Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

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When the procession came opposite to Alice, they all stopped and looked at her, and the Queen said severely, Who is this? She said it to the Knave of Hearts, who only bowed and smiled in reply. Idiot! said the Queen, tossing her head impatiently, and turning to Alice, she went on, What's your name, child? My name is Alice, so please your Majesty, said Alice, very politely, but she added to herself, Why, they're only a pack of cards, after all. I needn't be afraid of them

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have any rules in particular; at least, if there are, nobody attends to them, and you've no idea how confusing it is all the things being alive; for instance, there's the arch I've got to go through next walking about at the other end of the ground—and I should have croqueted the Queen's hedgehog just now, only it ran away when it saw mine coming!' 'How do you like the Queen?' said the Cat in a low voice. 'Not at all,' said Alice: 'she's so extremely—' Just then she noticed that the Queen was close behind her, listening: so she went on, 'likely to win, that it's hardly worth while finishing the game.' The Queen smiled and passed on.

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In another minute the whole head appeared, and then Alice put down her flamingo and began an account of the game, feeling very glad she had someone to listen to her. The Cat seemed to think that there was enough of it now in sight, and no more of it appeared. 'I don't think they play at all fairly,' Alice began, in rather a complaining tone, 'and they all quarrel so dreadfully one can't hear oneself speak—and they don't seem to

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"Did you say 'What a pity!'?" the Rabbit asked. "No, I didn't," said Alice: "I don't think it's at all a pity. I said 'What for?'" "She boxed the Queen's ears-" the Rabbit began. Alice gave a little scream of laughter. "Oh, hush!" the Rabbit whispered in a frightened tone. "The Queen will hear you! You see, she came rather late, and the Queen said-" "Get to your places!" shouted the Queen in a voice of thunder, and people began running about in all directions, tumbling up against each other. However, they got settled down in a minute or two, and the game began.

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Besides all this, there was generally a ridge or furrow in the 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, quarrelling all the while, and fighting for the hedgehogs, and in a very short time the Queen was in a furious passion, and went stamping about, and shouting Off with his head! or Off with her head! about once in a minute.

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"A fine day, Your Majesty," the Duchess began in a low, weak voice. "Now, I give you fair warning," shouted the Queen, stamping on the ground as she spoke. "Either you or your head must be off, and that in about half no time. Take your choice." The Duchess took her choice and was gone in a moment. "Let's go on with the game," the Queen said to Alice, and Alice was too much frightened to say a word, but slowly followed her back to the croquet ground.

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"Why, there they are!" said the King triumphantly, pointing to the tarts on the table. "Nothing can be clearer than that. Then again—'before she had this fit'—you never had fits, my dear, I think?" he said to the Queen. "Never!" said the Queen furiously, throwing an inkstand at the Lizard as she spoke. The unfortunate little Bill had left off writing on his slate with one finger, as he found it made no mark; but he now hastily began again, using the ink, that was trickling down his face, as long as it lasted

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It was at the Great Concert given by the Queen of Hearts, and I had to sing Twinkle, twinkle, little bat, how I wonder what you're at. You know the song, perhaps? I've heard something like it, said Alice. It goes on, you know, the Hatter continued, in this way. Up above the world you fly, like a tea tray in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle. Here the dormouse shook itself and began singing in its sleep. Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle. And went on so long that they had to pinch it to make it stop.

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The other guests had taken advantage of the Queen's absence and were resting in the shade. However, the moment they saw her, they hurried back to the game, the Queen merely remarking that a moment's delay would cost them their lives. All the time they were playing, the Queen never left off quarrelling with the other players and shouting, 'Off with his head!' or 'Off with her head!'