The New Nation - Internet Edition

Lewis Carroll

The Mock Turtle sighed deeply and sobbed. With tears running down his cheeks, he went on again, "I wonder if you have ever lived under the sea or have been introduced to a lobster."

Alice shook her head, "No, never."

The Mock Turtle said, "So you have no idea what a delightful thing a Lobster Quadrille is!"

Alice asked with curiosity, "What sort of a dance is it?"

The Gryphon said, "You first form into a line along the seashore."

"Two lines!" cried the Mock Turtle, "Seals, Turtles, Salmon and so on. You advance twice, each with a lobster as a partner, then you change lobsters and retire in the same order."

"It must be a very pretty dance," said Alice timidly.

"Would you like to see a little of it?" asked the Mock Turtle.

So the Gryphon and the Turtle demonstrated the dance by going round and round Alice, often treading on her toes and waving their forepaws to mark the time, while the Mock Turtle sang a sad and slow song.

"Thank you, it's a very interesting dance to watch," said Alice, feeling very glad that it was over at last.

Suddenly, the Gryphon said to Alice, "Come let's hear some of your adventures."

"I could tell you my adventures-beginning from this morning," said Alice a little timidly, "but it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then."

The Mock Turtle asked her to explain all that but the Gryphon insisted that she narrate her adventures first, since explanations took a long time.

So Alice began telling them her adventures from the time she first saw the White Rabbit. The two creatures huddled up close to her and listened, with their eyes and mouths wide open, in surprise.

Her listeners were perfectly quiet till she got to the part about her repeating "You are old Father William" to the Caterpillar, and the words all coming different, and then the Mock Turtle drew a long breath, and said, "That's very curious!"

"It's all about as curious as it can be," said the Gryphon.

"It all came different!" the Mock Turtle repeated thoughtfully.

"I should like her to repeat something new now. Tell her to begin." He looked at the

Gryphon as if he had some authority over Alice.

"Stand up and repeat in the voice of the Sluggard," said the Gryphon.

Alice felt offended and said to herself: "The way they order me around it seems as if I were at school." However, she got up and began to repeat it, but her head was so full of the Lobster Quadrille, that she jumbled up the whole verse.

The Gryphon and the Mock Turtle commented that it was indeed different from anything that they had learnt or known.

Alice said nothing but sat down with her face in her hands. She wondered if anything would ever happen in a natural way ever again.

Much to Alice's relief, the Gryphon asked her to stop singing.

"Shall we try another figure of the Lobster Quadrille or have the Mock Turtle sing another song?"

"Oh! a song please-if the Mock Turtle would be so kind," Alice replied eagerly.

After a brief pause, the Mock Turtle began to sing a song in a voice choked with sobs. He was about to repeat the song, when a cry of: "The trial's beginning!" was heard in the distance.

The Gryphon took Alice by the hand and hurried off, without waiting for the end of the Turtle's song.

"What trial is it?" Alice panted as she ran; but the Gryphon only urged her to run faster.