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 King could n't hear her . ` You make me laugh so that I can hardly hold you ! And do n't keep your mouth so wide open ! All the ashes will get into it -- there , now I think you 're tidy enough ! ' she added , as she smoothed his hair , and set him upon the table near the Queen . The King immediately fell flat on his back , and lay perfectly still : and Alice was a little alarmed at what she had done , and went round the room to see if she could find any water to throw over him . However , she could find nothing but a bottle of ink , and when she got back with it she found he had recovered , and he and the Queen were talking together in a frightened whisper -- so low , that Alice could hardly hear what they said .
The XXXXX was saying , ' I assure , you my dear , I turned cold to the very ends of my whiskers ! '
Alice King Lily Queen fire floor hours minute nothing rounder