said the rabbit in a low voice , `` she 'll hear you . The Queen 's the Marchioness : did n't you know that ? '' `` No , I did n't , '' said Alice , `` what of ? '' `` Queen of Hearts , '' said the rabbit in a whisper , putting its mouth close to her ear , `` and Marchioness of Mock Turtles . '' `` What are they ? '' said Alice , but there was no time for the answer , for they had reached the croquet-ground , and the game began instantly . Alice thought she had never seen such a curious croquet-ground in all her life : it was all in ridges and furrows : the croquet-balls were live hedgehogs , the mallets live ostriches , and the soldiers had to double themselves up , and stand on their feet and hands , to make the arches . -LSB- Illustration -RSB- -LSB- Illustration -RSB- The chief difficulty which Alice found at first was to manage her ostrich : she got its body tucked away , comfortably enough , under her arm , with its legs hanging down , but generally , just as she had got its neck straightened out nicely , and was going to give a blow with its head , it would twist itself round , and look up into her face , with such a puzzled expression that she could not help bursting out laughing : and when she had got its head down , and was going to begin again , it was very confusing to find that the hedgehog had unrolled itself , and was in the act of crawling away : besides all this , there was generally a ridge or a furrow in her way , wherever she wanted to send the hedgehog to , and as the doubled-up soldiers were always getting up and walking off to other parts of the ground , Alice soon came to the conclusion that it was a very difficult game indeed . The players all played at once without waiting for turns , and quarrelled all the while at the tops of their voices , and in a very few minutes the Queen was in a furious passion , and went stamping about and shouting `` off with his head ! '' of `` off with her head ! '' about once in a minute . All those whom she sentenced were taken into custody by the soldiers , who of course had to leave off being arches to do this , so that , by the end of half an hour or so , there were no arches left , and all the players , except the King , the Queen , and Alice , were in custody , and under sentence of execution . Then the Queen left off , quite out of breath , and said to Alice `` have you seen the Mock Turtle ? '' `` No , '' said Alice , `` I do n't even know what a Mock Turtle is . '' `` Come on then , '' said the Queen , `` and it shall tell you its history . '' As they walked off together , Alice heard the King say in a low voice , to the company generally , `` you are all pardoned . '' `` Come , that 's a good thing ! '' thought Alice , who had felt quite grieved at the number of executions which the Queen had ordered . -LSB- Illustration -RSB- They very soon came upon a Gryphon , which lay fast asleep in the sun : -LRB- if you do n't know what a Gryphon is , look at the picture -RRB- : `` Up , lazy thing ! '' said the Queen , `` and take this young lady to see the Mock Turtle , and to hear its history .
I must go back and see after some executions I ordered , '' and she walked off , leaving Alice with the XXXXX .
Alice Gryphon croquet-ground executions first hedgehogs minute minutes ostrich ostriches