` It 's only a rattle , ' Alice said , after a careful examination of the little white thing . ` Not a rattleSNAKE , you know , ' she added hastily , thinking that he was frightened : ` only an old rattle -- quite old and broken . ' ' I knew it was ! ' cried Tweedledum , beginning to stamp about wildly and tear his hair . ` It 's spoilt , of course ! ' Here he looked at Tweedledee , who immediately sat down on the ground , and tried to hide himself under the umbrella . Alice laid her hand upon his arm , and said in a soothing tone , ` You need n't be so angry about an old rattle . ' ` But it is n't old ! ' Tweedledum cried , in a greater fury than ever . ` It 's new , I tell you -- I bought it yesterday -- my nice new RATTLE ! ' and his voice rose to a perfect scream . All this time Tweedledee was trying his best to fold up the umbrella , with himself in it : which was such an extraordinary thing to do , that it quite took off Alice 's attention from the angry brother . But he could n't quite succeed , and it ended in his rolling over , bundled up in the umbrella , with only his head out : and there he lay , opening and shutting his mouth and his large eyes -- ` looking more like a fish than anything else , ' Alice thought . ` Of course you agree to have a battle ? ' Tweedledum said in a calmer tone . ' I suppose so , ' the other sulkily replied , as he crawled out of the umbrella : ` only SHE must help us to dress up , you know . ' So the two brothers went off hand-in-hand into the wood , and returned in a minute with their arms full of things -- such as bolsters , blankets , hearth-rugs , table-cloths , dish-covers and coal-scuttles . ' I hope you 're a good hand at pinning and tying strings ? ' Tweedledum remarked . ` Every one of these things has got to go on , somehow or other . '
XXXXX said afterwards she had never seen such a fuss made about anything in all her life -- the way those two bustled about -- and the quantity of things they put on -- and the trouble they gave her in tying strings and fastening buttons -- ` Really they 'll be more like bundles of old clothes than anything else , by the time they 're ready ! '
Alice Tweedledee Tweedledum coal-scuttles course dish-covers ground hearth-rugs minute table-cloths