` My precious Lily ! My imperial kitten ! ' and she began scrambling wildly up the side of the fender . ` Imperial fiddlestick ! ' said the King , rubbing his nose , which had been hurt by the fall . He had a right to be a LITTLE annoyed with the Queen , for he was covered with ashes from head to foot . Alice was very anxious to be of use , and , as the poor little Lily was nearly screaming herself into a fit , she hastily picked up the Queen and set her on the table by the side of her noisy little daughter . The Queen gasped , and sat down : the rapid journey through the air had quite taken away her breath and for a minute or two she could do nothing but hug the little Lily in silence . As soon as she had recovered her breath a little , she called out to the White King , who was sitting sulkily among the ashes , ` Mind the volcano ! ' ` What volcano ? ' said the King , looking up anxiously into the fire , as if he thought that was the most likely place to find one . ` Blew -- me -- up , ' panted the Queen , who was still a little out of breath . ` Mind you come up -- the regular way -- do n't get blown up ! ' Alice watched the White King as he slowly struggled up from bar to bar , till at last she said , ` Why , you 'll be hours and hours getting to the table , at that rate . I 'd far better help you , had n't I ? ' But the King took no notice of the question : it was quite clear that he could neither hear her nor see her . So Alice picked him up very gently , and lifted him across more slowly than she had lifted the Queen , that she might n't take his breath away : but , before she put him on the table , she thought she might as well dust him a little , he was so covered with ashes . She said afterwards that she had never seen in all her life such a face as the King made , when he found himself held in the air by an invisible hand , and being dusted : he was far too much astonished to cry out , but his eyes and his mouth went on getting larger and larger , and rounder and rounder , till her hand shook so with laughing that she nearly let him drop upon the floor . ` Oh ! PLEASE do n't make such faces , my dear ! '
she cried out , quite forgetting that the XXXXX could n't hear her .
Alice King Lily Queen fiddlestick fire hours minute right rounder