“I mean what I say,” the Mock Turtle replied in an offended tone.

And the Gryphon added “Come, let’s hear some of your

adventures.”


“I could tell you my adventures—beginning from this morning,”

said Alice a little timidly: “but it’s no use going back to

yesterday, because I was a different person then.”


“Explain all that,” said the Mock Turtle.


“No, no! The adventures first,” said the Gryphon in an impatient

tone: “explanations take such a dreadful time.”


So Alice began telling them her adventures from the time when she first saw the

White Rabbit. She was a little nervous about it just at first, the two

creatures got so close to her, one on each side, and opened their eyes and

mouths so very wide, but she gained courage as she went on. Her

listeners were perfectly quiet till she got to the part about her repeating

“You are old, Father William,” to the Caterpillar, and the

words all coming different, and then the Mock Turtle drew a long breath, and

said “That’s very curious.”


“It’s all about as curious as it can be,” said the Gryphon.


“It all came different!” the Mock Turtle repeated thoughtfully.

“I should like to hear her try and repeat something now. Tell her to

begin.” He looked at the Gryphon as if he thought it had some kind of

authority over Alice.


“Stand up and repeat ‘’Tis the voice of the

sluggard,’” said the Gryphon.


“How the creatures order one about, and make one repeat lessons!”

thought Alice; “I might as well be at school at once.” However, she

got up, and began to repeat it, but her head was so full of the Lobster

Quadrille, that she hardly knew what she was saying, and the words came very

queer indeed:—


“’Tis the voice of the Lobster; I heard him declare,

“You have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair.”

As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his nose

Trims his belt and his buttons, and turns out his toes.”


[later editions continued as follows