"He said he WOULD come in," the White Queen went on, "because he was looking for a hippopotamus. Now, as it happened, there wasn"t such a thing in the house, that morning."
"Is there generally?" Alice asked in an astonished tone.
"Well, only on Thursdays," said the Queen.
"I know what he came for," said Alice: "he wanted to punish the fish, because--"
Here the White Queen began again. "It was SUCH a thunderstorm, you can"t think!" ("She NEVER could, you know," said the Red Queen.) "And part of the roof came off, and ever so much thunder got in--and it went rolling round the room in great lumps--and knocking over the tables and things--till I was so frightened, I couldn"t remember my own name!"
Alice thought to herself, "I never should TRY to remember my name in the middle of an accident! Where would be the use of it?" but she did not say this aloud, for fear of hurting the poor Queen"s feeling.
"Your Majesty must excuse her," the Red Queen said to Alice, taking one of the White Queen"s hands in her own, and gently stroking it: "she means well, but she can"t help saying foolish things, as a general rule."
The White Queen looked timidly at Alice, who felt she OUGHT to say something kind, but really couldn"t think of anything at the moment.
"She never was really well brought up," the Red Queen went on: "but it"s amazing how good-tempered she is! Pat her on the head, and see how pleased she"ll be!" But this was more than Alice had courage to do.
"A little kindness--and putting her hair in papers--would do wonders with her--"
The White Queen gave a deep sigh, and laid her head on Alice"s shoulder.
"I AM so sleepy?" she moaned.
"She"s tired, poor thing!" said the Red Queen. "Smooth her hair--lend her your nightcap--and sing her a soothing lullaby."
"I haven"t got a nightcap with me," said Alice, as she tried to obey the first direction: "and I don"t know any soothing lullabies."
"I must do it myself, then," said the Red Queen, and she began:
"Hush-a-by lady, in Alice"s lap!
Till the feast"s ready, we"ve time for a nap: When the feast"s over, we"ll go to the ball-- Red Queen, and White Queen, and Alice, and all!
"And now you know the words," she added, as she put her head down on Alice"s other shoulder, "just sing it through to ME. I"m getting sleepy, too." In another moment both Queens were fast asleep, and snoring loud.
"What AM I to do?" exclaimed Alice, looking about in great perplexity, as first one round head, and then the other, rolled down from her shoulder, and lay like a heavy lump in her lap. "I don"t think it EVER happened before, that any one had to take care of two Queens asleep at once! No, not in all the History of England--it couldn"t, you know, because there never was more than one Queen at a time. Do wake up, you heavy things!" she went on in an impatient tone; but there was no answer but a gentle snoring.
The snoring got more distinct every minute, and sounded more like a tune: at last she could even make out the words, and she listened so eagerly that, when the two great heads vanished from her lap, she hardly missed them.
She was standing before an arched doorway over which were the words QUEEN ALICE in large letters, and on each side of the arch there was a bell-handle; one was marked "Visitors" Bell," and the other "Servants"
Bell."
"I"ll wait till the song"s over," thought Alice, "and then I"ll ring--the--WHICH bell must I ring?" she went on, very much puzzled by the names. "I"m not a visitor, and I"m not a servant. There OUGHT to be one marked "Queen," you know--"
Just then the door opened a little way, and a creature with a long beak put its head out for a moment and said "No admittance till the week after next!" and shut the door again with a bang.
Alice knocked and rang in vain for a long time, but at last, a very old Frog, who was sitting under a tree, got up and hobbled slowly towards her: he was dressed in bright yellow, and had enormous boots on.
"What is it, now?" the Frog said in a deep hoa.r.s.e whisper.
Alice turned round, ready to find fault with anybody. "Where"s the servant whose business it is to answer the door?" she began angrily.
"Which door?" said the Frog.
Alice almost stamped with irritation at the slow drawl in which he spoke. "THIS door, of course!"
The Frog looked at the door with his large dull eyes for a minute: then he went nearer and rubbed it with his thumb, as if he were trying whether the paint would come off; then he looked at Alice.
"To answer the door?" he said. "What"s it been asking of?" He was so hoa.r.s.e that Alice could scarcely hear him.
"I don"t know what you mean," she said.
"I talks English, doesn"t I?" the Frog went on. "Or are you deaf? What did it ask you?"
"Nothing!" Alice said impatiently. "I"ve been knocking at it!"
"Shouldn"t do that--shouldn"t do that--" the Frog muttered. "Vexes it, you know." Then he went up and gave the door a kick with one of his great feet. "You let IT alone," he panted out, as he hobbled back to his tree, "and it"ll let YOU alone, you know."
At this moment the door was flung open, and a shrill voice was heard singing:
"To the Looking-Gla.s.s world it was Alice that said, "I"ve a sceptre in hand, I"ve a crown on my head; Let the Looking-Gla.s.s creatures, whatever they be, Come and dine with the Red Queen, the White Queen, and me.""
And hundreds of voices joined in the chorus:
"Then fill up the gla.s.ses as quick as you can, And sprinkle the table with b.u.t.tons and bran: Put cats in the coffee, and mice in the tea-- And welcome Queen Alice with thirty-times-three!"
Then followed a confused noise of cheering, and Alice thought to herself, "Thirty times three makes ninety. I wonder if any one"s counting?" In a minute there was silence again, and the same shrill voice sang another verse;
""O Looking-Gla.s.s creatures," quoth Alice, "draw near!
"Tis an honour to see me, a favour to hear: "Tis a privilege high to have dinner and tea Along with the Red Queen, the White Queen, and me!""
Then came the chorus again:--
"Then fill up the gla.s.ses with treacle and ink, Or anything else that is pleasant to drink: Mix sand with the cider, and wool with the wine-- And welcome Queen Alice with ninety-times-nine!"
"Ninety times nine!" Alice repeated in despair, "Oh, that"ll never be done! I"d better go in at once--" and there was a dead silence the moment she appeared.
Alice glanced nervously along the table, as she walked up the large hall, and noticed that there were about fifty guests, of all kinds: some were animals, some birds, and there were even a few flowers among them.
"I"m glad they"ve come without waiting to be asked," she thought: "I should never have known who were the right people to invite!"
There were three chairs at the head of the table; the Red and White Queens had already taken two of them, but the middle one was empty.