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 âYou are old, Father William ,â to the Caterpillar, and the words all coming different, and then the Mock Turtle drew a long breath, and said âThatâs very curious.â
âItâs all about as curious as it can be,â said the Gryphon.
âIt all came different!â the Mock Turtle repeated thoughtfully. âI should like to hear her try and repeatsomething now. Tell her to begin.â He looked at the Gryphon as if he thought it had some kind of authority over Alice.
âStand up and repeat ââTis the voice of the sluggardâ â said the Gryphon.
âHow the creatures order one about, and make one repeat lessons!â thought Alice; âI might as well be at school at once.â 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:
âTis the voice of the Lobster; I heard him declare,
â âYou have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair.â
â As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his nose
â Trims his belt and his buttons, and turns out his toes.â
âThatâs different from what I used to say when I was a child,â said the Gryphon.
âWell, I never heard it before,â said the Mock Turtle; âbut it sounds uncommon nonsense.â
Alice said nothing; she had sat down with her face in her hands, wondering if anything would ever happen in a natural way again.
âI should like to have it explained,â said the Mock Turtle.
âShe canât explain it,â said the Gryphon hastily. âGo on with the next verse.â
âBut about his toes?â the Mock Turtle persisted. âHow could he turn them out with his nose, you know?â
âItâs the first position in dancing,â Alice said; but was dreadfully puzzled by the whole thing, and longed to change the subject.
âGo on with the next verse,â the Gryphon repeated impatiently: âit begins âI passed by his garden.â â
Alice did not dare to disobey, though she felt sure it would all come wrong, and she went on in a trembling voice:
âI passed by his garden, and marked, with one eye,
â How the Owl and the Panther were sharing a pie ââ
âWhat is the use of repeating all that stuff,â the Mock Turtle interrupted, âif you donât explain it as you go on? Itâs by far the most confusing thing I ever heard!â
âYes, I think youâd better leave off,â said the Gryphon: and Alice was only too glad to do so.
âShall we try another figure of the Lobster Quadrille?â the Gryphon went on. âOr would you like the Mock Turtle to sing you a song?â
âOh, a song, please, if the Mock Turtle would be so kind,â Alice replied, so eagerly that the Gryphon said, in a rather offended tone, âHm! No accounting for tastes! Sing her âTurtle Soup,â will you, old fellow?â
The Mock Turtle sighed deeply, and began, in a voice sometimes choked with sobs, to sing this:
âBeautiful Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
â Beau â ootiful Soo â oop!
â Beau â ootiful Soo â oop!
Soo â oop of the e â e â evening,
â Beautiful, beautiful Soup!
Â
âBeautiful Soup! Who cares for fish,
Game, or any other dish?
Who would not give all else for two p
ennyworth only of beautiful Soup?
Pennyworth only of beautiful Soup?
â Beau â ootiful Soo â oop!
â Beau â ootiful Soo â oop!
Soo â oop of the e â e â
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