rtainly not
becoming.

"And that's the jury-box," thought Alice, "and those twelve creatures,"
(she was obliged to say "creatures," you see, because some of them were
animals, and some were birds,) "I suppose they are the jurors." She said
this last word two or three times over to herself, being rather proud of
it: for she thought, and rightly too, that very few little girls of her
age knew the meaning of it at all. However, "jurymen" would have done
just as well.

The twelve jurors were all writing very busily on slates. "What are they
all doing?" Alice whispered to the Gryphon. "They can't have anything to
put down yet, before the trial's begun."

[Illustration: _Who stole the tarts?_]

"They're putting down their names," the Gryphon whispered in reply,
"for fear they should forget them before the end of the trial."

"Stupid things!" Alice began in a loud, indignant voice, but she stopped
hastily, for the White Rabbit cried out "Silence in the court!" and the
King put on his spectacles and looked anxiously round, to see who was
talking.

Alice could see, as well as if she were looking over their shoulders,
that all the jurors were writing down "stupid things!" on their slates,
and she could even make out that one of them didn't know how to spell
"stupid," and that he had to ask his neighbour to tell him. "A nice
muddle their slates will be in before the trial's over!" thought Alice.

One of the jurors had a pencil that squeaked. This, of course, Alice
could _not_ stand, and she went round the court and got behind him, and
very soon found an opportunity of taking it away. She did it so quickly
that the poor little juror (it was Bill, the Lizard) could not make out
at all what had become of it; so, after hunting all about for it, he
was obliged to write with one finger for the rest of the day; and this
was of very little use, as it left no mark on the slate.

"Herald, read the accusation!" said the King.

On this the White Rabbit blew three blasts on the trumpet, and then
unrolled the parchment scroll, and read as follows:

"The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts,
All on a summer day:
The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts,
And took them quite away!"

"Consider your verdict," the King said to the jury.

"Not yet, not yet!" the Rabbit hastily interrupted. "There's a great
deal to come before that!"

"Call the first witness," said the King; and the Rabb