FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   >>  
so he with his nose Trims his belt and his buttons, and turns out his toes. When the sands are all dry, he is gay as a lark, And will talk in contemptuous tones of the Shark: But, when the tide rises and sharks are around, His voice has a timid and tremulous sound." "That's different from what _I_ used to say when I was a child," said the Gryphon. "Well, _I_ never heard it before," said the Mock Turtle: "but it sounds uncommon nonsense." Alice said nothing; she had sat down with her face in her hands, wondering if anything would _ever_ happen in a natural way again. "I should like to have it explained," said the Mock Turtle. "She ca'n't explain it," hastily said the Gryphon. "Go on with the next verse." "But about his toes?" the Mock Turtle persisted. "How _could_ he turn them out with his nose, you know?" "It's the first position in dancing," Alice said; but was dreadfully puzzled by the whole thing, and longed to change the subject. "Go on with the next verse," the Gryphon repeated: "it begins '_I passed by his garden_.'" Alice did not dare to disobey, though she felt sure it would all come wrong, and she went on in a trembling voice: "I passed by his garden, and marked, with one eye, How the Owl and the Panther were sharing a pie: The Panther took pie-crust, and gravy, and meat, While the Owl had the dish as its share of the treat. When the pie was all finished, the Owl, as a boon, Was kindly permitted to pocket the spoon: While the Panther received knife and fork with a growl, And concluded the banquet by----" "What _is_ the use of repeating all that stuff," the Mock Turtle interrupted, "if you don't explain it as you go on? It's by far the most confusing thing _I_ ever heard!" [Illustration] "Yes, I think you'd better leave off," said the Gryphon: and Alice was only too glad to do so. "Shall we try another figure of the Lobster Quadrille?" the Gryphon went on. "Or would you like the Mock Turtle to sing you another song?" "Oh, a song, please, if the Mock Turtle would be so kind," Alice replied, so eagerly that the Gryphon said, in a rather offended tone, "H'm! No accounting for tastes! Sing her '_Turtle Soup_,' will you, old fellow?" The Mock Turtle sighed deeply, and began, in a voice choked with sobs, to sing this:-- "Beautiful Soup,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   >>  



Top keywords:

Turtle

 

Gryphon

 

Panther

 
explain
 
garden
 

passed

 
finished
 

repeating

 

interrupted

 

received


kindly
 

permitted

 

banquet

 

pocket

 

concluded

 
accounting
 

offended

 

replied

 

eagerly

 
tastes

choked

 
Beautiful
 

deeply

 

fellow

 

sighed

 

confusing

 

Illustration

 
Lobster
 

Quadrille

 

figure


sharing

 

dancing

 

sounds

 

wondering

 

uncommon

 

nonsense

 

tremulous

 

buttons

 

contemptuous

 

sharks


happen

 

begins

 

repeated

 

subject

 

longed

 

change

 
disobey
 

marked

 

trembling

 

puzzled