Alice in Wonderland

She looked round the table. There were a lot of teacups on the table.

'We move from place to place,' said the Mad Hatter.

' Don't you wash the cups ?' asked Alice.

' No, we don't have time,' said the Mad Hatter.

' Why not ?' asked Alice.

' It's a long story,' said the Mad Hatter.' Time was my friend, you see. But he and I aren't friends now. So he doesn't do anything for me. And I don't have time for anything.'

'I see,' said Alice and smiled politely. But she didn't really understand.

♦

' Oh, look! The Mouse is asleep again,' said the Mad Hatter. He took his teacup and put a little hot tea on the Mouse's nose. It woke up and started to sing.

' Be quiet!' the Mad Hatter said very loudly, and the Mouse stopped singing.

' Have some more tea,' the March Hare said to Alice.

' Thank you, but I haven't got any tea. So how can I have some more ?'

' You can have more,' the Mad Hatter said.' You can have more than nothing.'

' I don't think — ' Alice began.

' Then don't speak,' the Mad Hatter said.

Alice got up angrily and walked away from the table into the woods.

' Perhaps they'll call me back,' she thought. 'And then they'll be nice to me and give me some tea and bread-and-butter.'

But they didn't say anything.

When she looked back, the Mouse was asleep with its head on its plate.

'I'll never go there again,' Alice said. 'That was a stupid - tea party!'

♦

She looked round and saw a door in one of the trees. 'A door in a tree ? That's strange!' she thought. And she opened the door and went inside.

' Oh, good!' she cried. She was back in the long room, near the little table! 'I'm small now. I can get through the little door into the garden.'

The key was on the table. She took it and opened the little door. Then she ate some of the brown mushroom. She started to get smaller. When she was about 30 centimetres high, she walked through the door into the garden.

Chapter 8 Inside the Garden

Near Alice was a small tree with flowers on it. There were three gardeners by the tree.