Part 35 (1/2)

presented to the three Miss Drurys in August, 1869:--

_To three puzzled little girls, from the Author_

Three little maidens weary of the rail, Three pairs of little ears listening to a tale, Three little hands held out in readiness, For three little puzzles very hard to guess

Three pairs of little eyes, open wonder-wide, At three little scissors lying side by side

Three little mouths that thanked an unknown Friend, For one little book, he undertook to send

Though whether they'll remember a friend, or book, or day-- In three little weeks is very hard to say

He took the same three children to German Reed's entertainment, where the triple bill consisted of ”Happy Arcadia,” ”All Abroad,” and ”Very Catching” A few days afterwards he sent theoria,” with a little poem on the fly-leaf to remind them of their treat:--

Three little , to laugh, to dance, to play, More wisely went to--Reed

Others, when lesson-tiun, Go, half inclined to cry, Some in a walk, soive to other little maids A sive to these--a Book

_Happy Arcadia _may blind, While _all abroad,_ their eyes; At ho_ prize

The next three letters were addressed to two of Mr Arthur Hughes'

children They are good exahtful nonsense hich Lewis Carroll used to anes,--You lazy thing! What? I'm to divide the kissesof the sort! But I'll tell _you_ how to do it

First, you must take _four_ of the kisses, and--and that re that happened toatme to let them in And when I opened the door, who do you think they were? You'll never guess Why, they were three cats! Wasn't it curious? However, they all looked so cross and disagreeable that I took up the first thing I could lay -pin) and knocked the at _ at _your_ heads” ”That was fair, wasn't it?”

Yours affectionately,

Lewis Carroll

My dear Agnes,--About the cats, you know Of course I didn't leave theround like dried flowers: no, I picked them up, and I was as kind as I could be to them I lent them the portfolio for a bed--they wouldn't have been comfortable in a real bed, you know: they were too thin--but they were _quite_ happy between the sheets of blotting-paper--and each of them had a pen-wiper for a pillow Well, then I went to bed: but first I lent the in the night

You know I have _three_ dinner-bells--the first (which is the largest) is rung when dinner is _nearly_ ready; the second (which is rather larger) is rung when it is quite ready; and the third (which is as large as the other two put together) is rung all the ti if they happened to want anything--and, as they rang _all_ the bells _all_ night, I suppose they did want so or other, only I was too sleepy to attend to theave them some rat-tail jelly and buttered mice for breakfast, and they were as discontented as they could be They wanted soood _for_ theh Road, and ask for Agnes Hughes, and if it's _really_ good for you, she'll give you sooodbye, and drove theo, and they took the bells and the portfolio with theone, and then I was sorry too, and wished for theain What do I mean by ”them”? Never mind

How are Arthur, and Ah Road, and teach the cats to be kind to h Road

Give them my love

Who do I mean by ”them”?

Never mind

Your affectionate friend,