This speech caused a remarkable sensation among the party. Some of the birds

hurried off at once: one old Magpie began wrapping itself up very carefully,

remarking, “I really must be getting home; the night-air doesn’t

suit my throat!” and a Canary called out in a trembling voice to its

children, “Come away, my dears! It’s high time you were all in

bed!” On various pretexts they all moved off, and Alice was soon left

alone.


“I wish I hadn’t mentioned Dinah!” she said to herself in a

melancholy tone. “Nobody seems to like her, down here, and I’m sure

she’s the best cat in the world! Oh, my dear Dinah! I wonder if I shall

ever see you any more!” And here poor Alice began to cry again, for she

felt very lonely and low-spirited. In a little while, however, she again heard

a little pattering of footsteps in the distance, and she looked up eagerly,

half hoping that the Mouse had changed his mind, and was coming back to finish

his story.


CHAPTER IV.

The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill


It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously

about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it muttering to

itself “The Duchess! The Duchess! Oh my dear paws! Oh my fur and

whiskers! She’ll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets! Where

can I have dropped them, I wonder?” Alice guessed in a moment that

it was looking for the fan and the pair of white kid gloves, and she very

good-naturedly began hunting about for them, but they were nowhere to be

seen—everything seemed to have changed since her swim in the pool, and

the great hall, with the glass table and the little door, had vanished

completely.


Very soon the Rabbit noticed Alice, as she went hunting about, and called out

to her in an angry tone, “Why, Mary Ann, what are you doing out

here? Run home this moment, and fetch me a pair of gloves and a fan! Quick,

now!” And Alice was so much frightened that she ran off at once in the