



Produced by Cindy Horton, readbueno, and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The University of Florida, The Internet
Archive/Children's Library)









THE NURSERY “ALICE.”

[Illustration:

      [_See p. 50._
]




  PEOPLE’S EDITION

  _PRICE TWO SHILLINGS_

  THE NURSERY “ALICE”

  _CONTAINING TWENTY COLOURED ENLARGEMENTS
  FROM
  TENNIEL’S ILLUSTRATIONS
  TO_
  “ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND”
  _WITH TEXT ADAPTED TO NURSERY READERS_

  BY
  LEWIS CARROLL

  _THE COVER DESIGNED AND COLOURED_
  BY
  E. GERTRUDE THOMSON

  London
  MACMILLAN AND CO.
  1889
  [_All rights reserved_]




  LONDON
  ENGRAVED AND PRINTED
  BY
  EDMUND EVANS




A Nursery Darling.


                A Mother’s breast:
    Safe refuge from her childish fears,
    From childish troubles, childish tears,
    Mists that enshroud her dawning years!
    See how in sleep she seems to sing
    A voiceless psalm--an offering
    Raised, to the glory of her King,
          In Love: for Love is Rest.

                A Darling’s kiss:
    Dearest of all the signs that fleet
    From lips that lovingly repeat
    Again, again, their message sweet!
    Full to the brim with girlish glee,
    A child, a very child is she,
    Whose dream of Heaven is still to be
          A: Home: for Home is Bliss.




PREFACE.

(_ADDRESSED TO ANY MOTHER._)


I have reason to believe that “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”
has been read by some hundreds of English Children, aged from Five
to Fifteen: also by Children, aged from Fifteen to Twenty-five: yet
again by Children, aged from Twenty-five to Thirty-five: and even by
Children--for there _are_ such--Children in whom no waning of health
and strength, no weariness of the solemn mockery, and the gaudy
glitter, and the hopeless misery, of Life has availed to parch the pure
fountain of joy that wells up in all child-like hearts--Children of a
“certain” age, whose tale of years must be left untold, and buried in
respectful silence.

And my ambition _now_ is (is it a vain one?) to be read by Children
aged from Nought to Five. To be read? Nay, not so! Say rather to be
thumbed, to be cooed over, to be dogs’-eared, to be rumpled, to be
kissed, by the illiterate, ungrammatical, dimpled Darlings, that fill
your Nursery with merry uproar, and your inmost heart of hearts with a
restful gladness!

Such, for instance, as a child I once knew, who--having been carefully
instructed that _one_ of any earthly thing was enough for any little
girl; and that to ask for _two_ buns, _two_ oranges, _two_ of anything,
would certainly bring upon her the awful charge of being “greedy”--was
found one morning sitting up in bed, solemnly regarding her _two_
little naked feet, and murmuring to herself, softly and penitently,
“deedy!”

_Eastertide, 1889._




CONTENTS.


                                 PAGE

     I. THE WHITE RABBIT            1

    II. HOW ALICE GREW TALL         5

   III. THE POOL OF TEARS           9

    IV. THE CAUCUS-RACE            13

     V. BILL, THE LIZARD           17

    VI. THE DEAR LITTLE PUPPY      21

   VII. THE BLUE CATERPILLAR       25

  VIII. THE PIG-BABY               29

    IX. THE CHESHIRE-CAT           33

     X. THE MAD TEA-PARTY          37

    XI. THE QUEEN’S GARDEN         41

   XII. THE LOBSTER-QUADRILLE      45

  XIII. WHO STOLE THE TARTS?       49

   XIV. THE SHOWER OF CARDS        54




[Illustration]

I.

THE WHITE RABBIT.


Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Alice: and she had a
very curious dream.

Would you like to hear what it was that she dreamed about?

Well, this was the _first_ thing that happened. A White Rabbit came
running by, in a great hurry; and, just as it passed Alice, it stopped,
and took its watch out of its pocket.

Wasn’t _that_ a funny thing? Did _you_ ever see a Rabbit that had a
watch, and a pocket to put it in? Of course, when a Rabbit has a watch,
it _must_ have a pocket to put it in: it would never do to carry it
about in its mouth----and it wants its hands sometimes, to run about
with.

Hasn’t it got pretty pink eyes (I think _all_ White Rabbits have pink
eyes); and pink ears; and a nice brown coat; and you can just see its
red pocket-handkerchief peeping out of its coat-pocket: and, what with
its blue neck-tie and its yellow waistcoat, it really is _very_ nicely
dressed.

“Oh dear, oh dear!” said the Rabbit. “I shall be too late!” _What_
would it be too late _for_, I wonder? Well, you see, it had to go and
visit the Duchess (you’ll see a picture of the Duchess, soon, sitting
in her kitchen): and the Duchess was a very cross old lady: and the
Rabbit _knew_ she’d be very angry indeed if he kept her waiting. So the
poor thing was as frightened as frightened could be (Don’t you see how
he’s trembling? Just shake the book a little, from side to side, and
you’ll soon see him tremble), because he thought the Duchess would have
his head cut off, for a punishment. That was what the Queen of Hearts
used to do, when _she_ was angry with people (you’ll see a picture of
_her_, soon): at least she used to _order_ their heads to be cut off,
and she always _thought_ it was done, though they never _really_ did it.

And so, when the White Rabbit ran away, Alice wanted to see what would
happen to it: so she ran after it: and she ran, and she ran, till she
tumbled right down the rabbit-hole.

And then she had a very long fall indeed. Down, and down, and down,
till she began to wonder if she was going right _through_ the World, so
as to come out on the other side!

It was just like a very deep well: only there was no water in it. If
anybody _really_ had such a fall as that, it would kill them, most
likely: but you know it doesn’t hurt a bit to fall in a _dream_,
because, all the time you _think_ you’re falling, you really _are_
lying somewhere, safe and sound, and fast asleep!

However, this terrible fall came to an end at last, and down came Alice
on a heap of sticks and dry leaves. But she wasn’t a bit hurt, and up
she jumped, and ran after the Rabbit again.

And so that was the beginning of Alice’s curious dream. And, next time
you see a White Rabbit, try and fancy _you’re_ going to have a curious
dream, just like dear little Alice.




[Illustration]

II.

HOW ALICE GREW TALL.


And so, after Alice had tumbled down the rabbit-hole, and had run a
long long way underground, all of a sudden she found herself in a great
hall, with doors all round it.

But all the doors were locked: so, you see, poor Alice couldn’t get out
of the hall: and that made her very sad.

However, after a little while, she came to a little table, all made of
glass, with three legs (There are _two_ of the legs in the picture, and
just the _beginning_ of the other leg, do you see?), and on the table
was a little key: and she went round the hall, and tried if she could
unlock any of the doors with it.

Poor Alice! The key wouldn’t unlock _any_ of the doors. But at last she
came upon a tiny little door: and oh, how glad she was, when she found
the key would fit it!

So she unlocked the tiny little door, and she stooped down and looked
through it, and what do you think she saw? Oh, such a beautiful garden!
And she did so _long_ to go into it! But the door was _far_ too small.
She couldn’t squeeze herself through, any more than _you_ could squeeze
yourself into a mouse-hole!

So poor little Alice locked up the door, and took the key back to the
table again: and _this_ time she found quite a new thing on it (now
look at the picture again), and what do you think it was? It was a
little bottle, with a label tied to it, with the words “DRINK ME” on
the label.

So she tasted it: and it was _very_ nice: so she set to work, and drank
it up. And then _such_ a curious thing happened to her! You’ll never
guess what it was: so I shall have to tell you. She got smaller, and
smaller, till at last she was just the size of a little doll!

Then she said to herself “_Now_ I’m the right size to get through the
little door!” And away she ran. But, when she got there, the door was
locked, and the key was on the top of the table, and she couldn’t reach
it! _Wasn’t_ it a pity she had locked up the door again?

Well, the next thing she found was a little cake: and it had the words
“EAT ME” marked on it. So of course she set to work and ate it up. And
_then_ what do you think happened to her? No, you’ll never guess! I
shall have to tell you again.

She grew, and she grew, and she grew. Taller than she was before!
Taller than _any_ child! Taller than any grown-up person! Taller, and
taller, and taller! Just look at the picture, and you’ll _see_ how tall
she got!

[Illustration]

Which would _you_ have liked the best, do you think, to be a little
tiny Alice, no larger than a kitten, or a great tall Alice, with your
head always knocking against the ceiling?




III.

THE POOL OF TEARS.


Perhaps you think Alice must have been very much pleased, when she had
eaten the little cake, to find herself growing so tremendously tall?
Because of course it would be easy enough, _now_, to reach the little
key off the glass table, and to open the little tiny door.

Well, of course she could do _that_: but what good was it to get the
door open, when she couldn’t get _through_? She was worse off than
ever, poor thing! She could just manage, by putting her head down,
close to the ground, to _look_ through with one eye! But that was _all_
she could do. No wonder the poor tall child sat down and cried as if
her heart would break.

So she cried, and she cried. And her tears ran down the middle of the
hall, like a deep river. And very soon there was quite a large Pool of
Tears, reaching half-way down the hall.

And there she might have staid, till this very day, if the White
Rabbit hadn’t happened to come through the hall, on his way to visit
the Duchess. He was dressed up as grand as grand could be, and he
had a pair of white kid gloves in one hand, and a little fan in the
other hand: and he kept on muttering to himself “Oh, the Duchess, the
Duchess! Oh, _won’t_ she be savage if I’ve kept her waiting!”

But he didn’t see Alice, you know. So, when she began to say “If
you please, Sir----” her voice seemed to come from the top of the
hall, because her head was so high up. And the Rabbit was dreadfully
frightened: and he dropped the gloves and the fan, and ran away as hard
as he could go.

Then a _very_ curious thing indeed happened. Alice took up the fan, and
began to fan herself with it: and, lo and behold, she got quite small
again, and, all in a minute, she was just about the size of a mouse!

[Illustration]

Now look at the picture, and you’ll soon guess what happened next. It
looks just like the sea, doesn’t it? But it _really_ is the Pool of
Tears----all made of _Alice’s_ tears, you know!

And Alice has tumbled into the Pool: and the Mouse has tumbled in: and
there they are, swimming about together.

Doesn’t Alice look pretty, as she swims across the picture? You can
just see her blue stockings, far away under the water.

But why is the Mouse swimming away from Alice in such a hurry? Well,
the reason is, that Alice began talking about cats and dogs: and a
Mouse always _hates_ talking about cats and dogs!

Suppose _you_ were swimming about, in a Pool of your own Tears: and
suppose somebody began talking to _you_ about lesson-books and bottles
of medicine, wouldn’t _you_ swim away as hard as you could go?




IV.

THE CAUCUS-RACE.


When Alice and the Mouse had got out of the Pool of Tears, of course
they were very wet: and so were a lot of other curious creatures, that
had tumbled in as well. There was a Dodo (that’s the great bird, in
front, leaning on a walking-stick); and a Duck; and a Lory (that’s just
behind the Duck, looking over its head); and an Eaglet (that’s on the
left-hand side of the Lory); and several others.

Well, and so they didn’t know how in the world they were to get dry
again. But the Dodo----who was a very wise bird----told them the right
way was to have a Caucus-Race. And what do you think _that_ was?

_You don’t know?_ Well, you _are_ an ignorant child! Now, be very
attentive, and I’ll soon cure you of your ignorance!

First, you must have a _racecourse_. It ought to be a _sort_ of circle,
but it doesn’t much matter _what_ shape it is, so long as it goes a
good way round, and joins on to itself again.

Then, you must put all the _racers_ on the course, here and there:
it doesn’t matter _where_, so long as you don’t crowd them too much
together.

Then, you needn’t say “One, two, three, and away!” but let them all set
off running just when they like, and leave off just when they like.

So all these creatures, Alice and all, went on running round and round,
till they were all quite dry again. And then the Dodo said _everybody_
had won, and _everybody_ must have prizes!

Of course _Alice_ had to give them their prizes. And she had nothing
to give them but a few comfits she happened to have in her pocket. And
there was just one a-piece, all round. And there was no prize for Alice!

So what do you think they did? Alice had nothing left but her thimble.
Now look at the picture, and you’ll see what happened.

[Illustration]

“Hand it over here!” said the Dodo.

Then the Dodo took the thimble and handed it back to Alice, and said
“We beg your acceptance of this elegant thimble!” And then all the
other creatures cheered.

Wasn’t _that_ a curious sort of present to give her? Suppose they
wanted to give _you_ a birthday-present, would you rather they should
go to your toy-cupboard, and pick out your nicest doll, and say “Here,
my love, here’s a lovely birthday-present for you!” or would you like
them to give you something _new_, something that _didn’t_ belong to you
before?




V.

BILL, THE LIZARD.


Now I’m going to tell you about Alice’s Adventures in the White
Rabbit’s house.

Do you remember how the Rabbit dropped his gloves and his fan, when
he was so frightened at hearing Alice’s voice, that seemed to come
down from the sky? Well, of course he couldn’t go to visit the Duchess
_without_ his gloves and his fan: so, after a bit, he came back again
to look for them.

By this time the Dodo and all the other curious creatures had gone
away, and Alice was wandering about all alone.

So what do you think he did? Actually he thought she was his housemaid,
and began ordering her about! “Mary Ann!” he said. “Go home this very
minute, and fetch me a pair of gloves and a fan! Quick, now!”

Perhaps he couldn’t see very clearly with his pink eyes: for I’m sure
Alice doesn’t look very _like_ a housemaid, _does_ she? However she was
a very good-natured little girl: so she wasn’t a bit offended, but ran
off to the Rabbit’s house as quick as she could.

It was lucky she found the door open: for, if she had had to ring, I
suppose the _real_ Mary Ann would have come to open the door: and she
would _never_ have let Alice come in. And I’m sure it was _very_ lucky
she didn’t meet the real Mary Ann, as she trotted upstairs: for I’m
afraid she would have taken Alice for a robber!

So at last she found her way into the Rabbit’s room: and there was a
pair of gloves lying on the table, and she was just going to take them
up and go away, when she happened to see a little bottle on the table.
And of course it had the words “DRINK ME!” on the label. And of course
Alice drank some!

Well, I think that was _rather_ lucky, too: don’t _you_? For, if she
_hadn’t_ drunk any, all this wonderful adventure, that I’m going to
tell you about, wouldn’t have happened at all. And wouldn’t _that_ have
been a pity?

You’re getting so used to Alice’s Adventures, that I daresay you can
guess what happened next? If you can’t, I’ll tell you.

She grew, and she grew, and she grew. And in a very short time the room
was full of _Alice_: just in the same way as a jar is full of jam!
There was _Alice_ all the way up to the ceiling: and _Alice_ in every
corner of the room!

[Illustration]

The door opened inwards: so of course there wasn’t any room to open it:
so when the Rabbit got tired of waiting, and came to fetch his gloves
for himself, of course he couldn’t get in.

So what do you think he did? (Now we come to the picture). He sent
Bill, the Lizard, up to the roof of the house, and told him to get
down the chimney. But Alice happened to have one of her feet in the
fire-place: so, when she heard Bill coming down the chimney, she just
gave a little tiny kick, and away went Bill, flying up into the sky!

Poor little Bill! Don’t you pity him very much? How frightened he must
have been!




VI.

THE DEAR LITTLE PUPPY.


Well, it doesn’t look such a very _little_ Puppy, does it? But then,
you see, Alice had grown very small indeed: and _that’s_ what makes
the Puppy look so large. When Alice had eaten one of those little
magic cakes, that she found in the White Rabbit’s house, it made her
get quite small, directly, so that she could get through the door: or
else she could _never_ have got out of the house again. Wouldn’t _that_
have been a pity? Because then she wouldn’t have dreamed all the other
curious things that we’re going to read about.

So it really _was_ a _little_ Puppy, you see. And isn’t it a little
_pet_? And look at the way it’s barking at the little stick that Alice
is holding out for it! You can see she was a _little_ afraid of it,
all the time, because she’s got behind that great thistle, for fear it
should run over her. That would have been just about as bad, for _her_,
as it would be for _you_ to be run over by a waggon and four horses!

Have you got a little pet puppy at _your_ home? If you have, I hope
you’re always kind to it, and give it nice things to eat.

Once upon a time, I knew some little children, about as big as you; and
they had a little pet dog of their own; and it was called _Dash_. And
this is what they told me about its birthday-treat.

“Do you know, one day we remembered it was Dash’s birthday that day. So
we said ‘Let’s give Dash a nice birthday-treat, like what we have on
_our_ birthdays!’ So we thought and we thought ‘Now, what is it _we_
like best of all, on _our_ birthdays?’ And we thought and we thought.
And at last we all called out together “Why, its _oatmeal-porridge_, of
course!” So of course we thought Dash would be _quite_ sure to like it
very much, too.

[Illustration]

“So we went to the cook, and we got her to make a saucerful of nice
oatmeal-porridge. And then we called Dash into the house, and we said
‘Now, Dash, you’re going to have your birthday-treat!’ We expected Dash
would jump for joy: but it didn’t, one bit!

“So we put the saucer down before it, and we said ‘Now, Dash, don’t be
greedy! Eat it nicely, like a good dog!’

“So Dash just tasted it with the tip of its tongue: and then it made,
oh, such a horrid face! And then, do you know, it did _hate_ it so, it
wouldn’t eat a bit more of it! So we had to put it all down its throat
with a spoon!”

I wonder if Alice will give _this_ little Puppy some porridge? I don’t
think she _can_, because she hasn’t got any with her. I can’t see any
saucer in the picture.




VII.

THE BLUE CATERPILLAR.


Would you like to know what happened to Alice, after she had got away
from the Puppy? It was far too large an animal, you know, for _her_ to
play with. (I don’t suppose _you_ would much enjoy playing with a young
Hippopotamus, would you? You would always be expecting to be crushed as
flat as a pancake under its great heavy feet!) So Alice was very glad
to run away, while it wasn’t looking.

Well, she wandered up and down, and didn’t know what in the world to
do, to make herself grow up to her right size again. Of course she knew
that she had to eat or drink _something_: that was the regular rule,
you know: but she couldn’t guess _what_ thing.

[Illustration]

However, she soon came to a great mushroom, that was so tall that she
couldn’t see over the top of it without standing on tip-toe. And what
do you think she saw? Something that I’m sure _you_ never talked to, in
all your life!

It was a large Blue Caterpillar.

I’ll tell you, soon, what Alice and the Caterpillar talked about: but
first let us have a good look at the picture.

That curious thing, standing in front of the Caterpillar, is called a
“hookah”: and it’s used for smoking. The smoke comes through that long
tube, that winds round and round like a serpent.

And do you see its long nose and chin? At least, they _look_ exactly
like a nose and chin, don’t they? But they really _are_ two of its
legs. You know a Caterpillar has got _quantities_ of legs: you can see
some more of them, further down.

What a bother it must be to a Caterpillar, counting over such a lot of
legs, every night, to make sure it hasn’t lost any of them!

And _another_ great bother must be, having to settle _which_ leg it had
better move first. I think, if _you_ had forty or fifty legs, and if
you wanted to go a walk, you’d be such a time in settling which leg to
begin with, that you’d never go a walk at all!

And what did Alice and the Caterpillar _talk_ about, I wonder?

Well, Alice told it how _very_ confusing it was, being first one size
and then another.

And the Caterpillar asked her if she liked the size she was, just then.

And Alice said she would like to be just a _little_ bit larger----three
inches was such a _wretched_ height to be! (Just mark off three inches
on the wall, about the length of your middle finger, and you’ll see
what size she was.)

And the Caterpillar told her one side of the mushroom would make her
grow _taller_, and the other side would make her grow _shorter_.

So Alice took two little bits of it with her to nibble, and managed to
make herself quite a nice comfortable height, before she went on to
visit the Duchess.




[Illustration]

VIII.

THE PIG-BABY.


Would you like to hear about Alice’s visit to the Duchess? It was a
very interesting visit indeed, I can assure you.

Of course she knocked at the door to begin with: but nobody came: so
she had to open it for herself.

Now, if you look at the picture, you’ll see exactly what Alice saw when
she got inside.

The door led right into the kitchen, you see. The Duchess sat in the
middle of the room, nursing the Baby. The Baby was howling. The soup
was boiling. The Cook was stirring the soup. The Cat----it was a
_Cheshire_ Cat----was grinning, as Cheshire Cats always do. All these
things were happening just as Alice went in.

The Duchess has a beautiful cap and gown, hasn’t she? But I’m afraid
she _hasn’t_ got a very beautiful _face_.

The Baby----well, I daresay you’ve seen _several_ nicer babies than
_that_: and more good-tempered ones, too. However, take a good look at
it, and we’ll see if you know it again, next time you meet it!

The Cook----well, you _may_ have seen nicer cooks, once or twice.

But I’m nearly sure you’ve _never_ seen a nicer _Cat_! Now _have_ you?
And _wouldn’t_ you like to have a Cat of your own, just like that one,
with lovely green eyes, and smiling so sweetly?

The Duchess was very rude to Alice. And no wonder. Why, she even called
her own _Baby_ “Pig!” And it _wasn’t_ a Pig, _was_ it? And she ordered
the Cook to chop off Alice’s head: though of course the Cook didn’t do
it: and at last she threw the Baby at her! So Alice caught the Baby,
and took it away with her: and I think that was about the best thing
she could do.

So she wandered away, through the wood, carrying the ugly little thing
with her. And a great job it was to keep hold of it, it wriggled about
so. But at last she found out that the _proper_ way was, to keep tight
hold of its left foot and its right ear.

But don’t _you_ try to hold on to a Baby like that, my Child! There are
not many babies that _like_ being nursed in _that_ way!

Well, and so the Baby kept grunting, and grunting so that Alice had to
say to it, quite seriously, “If you’re going to turn into a _Pig_, my
dear, I’ll have nothing more to do with you. Mind now!”

And at last she looked down into its face, and what _do_ you think had
happened to it? Look at the picture, and see if you can guess.

[Illustration]

“Why, _that’s_ not the Baby that Alice was nursing, is it?”

Ah, I _knew_ you wouldn’t know it again, though I told you to take a
good look at it! Yes, it _is_ the Baby. And it’s turned into a little
_Pig_!

So Alice put it down, and let it trot away into the wood. And she said
to herself “It was a _very_ ugly _Baby_: but it makes rather a handsome
_Pig_, I think.”

Don’t you think she was right?




IX.

THE CHESHIRE-CAT.


All alone, all alone! Poor Alice! No Baby, not even a _Pig_ to keep her
company!

So you may be sure she was very glad indeed, when she saw the
Cheshire-Cat, perched up in a tree, over her head.

The Cat has a very nice smile, no doubt: but just look what a lot of
teeth it’s got! Isn’t Alice just a _little_ shy of it?

Well, yes, a _little_. But then, it couldn’t help having teeth, you
know: and it _could_ have helped smiling, supposing it had been cross.
So, on the whole, she was _glad_.

Doesn’t Alice look very prim, holding her head so straight up, and with
her hands behind her, just as if she were going to say her lessons to
the Cat!

[Illustration]

And that reminds me. There’s a little lesson I want to teach _you_,
while we’re looking at this picture of Alice and the Cat. Now don’t be
in a bad temper about it, my dear Child! It’s a very _little_ lesson
indeed!

Do you see that Fox-Glove growing close to the tree? And do you know
why it’s called a _Fox_-Glove? Perhaps you think it’s got something to
do with a Fox? No indeed! _Foxes_ never wear Gloves!

The right word is “_Folk’s_-Gloves.” Did you ever hear that Fairies
used to be called “the good _Folk_”?

Now we’ve finished the lesson, and we’ll wait a minute, till you’ve got
your temper again.

Well? Do you feel quite good-natured again? No temper-ache? No
crossness about the corners of the mouth? Then we’ll go on.

“Cheshire Puss!” said Alice. (_Wasn’t_ that a pretty name for a Cat?)
“Would you tell me which way I ought to go from here?”

And so the Cheshire-Cat told her which way she ought to go, if she
wanted to visit the Hatter, and which way to go, to visit the March
Hare. “They’re both mad!” said the Cat.

And then the Cat vanished away, just like the flame of a candle when it
goes out!

So Alice set off, to visit the March Hare. And as she went along, there
was the Cat again! And she told it she didn’t _like_ it coming and
going so quickly.

[Illustration]

So this time the Cat vanished quite slowly, beginning with the tail,
and ending with the grin. Wasn’t _that_ a curious thing, a Grin without
any Cat? Would you like to see one?

If you turn up the corner of this leaf, you’ll have Alice looking at
the Grin: and she doesn’t look a bit more frightened than when she was
looking at the Cat, _does_ she?




X.

THE MAD TEA-PARTY.


This is the Mad Tea-Party. You see Alice had left the Cheshire-Cat, and
had gone off to see the March Hare and the Hatter, as the Cheshire-Cat
had advised her: and she found them having tea under a great tree, with
a Dormouse sitting between them.

There were only those three at the table, but there were quantities of
tea-cups set all along it. You ca’n’t see all the table, you know, and
even in the bit you _can_ see there are nine cups, counting the one the
March Hare has got in his hand.

That’s the March Hare, with the long ears, and straws mixed up with his
hair. The straws showed he was mad----I don’t know why. Never twist up
straws among _your_ hair, for fear people should think you’re mad!

There was a nice green arm-chair at the end of the table, that looked
as if it was just meant for Alice: so she went and sat down in it.

Then she had quite a long talk with the March Hare and the Hatter. The
Dormouse didn’t say much. You see it was fast asleep generally, and it
only just woke up for a moment, now and then.

As long as it was asleep, it was very useful to the March Hare and the
Hatter, because it had a nice round soft head, just like a pillow: so
they could put their elbows on it, and lean across it, and talk to
each other quite comfortably. You wouldn’t like people to use _your_
head for a pillow, _would_ you? But if you were fast asleep, like the
Dormouse, you wouldn’t feel it: so I suppose you wouldn’t care about it.

[Illustration]

I’m afraid they gave Alice _very_ little to eat and drink. However,
after a bit, she helped herself to some tea and bread-and-butter: only
I don’t quite see where she _got_ the bread-and-butter: and she had no
plate for it. Nobody seems to have a plate except the Hatter. I believe
the March Hare must have had one as well: because, when they all moved
one place on (that was the rule at this curious tea-party), and Alice
had to go into the place of the March Hare, she found he had just upset
the milk-jug into his plate. So I suppose his plate and the milk-jug
are hidden behind that large tea-pot.

The Hatter used to carry about hats to sell: and even the one that he’s
got on his head is meant to be sold. You see it’s got its price marked
on it----a “10” and a “6”----that means “ten shillings and sixpence.”
Wasn’t that a funny way of selling hats? And hasn’t he got a beautiful
neck-tie on? Such a lovely yellow tie, with large red spots.

He has just got up to say to Alice “Your hair wants cutting!” That was
a rude thing to say, _wasn’t_ it? And do you think her hair _does_ want
cutting? _I_ think it’s a very pretty length----just the right length.




XI.

THE QUEEN’S GARDEN.


This is a little bit of the beautiful garden I told you about. You see
Alice had managed at last to get quite small, so that she could go
through the little door. I suppose she was about as tall as a mouse,
if it stood on its hind-legs: so of course this was a _very_ tiny
rose-tree: and these are _very_ tiny gardeners.

[Illustration]

What funny little men they are! But _are_ they men, do you think? I
think they must be live cards, with just a head, and arms, and legs, so
as to _look_ like little men. And what _are_ they doing with that red
paint, I wonder? Well, you see, this is what they told Alice The Queen
of Hearts wanted to have a _red_ rose-tree just in that corner: and
these poor little gardeners had made a great mistake, and had put in a
_white_ one instead: and they were so frightened about it, because the
Queen was _sure_ to be angry, and then she would order all their heads
to be cut off!

She was a dreadfully savage Queen, and that was the way she always did,
when she was angry with people. “Off with their heads!” They didn’t
_really_ cut their heads off, you know: because nobody ever obeyed her:
but that was what she always _said_.

_Now_ ca’n’t you guess what the poor little gardeners are trying to
do? They’re trying to paint the roses _red_, and they’re in a great
hurry to get it done before the Queen comes. And then _perhaps_ the
Queen won’t find out it was a _white_ rose-tree to begin with: and then
_perhaps_ the little men won’t get their heads cut off!

You see there were _five_ large white roses on the tree----such a job
to get them all painted red! But they’ve got three and a half done,
now, and if only they wouldn’t stop to talk----work away, little men,
_do_ work away! Or the Queen will be coming before it’s done! And if
she finds any _white_ roses on the tree, do you know what will happen?
It will be “Off with their heads!” Oh, work away, my little men! Hurry,
hurry!

[Illustration]

_The Queen has come!_ And _isn’t_ she angry? Oh, my poor little Alice!




XII.

THE LOBSTER-QUADRILLE.


Did you ever play at Croquet? There are large wooden balls, painted
with different colours, that you have to roll about; and arches of
wire, that you have to send them through; and great wooden mallets,
with long handles, to knock the balls about with.

Now look at the picture, and you’ll see that _Alice_ has just been
playing a Game of Croquet.

“But she _couldn’t_ play, with that great red what’s-its-name in her
arms! Why, how could she hold the mallet?”

[Illustration]

Why, my dear Child, that great red what’s-its-name (its _real_ name is
“_a Flamingo_”) _is_ the mallet! In this Croquet-Game, the balls were
live _Hedge-hogs_----you know a hedge-hog can roll itself up into a
ball?----and the mallets were live _Flamingos_!

So Alice is just resting from the Game, for a minute, to have a chat
with that dear old thing, the Duchess: and of course she keeps her
mallet under her arm, so as not to lose it.

“But I don’t think she _was_ a dear old thing, one bit! To call her
Baby a _Pig_, and to want to chop off Alice’s head!”

Oh, that was only a joke, about chopping off Alice’s head: and as
to the Baby----why, it _was_ a Pig, you know! And just look at her
_smile_! Why, it’s wider than all Alice’s head: and yet you can only
see half of it!

Well, they’d only had a _very_ little chat, when the Queen came and
took Alice away, to see the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle.

_You don’t know what a Gryphon is?_ Well! Do you know _anything_?
That’s the question. However, look at the picture. That creature with
a red head, and red claws, and green scales, is the _Gryphon_. Now you
know.

And the other’s the _Mock Turtle_. It’s got a calf’s-head, because
calf’s head is used to make _Mock Turtle Soup_. Now you know.

“But what are they _doing_, going round and round Alice like that?”

Why, I thought of _course_ you’d know _that_! They’re dancing _a
Lobster-Quadrille_.

[Illustration]

And next time _you_ meet a Gryphon and a Mock Turtle, I daresay they’ll
dance it for _you_, if you ask them prettily. Only don’t let them come
_quite_ close, or they’ll be treading on your toes, as they did on poor
Alice’s.




XIII.

WHO STOLE THE TARTS?


Did you ever hear how the Queen of Hearts made some tarts? And can you
tell me what became of them?

“Why, of _course_ I can! Doesn’t the song tell all about it?

    _The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts:
        All on a summer day:
    The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts,
        And took them quite away!_”

Well, yes, the _Song_ says so. But it would never do to punish the poor
Knave, just because there was a _Song_ about him. They had to take him
prisoner, and put chains on his wrists, and bring him before the King
of Hearts, so that there might be a regular trial.

Now, if you look at the big picture, at the beginning of this book,
you’ll see what a grand thing a trial is, when the Judge is a King!

The King is very grand, _isn’t_ he? But he doesn’t look very _happy_. I
think that big crown, on the top of his wig, must be _very_ heavy and
uncomfortable. But he had to wear them _both_, you see, so that people
might know he was a Judge _and_ a King.

And _doesn’t_ the Queen look cross? She can see the dish of tarts on
the table, that she had taken such trouble to make. And she can see the
bad Knave (do you see the chains hanging from his wrists?) that stole
them away from her: so I don’t think it’s any wonder if she _does_ feel
a _little_ cross.

The White Rabbit is standing near the King, reading out the Song, to
tell everybody what a bad Knave he is: and the Jury (you can just see
two of them, up in the Jury-box, the Frog and the Duck) have to settle
whether he’s “guilty” or “not guilty.”

Now I’ll tell you about the accident that happened to Alice.

You see, she was sitting close by the Jury-box: and she was called as
a witness. You know what a “witness” is? A “witness” is a person who
has seen the prisoner do whatever he’s accused of, or at any rate knows
_something_ that’s important in the trial.

But _Alice_ hadn’t seen the Queen _make_ the tarts: and she hadn’t seen
the Knave _take_ the tarts: and, in fact, she didn’t know anything
about it: so why in the world they wanted _her_ to be a witness, I’m
sure _I_ ca’n’t tell you!

Anyhow, they _did_ want her. And the White Rabbit blew his big trumpet,
and shouted out “Alice!” And so Alice jumped up in a great hurry. And
then----

And then what _do_ you think happened? Why, her skirt caught against
the Jury-box, and tipped it over, and all the poor little Jurors came
tumbling out of it!

[Illustration]

Let’s try if we can make out all the twelve. You know there ought
to be twelve to make up a Jury. I see the Frog, and the Dormouse,
and the Rat and the Ferret, and the Hedgehog, and the Lizard, and
the Bantam-Cock, and the Mole, and the Duck, and the Squirrel, and a
screaming bird, with a long beak, just behind the Mole.

But that only makes eleven: we must find one more creature.

Oh, do you see a little white head, coming out behind the Mole, and
just under the Duck’s beak? That makes up the twelve.

Mr. Tenniel says the screaming bird is a _Storkling_ (of course you
know what _that_ is?) and the little white head is a _Mouseling_. Isn’t
it a little _darling_?

Alice picked them all up again, very carefully, and I hope they weren’t
_much_ hurt!




XIV.

THE SHOWER OF CARDS.


Oh dear, oh dear! What _is_ it all about? And what’s happening to Alice?

Well, I’ll tell you all about it, as well I can. The way the trial
ended was this. The King wanted the Jury to settle whether the Knave
of Hearts was _guilty_ or _not guilty_----that means that they were to
settle whether _he_ had stolen the Tarts, or if somebody else had taken
them. But the wicked _Queen_ wanted to have his _punishment_ settled,
first of all. That wasn’t at all fair, _was_ it? Because, you know,
supposing he never _took_ the Tarts, then of course he oughtn’t to be
punished. Would _you_ like to be punished for something you hadn’t
done?

[Illustration]

So Alice said “Stuff and nonsense!”

So the Queen said “Off with her head!” (Just what she always said, when
she was angry.)

So Alice said “Who cares for _you_? You’re nothing but a pack of cards!”

So they were _all_ very angry, and flew up into the air, and came
tumbling down again, all over Alice, just like a shower of rain.

And I think you’ll _never_ guess what happened next. The next thing
was, Alice woke up out of her curious dream. And she found that the
cards were only some leaves off the tree, that the wind had blown down
upon her face.

_Wouldn’t_ it be a nice thing to have a curious dream, just like Alice?

The best plan is this. First lie down under a tree, and wait till a
White Rabbit runs by, with a watch in his hand: then shut your eyes,
and pretend to be dear little Alice.

Good-bye, Alice dear, good-bye!


THE END.




AN EASTER GREETING

TO

EVERY CHILD WHO LOVES “ALICE.”


My dear Child,

_Please to fancy, if you can, that you are reading a real letter, from
a real friend whom you have seen, and whose voice you can seem to
yourself to hear, wishing you, as I do now with all my heart, a happy
Easter._

_Do you know that delicious dreamy feeling, when one first wakes on a
summer morning, with the twitter of birds in the air, and the fresh
breeze coming in at the open window----when, lying lazily with eyes
half shut, one sees as in a dream green boughs waving, or waters
rippling in a golden light? It is a pleasure very near to sadness,
bringing tears to one’s eyes like a beautiful picture or poem. And
is not that a Mother’s gentle hand that undraws your curtains, and a
Mother’s sweet voice that summons you to rise? To rise and forget, in
the bright sunlight, the ugly dreams that frightened you so when all
was dark----to rise and enjoy another happy day, first kneeling to
thank that unseen Friend who sends you the beautiful sun?_

_Are these strange words from a writer of such tales as “Alice”? And is
this a strange letter to find in a book of nonsense? It may be so. Some
perhaps may blame me for thus mixing together things grave and gay;
others may smile and think it odd that any one should speak of solemn
things at all, except in Church and on a Sunday: but I think----nay, I
am sure----that some children will read this gently and lovingly, and
in the spirit in which I have written it._

_For I do not believe God means us thus to divide life into two
halves----to wear a grave face on Sunday, and to think it out-of-place
to even so much as mention Him on a week-day. Do you think He cares to
see only kneeling figures and to hear only tones of prayer----and that
He does not also love to see the lambs leaping in the sunlight, and
to hear the merry voices of the children, as they roll among the hay?
Surely their innocent laughter is as sweet in His ears as the grandest
anthem that ever rolled up from the “dim religious light” of some
solemn cathedral?_

_And if I have written anything to add to those stores of innocent and
healthy amusement that are laid up in books for the children I love so
well, it is surely something I may hope to look back upon without shame
and sorrow (as how much of life must then be recalled!) when my turn
comes to walk through the valley of shadows._

_This Easter sun will rise on you, dear child, “feeling your life in
every limb,” and eager to rush out into the fresh morning air----and
many an Easter-day will come and go, before it finds you feeble
and grey-headed, creeping wearily out to bask once more in the
sunlight----but it is good, even now, to think sometimes of that great
morning when “the Sun of righteousness” shall “arise with healing in
his wings.”_

_Surely your gladness need not be the less for the thought that you
will one day see a brighter dawn than this----when lovelier sights
will meet your eyes than any waving trees or rippling waters----when
angel-hands shall undraw your curtains, and sweeter tones than ever
loving Mother breathed shall wake you to a new and glorious day----and
when all the sadness, and the sin, that darkened life on this little
earth, shall be forgotten like the dreams of a night that is past!_

    _Your affectionate Friend_,

      _LEWIS CARROLL_.




CHRISTMAS GREETINGS.

(_FROM A FAIRY TO A CHILD._)


    Lady dear, if Fairies may
      For a moment lay aside
    Cunning tricks and elfish play,
      ’Tis at happy Christmas-tide.

    We have heard the children say--
      Gentle children, whom we love--
    Long ago, on Christmas Day,
      Came a message from above.

    Still, as Christmas-tide comes round,
      They remember it again--
    Echo still the joyful sound
      “Peace on earth, good-will to men!”

    Yet the hearts must childlike be
      Where such heavenly guests abide:
    Unto children, in their glee,
      All the year is Christmas-tide!

    Thus, forgetting tricks and play
      For a moment, Lady dear,
    We would wish you, if we may,
      Merry Christmas, glad New Year!

      _LEWIS CARROLL_




WORKS BY LEWIS CARROLL

PUBLISHED BY

MACMILLAN AND CO., LONDON.


  ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. With Forty-two Illustrations by
    TENNIEL. (First published in 1865.) Crown 8vo, cloth, gilt edges,
    price 6_s._ Eighty-second Thousand.

  THE SAME; PEOPLE’S EDITION. (First published in 1887.) Crown 8vo,
    cloth, price 2_s._ 6_d._ Fourteenth Thousand.

  AVENTURES D’ALICE AU PAYS DES MERVEILLES. Traduit de l’Anglais par
    HENRI BUE. Ouvrage illustré de 42 Vignettes par JOHN TENNIEL.
    (First published in 1869.) Crown 8vo, cloth, gilt edges, price
    6_s._ Second Thousand.

  Alice’s Abenteuer im Wundererland. Aus dem Englischen, von Antonie
    Zimmermann. Mit 42 Illustrationen von John Tenniel. (First
    published in 1869.) Crown 8vo, cloth, gilt edges, price 6_s._

  LE AVVENTURE D’ALICE NEL PAESE DELLE MERAVIGLIE. Tradotte dall’
    Inglese da T. PIETROCÒLA-ROSSETTI. Con 42 Vignette di GIOVANNI
    TENNIEL. (First published in 1872.) Crown 8vo, cloth, gilt edges,
    price 6_s._

  ALICE’S ADVENTURES UNDER GROUND. Being a Facsimile of the original
    MS. Book, which was afterwards developed into “Alice’s Adventures
    in Wonderland.” With Thirty-seven Illustrations by the Author.
    (Begun, July, 1862; finished, Feb. 1863; first published, in
    Facsimile, in 1886.) Crown 8vo, cloth, gilt edges, price 4_s._
    Second Thousand.

  THE NURSERY “ALICE.” Containing Twenty Coloured Enlargements from
    TENNIEL’S Illustrations to “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
    With Text adapted to Nursery Readers by LEWIS CARROLL. The Cover
    designed and coloured by E. GERTRUDE THOMSON. (First published in
    1889.) 4to, boards, price 3_s._

  THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS AND WHAT ALICE FOUND THERE. With Fifty
    Illustrations by TENNIEL. (First published in 1871.) Crown 8vo,
    cloth, gilt edges, price 6_s._ Fifty-ninth thousand.

  THE SAME; PEOPLE’S EDITION. (First published in 1887.) Crown 8vo,
    cloth, price 2_s._ 6_d._ Ninth Thousand.

  ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND: AND THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS;
    PEOPLE’S EDITIONS. Both Books together in One Volume. (First
    published in 1887.) Crown 8vo, cloth, price 4_s._ 6_d._ Second
    Thousand.

  THE HUNTING OF THE SNARK. An Agony in Eight Fits. With Nine
    Illustrations by H. HOLIDAY. (First published in 1876.) Crown 8vo,
    cloth, large gilt designs on cover, and gilt edges, price 4_s._
    6_d._ Eighteenth Thousand.

  RHYME? AND REASON? With Sixty-five Illustrations by ARTHUR B.
    FROST, and Nine by HENRY HOLIDAY. (First published in 1883,
    being a reprint, with a few additions, of the comic portion of
    “Phantasmagoria and other Poems,” published in 1869, and of “The
    Hunting of the Snark,” published in 1876.) Crown 8vo, cloth,
    coloured edges, price 6_s._ Fourth Thousand.

  A TANGLED TALE. Reprinted from _The Monthly Packet_. With Six
    Illustrations by ARTHUR B. FROST. (First published in 1885.) Crown
    8vo, cloth, gilt edges, price 4_s._ 6_d._ Third Thousand.

  THE GAME OF LOGIC. With an Envelope containing a card diagram and
    nine counters--four red and five grey. (First published in 1886.)
    Crown 8vo, cloth, price 3_s._ Second Thousand.
    N.B.--The Envelope, etc., may be had separately at 3_d._ each.


N.B.--In selling Mr. LEWIS CARROLL’S books to the Trade, Messrs.
MACMILLAN & CO. will abate 2_d._ in the shilling (no odd copies), and
allow 5 per cent. discount for payment within six months, and 10 per
cent. for cash. In selling them to the Public (for cash only) they will
allow 10 per cent. discount.


Mr. LEWIS CARROLL, having been requested to allow “AN EASTER GREETING”
(a leaflet, addressed to children, first published in 1876, and
frequently given with his books) to be sold separately, has arranged
with Messrs. HARRISON, of 59, Pall Mall, who will supply a single copy
for 1_d._, or 12 for 9_d._, or 100 for 5_s._


CAUTIONS TO READERS.

On August 1st, 1881, a story appeared in _Aunt Judy’s Magazine_ No.
184, entitled “The Land of Idleness, by LEWIS CARROLL.” This story was
really written by a lady, FRÄULEIN IDA LACKOWITZ. Acting on her behalf,
Mr. CARROLL forwarded it to the Editor: and this led to the mistake of
naming him as its author.

In October, 1887, the writer of an article on “Literature for the
Little ones,” in _The Nineteenth Century_, stated that, in 1864, “TOM
HOOD was delighting the world with such works as _From Nowhere to the
North Pole_. Between TOM HOOD and Mr. LEWIS CARROLL there is more than
a suspicion of resemblance in some particulars. _Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland_ narrowly escapes challenging a comparison with _From
Nowhere to the North Pole_. The idea of both is so similar that Mr.
CARROLL can hardly have been surprised if some people have believed he
was inspired by HOOD.” The date 1864 is a mistake. _From Nowhere to the
North Pole_ was first published in 1874.





End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Nursery Alice, by Lewis Carroll

*** 