“In that case,” said the Dodo, rising to its feet, “the best thing to get dry would be a Caucus-race.” “And the best way to explain it is to do it.[50]” It added.
First it marked out[51] a race-course in a circle and then all the party stood along the course. And they began running when they liked and stopped when they liked so it was not easy to know when the race was over. However after half an hour of running the Dodo suddenly cried: “The race is over!” and they all crowded around it asking: “But who has won?”
The Dodo couldn’t answer this question at once so it sat for a long time thinking while the rest waited in silence. At last the Dodo said: “EVERYBODY has won, and all must have prizes.”
“But who will give us the prizes?” The voices asked.
“Well, SHE, of course,” said the Dodo, pointing at Alice with one finger; and everybody at once crowded around her crying: “Prizes! Prizes!”
Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair she put her hand into her pocket, and took out a box of comfits, (luckily the salt water had not got into it), and gave them to everybody as prizes.
“But she must have a prize herself,” said the Mouse.
“Of course,” the Dodo answered seriously. “What else have you got in your pocket?” he asked, turning to Alice.
“Only a thimble,” said Alice sadly.
“Give it to me,” it said.
Then they all crowded round her again, while the Dodo solemnly presented the thimble, saying “We beg you to accept this elegant thimble”; and, when it finished this short speech, they all cheered.
Alice thought the whole thing very absurd, but they all looked so serious that she couldn’t laugh; and she bowed, and took the thimble, looking as solemn as she could.
After they had eaten the comfits they sat down again in a ring and asked the Mouse to tell them something more.
“You promised to tell me your story,” said Alice, “and why you hate – C and D,” she added in a whisper.
“My tale[52] is long and sad!” said the Mouse sighing.
“It IS a long tail of course!” said Alice looking down at the Mouse’s tail with wonder. “But why do you call it sad?” And she continued thinking about it while the Mouse was speaking.
“You are not listening!” cried the Mouse to Alice angrily. “What are you thinking of?”
“I beg your pardon,[53]” said Alice very politely: “you had come to the fifth point, I think?”
“I had NOT!” cried the Mouse very angrily.
“A knot!” said Alice looking around. “Oh, let me help you to undo it!”
The Mouse stood up and said walking away. “You insult me by talking such nonsense!”
“I didn’t want to do it!” cried poor Alice. “But you’re so easily offended!”
The Mouse didn’t answer.
“Please come back and finish your story!” Alice called after it; and all the others repeated, “Yes, please do![54]” but the Mouse only shook its head and soon it was out of sight.
“What a pity our Dinah is not here!” Alice said aloud. “She would soon bring it here![55]”
“And who is Dinah?” asked the Lory.
Alice was always ready to talk about her pet: “Dinah”s our cat. And she’s so good at catching mice! And oh, the same about birds![56] Well, she’ll eat a little bird as soon as it looks at it![57]”
After Alice’s speech all the party hurried away on different pretexts[58] and Alice was soon alone.
“I wish I hadn’t spoken about[59] Dinah! “She said to herself sadly. “It seems nobody likes her here, and I’m sure she’s the best cat in the world! Oh, my dear Dinah! I wonder if I shall ever see you again!” And here poor Alice began to cry again because she felt very lonely and low-spirited. However a little later she again heard footsteps in the distance. She looked up hoping that the Mouse had changed its mind[60] and was coming back to finish its story.
Chapter 4. The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill
It was the White Rabbit coming slowly back and looking around as if it had lost something.[61] Alice heard it saying to itself: “The Duchess! The Duchess! Oh my dear paws! Oh my fur and whiskers! I’ll be executed,[62] I’m sure! Where COULD I drop them, I wonder?” Alice understood that it was looking for the fan and the pair of white kid gloves, and she began looking for them too, but they were nowhere to be seen.[63]
Very soon the Rabbit noticed Alice and asked her in an angry tone, “Why, Mary Ann, what ARE you doing here? Run home this moment, and fetch me a pair of gloves and a fan! Quick, now!” And Alice was so frightened that she ran immediately in the direction it pointed to.[64]
“He took me for[65] 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[66] bring him his fan and gloves – of course, if I can find them.” As she said this, she came to a neat little house, on the door of which[67] was a bright brass plate with the name “W. RABBIT” engraved upon it. She went in without knocking,[68] and hurried upstairs.
Soon she was in a tidy little room with a table in the window and on it were a fan and two or three pairs of tiny gloves. Alice took the fan and one pair and was going to leave the room[69] when she saw a little bottle. This time there was no label on it with the words “DRINK ME” but she still put it to her lips. “I know SOMETHING interesting will happen,” she said to herself “I hope I’ll grow large again, because I’m quite tired of being such a tiny little thing!”
It happened so quickly that in the next moment her head was pressing against[70] the ceiling. “Now I can’t get out of the door – Why did I drink so much?”
Alas! It was too late! She continued growing, and growing, and very soon had to kneel down[71] on the floor. Still she went on growing,[72] and at last she put one arm out of the window, and one foot up the chimney, and said to herself “What WILL become of me?”
Fortunately Alice stopped growing but she felt very unhappy. “It was much pleasanter at home,” thought poor Alice, “when nobody grew larger and smaller. When I read fairy-tales,