“I like the Walrus,” said Alice, “because he was a little sorry for the poor oysters.”
“But he ate more than the Carpenter,” said Tweedledee.
“Then I like the Carpenter … if he didn’t eat so many as the Walrus.”
“But he ate as many as he could get,” said Tweedledum.
“Well! They’re both very unpleasant characters,” Alice said. “And what is this noise?”
“It’s only the Red King! He is snoring,” said Tweedledee.
“Come and look at him!” the brothers cried. They each took one of Alice’s hands, and showed her the sleeping King.
“Isn’t he lovely?” said Tweedledum. “He’s dreaming now. What do you think he’s dreaming about?”
Alice said, “Nobody can guess that.”
“About you!” Tweedledee said, clapping his hands. “You’re his dream!”
“If the King wakes,” added Tweedledum, “you will disappear … bang! And that’s it!”
“No, I won’t!” Alice said. “Besides, if I’m only his dream, what are you then?”
“The same[27],” said Tweedledum.
“The same,” cried Tweedledee.
Suddenly Tweedledum asked, “Do you see that?” He pointed with his finger at a small white thing that was lying under the tree.
“It’s only a rattle, an old rattle … very old and broken.”
“I knew it!” cried Tweedledum and he looked at Tweedledee, who tried to hide himself under the umbrella. “It isn’t old! I bought it yesterday!”
He turned to Tweedledee. “Do you agree to have a battle?”
Once they were ready to battle, Tweedledum asked if he looked pale.
“Well … yes … a little,” Alice said.
“I’m very brave,” he said: “but today I have a headache[28].”
“And I have a toothache now!” said Tweedledee. “I’m feeling worse than you!”
“Then don’t fight today!” said Alice.
“We must fight, but what’s the time now?” said Tweedledum.
Tweedledee looked at his watch, and said, “Half-past four.”
“Let’s fight till six, and then have dinner,” said Tweedledum.
Alice laughed. “All of this because of a rattle!”
“It was a new rattle!” cried Tweedledum.
“I wish the monstrous crow would come!” thought Alice.
“We must begin. It’s getting dark,” said Tweedledum.
“And darker,” said Tweedledee.
It was getting dark so suddenly that Alice thought it was a thunderstorm.
“What a thick black cloud it is!” she said. “And how fast it comes!”
“It’s the crow!” cried Tweedledum.
And the two brothers ran away quickly.
Alice ran into the wood, and stopped under a large tree.
“It can never get at me here,” she thought: “it’s too large to fly among the trees. It makes a hurricane in the wood … oh, here’s somebody’s scarf!”
Exercises
1. Choose the right statement:
1. Alice visited Tweedledum and Tweedledee and decided to stay with them for a day.
2. Alice didn’t know who was who, when she met Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
3. Alice forgot to say ‘How do you do?’
4. Alice didn’t like poetry.
2. Why did Alice want to find a road out of the wood as sooner as possible?
1. She didn’t like the wood.
2. She was afraid of Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
3. It was getting dark and she wanted to get the Eighth Square.
4. She didn’t want to get lost.
3. Why did Tweedledee decide to read out a poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter”?
1. It was the longest poem.
2. It was the shortest poem.
3. It was a funny poem.
4. He hoped Alice would like poetry after it.
4. Did Alice like the both characters of the poem?
1. Yes, she liked them a lot.
2. No, she liked only the Walrus.
3. No, she liked only the Carpenter.
4. No, she liked none of them.
5. Why did Tweedledum want to have a battle with Tweedledee?
1. Tweedledum didn’t love his brother Tweedledee.
2. Tweedledee broke his rattle.
3. Tweedledee didn’t want to play with him.
4. Tweedledum was very naughty.
6. Complete the table:
Chapter 5
Wool and Water
She caught the scarf, and looked around, where is the owner? In another moment, the White Queen came running through the wood. Alice went out to meet her with the scarf.
“I’m very glad I’ve met you here,” Alice said, she helped the White Queen to put her scarf on again.
Alice saw that the Queen was very untidy.
“What has happened to you hair?” asked Alice.
“The brush has got entangled in it[29]!” the Queen said. “And I lost my comb yesterday.”
Alice did her best [30]to get the hair into order. “You look better now!” she said. “But really you should have a maid!”
“I’ll take you with pleasure!” the Queen said. “Twopence a week, and jam every other day.”
Alice laughed, as she said, “I don’t want to be your maid … and I don’t care for jam.”
“It’s very good jam,” said the Queen.
“Well, I don’t want any today, anyway.”
“No,” the Queen said. “The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday … but never jam today.”
“I don’t understand you,” said Alice.
“That’s the effect of living backwards[31],” the Queen said kindly.
“Living backwards!”
“Oh, things that happened the next week,” the Queen said. “For instance, now there’s the King’s Messenger[32]. He’s in prison now. The trial won’t begin till next Wednesday, and of course there hasn’t been any crime yet.”
“Perhaps he will never commit the crime[33]?” said Alice.
“That would be better, wouldn’t it?” the Queen said.
Suddenly the Queen began screaming very loudly, “Oh, oh, oh! My finger’s bleeding[34]! Oh, oh, oh, oh!”