this, she looked up, and there was the Cat
again, sitting on the branch of a tree.

"Did you say pig, or fig?" said the Cat.

"I said pig," replied Alice; "and I wish you wouldn't keep appearing and
vanishing so suddenly: you make one quite giddy."

"All right," said the Cat; and this time it vanished quite slowly,
beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin, which
remained some time after the rest of it had gone.

"Well! I've often seen a cat without a grin," thought Alice; "but a grin
without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ever saw in all my life."

[Illustration]

She had not gone much farther before she came in sight of the house of
the March Hare: she thought it must be the right house, because the
chimneys were shaped like ears and the roof was thatched with fur. It
was so large a house, that she did not like to go nearer till she had
nibbled some more of the left-hand bit of mushroom, and raised herself,
to about two feet high: even then she walked up towards it rather
timidly, saying to herself, "Suppose it should be raving mad after all!
I almost wish I'd gone to see the Hatter instead!"

CHAPTER VII

[Sidenote: _A Mad Tea-party_]

THERE was a table set out under a tree in front of the
house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a
Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were
using it as a cushion resting their elbows on it, and talking over its
head. "Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse," thought Alice; "only as
it's asleep, suppose it doesn't mind."

The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at
one corner of it. "No room! No room!" they cried out when they saw Alice
coming. "There's _plenty_ of room!" said Alice indignantly, and she sat
down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

"Have some wine," the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea.
"I don't see any wine," she remarked.

"There isn't any," said the March Hare.

"Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it," said Alice angrily.

"It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited," said
the March Hare.

"I didn't know it was _your_ table," said Alice; "it's laid for a great
many more than three."

"Your hair wants cutting," said the Hatter. He had been looking at Alice
for some time with great curiosity, and this was his first speech.

"You