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, and all
dripping wet, cross, and uncomfortable.
The first question of course was, how to get dry again; they had a consultation
about this and after a few minutes it seemed quite natural to Alice to find 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 must know better’; and this Al-
ice would not allow without knowing
how old it was and, as the Lory posi-
tively refused to tell its age, there was
no more to be said.
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, ‘ – I proceed. “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.
‘Found it,’ the Mouse replied rather crossly, ‘of course you know what “it”
means.’
‘I know what “it” means well enough when I find a thing,’ 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 the insolence of his Normans – ”
How are you getting on now, 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 meet-
ing adjourn, for the immediate adoption of more energetic remedies – ’
‘Speak English!’ said the Eaglet, ‘I don’t know the meaning 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, and no 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 and
there. There was no ‘One, two, three, and away,’ but they began running when
they liked, and left off 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, panting, and asking, ‘But who has won?’
This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought, and
it sat for a long time with one finger pressed upon its forehead (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 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 of comfits, (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, ‘What else 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 pre-
sented 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, 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, 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 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,’ 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 the tale was something like this:
‘Fury said to
a mouse, That he
met in the
house,
“Let us
both go to
law: I will
prosecute
you. – Come,
I’ll take no
denial; We
must have
a trial: For
really this
morning I’ve
nothing
to do.”
Said the
mouse to the
cur, “Such a trial,
dear Sir,
With
no jury
or judge,
would be
wasting
our
breath.”
“I’ll be
judge, I’ll
be jury,”
Said
cunning
old Fury:
“I’ll
try the
whole
cause,
and
condemn
you
to
death.” ’
‘You are not attending!’ 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,
I think?’
‘I had not!’ cried the Mouse, sharply and very angrily.
‘A knot!’ said Alice, always ready to make herself useful, and looking anx-
iously about her, ‘Oh, do let me 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’re so easily offended, you
know!’
The Mouse only growled in reply.
‘Please come back and finish your story!’ Alice called after it, and the others
all joined in chorus, ‘Yes, please do!’ but the Mouse only shook its head impa-
tiently, 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’d soon fetch it back!’
‘And who is Dinah, if I might venture to ask the question?’ said the Lory.
Alice replied eagerly, for she was always ready to talk about her pet, ‘Dinah’s
our cat. And she’s such a 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 night-air doesn’t suit my throat!’
and a Canary called out in a trembling voice to its children, ‘Come away, my
dears! 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 to herself in a melancholy tone,
‘Nobody seems to like her, down 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 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.
พวกเขาแน่นอนบุคคลมอง queer ซึ่งรวบรวมธนาคาร – นกมีขน draggled สัตว์ มีขนของพวกเขาเข้าใจพวกเขา และทั้งหมดโชก ข้าม และอึดอัดคำถามแรกของหลักสูตรได้ วิธีแห้งอีก มีการให้คำปรึกษาเกี่ยวกับ เรื่องนี้ และหลัง จากสองสามนาทีเหมือนธรรมชาติค่อนข้างจะอลิเพื่อค้นหาตัวเองพูดคุยกับพวกเขา familiarly ว่าเธอรู้จักพวกเขาทั้งหมดในชีวิตของเธอ แน่นอนเธอมีอาร์กิวเมนต์ค่อนข้างนานด้วยLory ซึ่งในที่สุด เปิด sulky และเท่านั้นว่า, "ผมอายุมากกว่าคุณและต้องรู้ดี '; และอัลนี้-น้ำแข็งจะไม่ยอมให้โดยไม่ทราบอายุก็ และ posi Lory -tively ปฏิเสธที่จะบอกอายุของ มีไม่ได้ที่จะกล่าวว่าในที่สุด เมาส์ ซึ่งดูเหมือนเป็นบุคคลผู้มีอำนาจในหมู่พวกเขาเรียกว่า ' นั่งลง ทั้งหมดของคุณ และฟังฉันนะ! ฉันเร็ว ๆ นี้จะทำให้คุณแห้งพอ!' พวกเขาทั้งหมดนั่งลงครั้งในแหวนขนาดใหญ่ เมาส์ในการกลาง อลิเก็บตาของเธอคงกังวลใจกับมัน สำหรับเธอรู้สึกแน่ใจว่า เธอจะจับถ้าเย็นไม่ดีเธอก็ไม่ได้แห้งเร็ว ๆเมาส์กับอากาศสำคัญ 'ahem ' กล่าว ' พร้อมทั้งหมด นี่คือการdriest สิ่งที่ฉันรู้ เงียบทั้งหมดกลม ได้โปรด "William Conquerorสาเหตุเป็นที่โปรดปรานของสมเด็จพระสันตะปาปา เร็ว ๆ นี้ส่งไปอังกฤษใครต้องการผู้นำ และได้รับของล่าช้ามากคุ้นเคยกับ usurpation และชนะ Edwin และ Morcar เอิร์ลส์ของราชอาณาจักรเมอร์เซียและ Northumbria – " '' Ugh !' กล่าวว่า Lory กับศิวะ'ผมขอโทษ ' กล่าวว่า เมาส์ frowning แต่มาก สุภาพ, ' ได้คุณพูดได้อย่างไร ''ไม่ฉัน ' ว่า Lory รีบ'ฉันคิดว่า คุณไม่ได้ กล่าวว่า เมาส์, ' – ฉันดำเนินต่อ "เอและ Morcar การเอิร์ลส์ของราชอาณาจักรเมอร์เซียและ Northumbria ประกาศสำหรับเขา และ Stigand ที่รักชาติอาร์ชบิชอปแห่งแคนเทอบิวรี่ พบแนะนำ – " ''พบอะไร ' กล่าวว่า เป็ด'พบว่า เมาส์ตอบกลับค่อนข้าง crossly, ' แน่นอนคุณรู้ว่า "มัน"หมายถึงการ ''ฉันรู้ว่าอะไร "" หมายความว่า ดีพอเมื่อพบสิ่ง กล่าวว่า เป็ด, ' มีโดยทั่วไปกบหรือหนอน คำถามคือ สิ่งอาร์ชบิชอปแห่งพบ?'เมาส์ไม่สังเกตเห็นคำถามนี้ แต่รีบไป, ' " – พบว่าแนะนำให้ไปกับ Edgar Atheling ตรงกับ William และมีมงกุฎเขาจรรยาบรรณของ William ครั้งแรกเองได้ แต่ insolence ของนอร์มันของเขา –"วิธีคุณได้รับในขณะนี้ รักฉัน?' มันต่อ เปิดกับอลิซก็พูด'เป็นเปียกเช่นเคย ว่า อลิซโทนทันที, ' ไม่เหมือนแห้งฉันทั้งหมดนี้ ''ในกรณี กล่าวว่า เซลเคร่งขรึม เพิ่มขึ้นเป็นฟุต, ' ไม่ย้ายที่พบ -ing adjourn การเยียวยาที่มีพลังมากขึ้น – รับทันที ''ภาษาอังกฤษ ' Eaglet กล่าวว่า ' ฉันไม่รู้ความหมายของครึ่งเหล่ายาวคำ และ เพิ่มเติม ผมไม่เชื่อว่า คุณทำอย่างใดอย่างหนึ่ง!' และ Eaglet งอลงหัวของมันจะซ่อนรอยยิ้ม ของนกอื่น ๆ tittered ทวน‘What I was going to say,’ said the Dodo in an offended tone, ‘was, that thebest thing to get us dry would be a Caucus-race.‘What is a Caucus-race?’ said Alice; not that she wanted much to know, butthe Dodo had paused as if it thought that somebody ought to speak, and no oneelse seemed inclined to say anything.‘Why,’ said the Dodo, ‘the best way to explain it is to do it.’ (And, as youmight like to try the thing yourself, some winter day, I will tell you how the Dodomanaged it.)First it marked out a race-course, in a sort of circle (‘the exact shape doesn’tmatter,’ it said), and then all the party were placed along the course, here andthere. There was no ‘One, two, three, and away,’ but they began running whenthey liked, and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when therace was over. However, when they had been running half an hour or so, and werequite dry again, the Dodo suddenly called out ‘The race is over!’ and they allcrowded round it, panting, and asking, ‘But who has won?’This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought, andit sat for a long time with one finger pressed upon its forehead (the position inwhich you usually see Shakespeare, in the pictures of him), while the rest waitedin 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; andthe 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 of comfits, (luckily the salt water had not got into it), andhanded 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, ‘What else have you got in yourpocket?’ 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 pre-sented 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, but they all looked so grave thatshe did not dare to laugh; and, as she could not think of anything to say, she simplybowed, 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 oneschoked and had to be patted on the back. However, it was over at last and they satdown 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,’ 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 the tale was something like this:
‘Fury said to
a mouse, That he
met in the
house,
“Let us
both go to
law: I will
prosecute
you. – Come,
I’ll take no
denial; We
must have
a trial: For
really this
morning I’ve
nothing
to do.”
Said the
mouse to the
cur, “Such a trial,
dear Sir,
With
no jury
or judge,
would be
wasting
our
breath.”
“I’ll be
judge, I’ll
be jury,”
Said
cunning
old Fury:
“I’ll
try the
whole
cause,
and
condemn
you
to
death.” ’
‘You are not attending!’ 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,
I think?’
‘I had not!’ cried the Mouse, sharply and very angrily.
‘A knot!’ said Alice, always ready to make herself useful, and looking anx-
iously about her, ‘Oh, do let me 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’re so easily offended, you
know!’
The Mouse only growled in reply.
‘Please come back and finish your story!’ Alice called after it, and the others
all joined in chorus, ‘Yes, please do!’ but the Mouse only shook its head impa-
tiently, 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’d soon fetch it back!’
‘And who is Dinah, if I might venture to ask the question?’ said the Lory.
Alice replied eagerly, for she was always ready to talk about her pet, ‘Dinah’s
our cat. And she’s such a 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 night-air doesn’t suit my throat!’
and a Canary called out in a trembling voice to its children, ‘Come away, my
dears! 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 to herself in a melancholy tone,
‘Nobody seems to like her, down 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 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.
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