Let us
both go to
law |поступим по закону|: I will
prosecute |засужу|
you.– Come,
I’ll take no
Denial |Я не приму «нет» за ответ|; We
must have a
trial: For
really this
morning I’ve
nothing
to do.’
Said the
mouse to the
cur |дворняжке|, ‘Such
a trial,
dear sir,
With
no jury |присяжных|
or judge,
would be
wasting
our
breath.’
‘I’ll be
judge, I’ll
be jury,’
Said
cunning |хитрый|
old Fury:
‘I’ll
try the
whole
cause |Я проведу все дело сам|,
and
condemn |приговорю|
you
to
death.’”
“You are not attending |здесь – слушаешь|!” said the Mouse to Alice severely. “What are you thinking of?”
“I beg your pardon,” said Alice very humbly: “you had got to the fifth bend |вы уже дошли до пятого изгиба? Алиса имеет в