entence in her French
lesson book. The Mouse gave a sudden leap out of the water, and seemed
to quiver all over with fright. "Oh, I beg your pardon!" cried Alice
hastily, afraid that she had hurt the poor animal's feeling. "I quite
forgot you don't like cats."

"Not like cats!" cried the Mouse, in a shrill, passionate voice. "Would
_you_ like cats if you were me?" The Mouse was swimming away from her as
hard as it could go. So she called softly after it.

"Mouse dear! Do come back again, and we won't talk about cats, or dogs
either, if you don't like them!" When the Mouse heard this, it turned
round and swam slowly back to her; its face was quite pale (with
passion, Alice thought), and it said in a low, trembling voice, "Let us
get to the shore, and I'll tell you my history, and you'll understand
why it is I hate cats and dogs."

It was high time to go, for the pool was getting quite crowded with the
birds and animals that had fallen into it; there were a duck and a dodo,
a lory and an eaglet, and other curious creatures. Alice led the way,
and the whole party swam to the shore.

A very queer-looking party of dripping birds and animals now gathered on
the bank of the Pool of Tears; but they were not so queer as their talk.
First the Mouse, who was quite a person of authority among them, tried
to dry them by telling them frightfully dry stories from history. But
Alice confessed she was as wet as ever after she had listened to the
bits of English history; so the Dodo proposed a Caucus race. They all
started off when they liked, and stopped when they liked. The Dodo said
everybody had won, and Alice had to give the prizes. Luckily she had
some sweets, which were not wet, and there was just one for each of
them, but none for herself. The party were anxious she, too, should have
a prize, and as she happened to have a thimble, the Dodo commanded her
to hand it to him, and then, with great ceremony, the Dodo presented it
to her, saying, "We beg your acceptance of this elegant thimble," and
they all cheered.

Of course, Alice thought this all very absurd; but they were dry now,
and began eating their sweets. Then the Mouse began to tell Alice its
history, and to explain why it hated C and D--for it was afraid to say
cats and dogs. But she soon offended the Mouse, first by mistaking its
"long and sad tale" for a "long tail," and next by thinking it meant
"knot" when it said "not," so that it went off in a huff. Then when sh