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
And yesterday things went on just as usual
I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night
Let me think: was I the
same when I got up this morning
I almost think I can remember feeling
a little different
But if I’m not the same, the next question is, Who
in the world am I
Ah, _that’s_ the great puzzle!” And she began
thinking over all the children she knew that were of the same age as
herself, to see if she could have been changed for any of them
“I’m sure I’m not Ada,” she said, “for her hair goes in such long
ringlets, and mine doesn’t go in ringlets at all; and I’m sure I can’t
be Mabel, for I know all sorts of things, and she, oh
Besides, _she’s_ she, and _I’m_ I, and—oh dear, how
puzzling it all is
I’ll try if I know all the things I used to know
Let me see: four times five is twelve, and four times six is thirteen,
and four times seven is—oh dear
I shall never get to twenty at that
rate
However, the Multiplication Table doesn’t signify: 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 been
changed for Mabel
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
“How _can_ I have done that?” she thought
And I declare it’s too bad, that it is!”

As she said these words her foot slipped, and in another moment,
splash
she was up to her chin in salt water
Her first idea was that
she had somehow fallen into the sea, “and in that case I can go back by
railway,” she said to herself
“I wish I hadn’t cried so much!” said Alice, as she swam about, trying
to find her way out
“I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by
being drowned in my own tears
That _will_ be a queer thing, to be
sure
“Would it be of any use, now,” thought Alice, “to speak to this mouse
Everything is so out-of-the-way down here, that I should think very
likely it can talk: at any rate, there’s no harm in trying.” So she
began: “O Mouse, do you know the way out of this pool
The Mouse gave a
sudden leap out of the water, and seemed to quiver all over with
fright
“Oh, I beg your pardon!” cried Alice hastily, 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
“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 on such a subject
Our family always
_hated_ cats: nasty, low, vulgar things
Don’t let me hear the name
again!”

“I won’t indeed!” said Alice, in a great hurry to change 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, such long curly brown hair
So she called softly after it, “Mouse dear
Alice
led the way, and the whole party swam to the shore
At last the Mouse, who seemed to be a person of authority among them,
called out, “Sit down, all of 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 catch a 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, was soon submitted
to by the English, who wanted leaders, and had been of late much
accustomed to usurpation and conquest
Edwin and Morcar, the earls of
Mercia and Northumbria—’”

“Ugh!” said the Lory, with a shiver
“I beg your pardon!” said the Mouse, frowning, but very politely: “Did
you speak?”

“Not I!” said the Lory hastily
“I thought you did,” said the Mouse
‘Edwin and Morcar,
the earls of Mercia and Northumbria, declared for him: and even
Stigand, the patriotic archbishop of Canterbury, found it advisable—’”

“Found _what_?” said the Duck
