Part 20 (1/2)
”I' lady tells us a story”
”I'm afraid I don't know one,” said Alice, rather alarmed at the proposal
”Then the Dormouse shall!” they both cried
”Wake up, Dormouse!” And they pinched it on both sides at once
The Dormouse slowly opened its eyes ”I wasn't asleep,” it said in a hoarse, feeble voice, ”I heard every word you felloere saying”
”Tell us a story!” said the March Hare
”Yes, please do!” pleaded Alice
”And be quick about it,” added the Hatter, ”or you'll be asleep again before it's done”
”Once upon a tireat hurry, ”and their names were Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie; and they lived at the bottom of a well--”
”What did they live on?” said Alice, who always took a great interest in questions of eating and drinking
”They lived on treacle,” said the Dor a minute or two
”They couldn't have done that, you know,” Alice gently remarked: ”they'd have been ill”
”So they were,” said the Dormouse, ”_very_ ill”
Alice tried a little to fancy to herself what such an extraordinary way of living would be like, but it puzzled her too much, so she went on: ”But why did they live at the bottom of a well?”
”Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly
”I've had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone, ”so I can't take more”
”You mean you can't take _less_,” said the Hatter: ”It's very easy to take _”
”nobody asked _your_ opinion,” said Alice
”Who'spersonal remarks now?” the Hatter asked triumphantly
Alice did not quite knohat to say to this: so she helped herself to some tea and bread-and-butter, and then turned to the Dormouse, and repeated her question ”Why did they live at the bottoain took a minute or two to think about it, and then said: ”It was a treacle-well”
”There's no such thing!” Alice was beginning very angrily, but the Hatter and the March Hare went ”sh!+ sh!+” and the Dormouse sulkily remarked: ”If you can't be civil, you'd better finish the story for yourself”
”No, please go on!” Alice said, very huain I dare say there nantly However it consented to go on ”And so these three little sisters--they were learning to draw, you know--”
”What did they draw?” said Alice, quite forgetting her pro at all this time