“I thought it would,” said the Cat, and vanished again
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 Hare was said to live
“Did you say pig, or fig?” said the Cat
I’ve often seen a cat without a grin,” thought Alice; “but a
grin without a cat
I almost wish I’d gone to see the Hatter instead!”




CHAPTER VII
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 was nothing on it but tea
“I don’t see any wine,” she remarked
“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’s laid 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
“I’m glad they’ve
begun asking riddles.—I believe I can guess that,” she added aloud
“Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?” said
the March Hare
“Then you should say what you mean,” the March Hare went on
“I do,” Alice hastily replied; “at least—at least I mean what I
say—that’s the same thing, you know.”

“Not the same thing a bit!” said the Hatter
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, and was looking at it uneasily, shaking it every now and then,
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
“What a
funny watch!” she remarked
“It tells the day of the month, and doesn’t
tell what o’clock it is!”

“Why should it?” muttered 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
“No, I give it up,” Alice replied: “what’s the answer?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” said the Hatter
It’s _him_.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” said Alice
“Of course you don’t!” the Hatter said, tossing his head
contemptuously
“I dare say you never even spoke 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
Now, if you only kept on good terms with him, he’d do almost anything
you liked with the clock
For instance, suppose it were nine o’clock in
the morning, just time to begin lessons: you’d only have to whisper a
hint to Time, and round goes the clock in a twinkling
The Hatter shook his head mournfully
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, “in this 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_—” and went on so long that they
had to pinch it to make it stop
“Well, I’d hardly finished the first verse,” said the Hatter, “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 a mournful 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 the reason so many
tea-things are put out here?” she asked
“Yes, that’s it,” said the Hatter with a sigh: “it’s always 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 get used up.”

“But what happens when you come to the beginning again?” Alice ventured
to ask
“Suppose we change the subject,” the March Hare interrupted, yawning
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