Alice asked with some curiosity . ` Why all round her head , of course , ' the Rose replied . ' I was wondering YOU had n't got some too . I thought it was the regular rule . ' ` She 's coming ! ' cried the Larkspur . ' I hear her footstep , thump , thump , thump , along the gravel-walk ! ' Alice looked round eagerly , and found that it was the Red Queen . ` She 's grown a good deal ! ' was her first remark . She had indeed : when Alice first found her in the ashes , she had been only three inches high -- and here she was , half a head taller than Alice herself ! ` It 's the fresh air that does it , ' said the Rose : ` wonderfully fine air it is , out here . ' ' I think I 'll go and meet her , ' said Alice , for , though the flowers were interesting enough , she felt that it would be far grander to have a talk with a real Queen . ` You ca n't possibly do that , ' said the Rose : ' I should advise you to walk the other way . ' This sounded nonsense to Alice , so she said nothing , but set off at once towards the Red Queen . To her surprise , she lost sight of her in a moment , and found herself walking in at the front-door again . A little provoked , she drew back , and after looking everywhere for the queen -LRB- whom she spied out at last , a long way off -RRB- , she thought she would try the plan , this time , of walking in the opposite direction . It succeeded beautifully . She had not been walking a minute before she found herself face to face with the Red Queen , and full in sight of the hill she had been so long aiming at . ` Where do you come from ? '
said the Red XXXXX .
Alice Larkspur Queen Rose deal first footstep gravel-walk minute nonsense