![]() ![]() ‘It’s my opinion that you never think at all,’ the Rose said in a rather severe tone. ![]() ‘I never thought of that before!’ she said. This sounded a very good reason, and Alice was quite pleased to know it. ‘In most gardens,’ the Tiger-lily said, ‘they make the beds too soft-so that the flowers are always asleep.’ ‘It’s very hard,’ she said, ‘but I don’t see what that has to do with it.’ ‘Put your hand down, and feel the ground,’ said the Tiger-lily. ‘I’ve been in many gardens before, but none of the flowers could talk.’ ‘How is it you can all talk so nicely?’ Alice said, hoping to get it into a better temper by a compliment. When one speaks, they all begin together, and it’s enough to make one wither to hear the way they go on!’ There was silence in a moment, and several of the pink daisies turned white. ‘Never mind!’ Alice said in a soothing tone, and stooping down to the daisies, who were just beginning again, she whispered, ‘If you don’t hold your tongues, I’ll pick you!’ ‘They know I can’t get at them!’ it panted, bending its quivering head towards Alice, ‘or they wouldn’t dare to do it!’ ‘Silence, every one of you!’ cried the Tiger-lily, waving itself passionately from side to side, and trembling with excitement. ‘Didn’t you know that?’ cried another Daisy, and here they all began shouting together, till the air seemed quite full of little shrill voices. ‘It says “Bough-wough!”’ cried a Daisy: ‘that’s why its branches are called boughs!’ ‘But what could it do, if any danger came?’ Alice asked. ‘There’s the tree in the middle,’ said the Rose: ‘what else is it good for?’ ‘Aren’t you sometimes frightened at being planted out here, with nobody to take care of you?’ ‘If only her petals curled up a little more, she’d be all right.’Īlice didn’t like being criticised, so she began asking questions. ‘I don’t care about the colour,’ the Tiger-lily remarked. ‘It isn’t manners for us to begin, you know,’ said the Rose, ‘and I really was wondering when you’d speak! Said I to myself, “Her face has got some sense in it, though it’s not a clever one!” Still, you’re the right colour, and that goes a long way.’ ‘As well as you can,’ said the Tiger-lily. At length, as the Tiger-lily only went on waving about, she spoke again, in a timid voice-almost in a whisper. ![]() ‘We can talk,’ said the Tiger-lily: ‘when there’s anybody worth talking to.’Īlice was so astonished that she could not speak for a minute: it quite seemed to take her breath away. ‘O Tiger-lily,’ said Alice, addressing herself to one that was waving gracefully about in the wind, ‘I wish you could talk!’ This time she came upon a large flower-bed, with a border of daisies, and a willow-tree growing in the middle. However, there was the hill full in sight, so there was nothing to be done but start again. ‘I never saw such a house for getting in the way! Never!’ For a few minutes all went on well, and she was just saying, ‘I really shall do it this time-’ when the path gave a sudden twist and shook itself (as she described it afterwards), and the next moment she found herself actually walking in at the door. So, resolutely turning her back upon the house, she set out once more down the path, determined to keep straight on till she got to the hill. I know I should have to get through the Looking-glass again-back into the old room-and there’d be an end of all my adventures!’ ‘It’s no use talking about it,’ Alice said, looking up at the house and pretending it was arguing with her. Indeed, once, when she turned a corner rather more quickly than usual, she ran against it before she could stop herself. But how curiously it twists! It’s more like a corkscrew than a path! Well, this turn goes to the hill, I suppose-no, it doesn’t! This goes straight back to the house! Well then, I’ll try it the other way.’Īnd so she did: wandering up and down, and trying turn after turn, but always coming back to the house, do what she would. ‘ I should see the garden far better,’ said Alice to herself, ‘if I could get to the top of that hill: and here’s a path that leads straight to it-at least, no, it doesn’t do that-’ (after going a few yards along the path, and turning several sharp corners), ‘but I suppose it will at last. ![]()
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