it may kiss my hand if it likes.”
“I don’t,” the Cat remarked.
“Don’t be rude,” said the King, “and don’t look at me like that!” He stood behind Alice as he spoke.
“A cat may look at a king,[133]” said Alice. “I’ve read that in some book, but I don’t remember where.”
“Well, it must be removed,[134]” said the King very decidedly and called the Queen.
The Queen knew only one way. “Off with his head!” she said, without even looking.
“I’ll bring the executioner myself,” said the King, and hurried away.
Alice decided to go back and watch the game. When she caught her flamingo there were no hedgehogs or arches around. So she went back to talk with her friend a little more.
When she got back to the Cheshire Cat, she was surprised to see a large crowd around him.
Alice could only say “He belongs to the Duchess: ask HER about him.”
“She’s in prison,” the Queen said to the executioner: “bring her here.” And the executioner went off.
At that moment the Cat’s head began fading away[135] and when the executioner was back with the Duchess, it had disappeared completely.
So the King and the executioner began looking for it while all the others went back to the game.
Chapter 9. The Mock Turtle’s Story
“You can’t imagine how glad I am to see you again, my dear!” said the Duchess when she and Alice walked off together.
Alice was very glad to see her so pleasant, and she thought to herself that perhaps only the pepper had made her so angry when they met in the kitchen.
“When I’M a Duchess,[136]” she said to herself, (but not in a very hopeful tone), “I won’t have any pepper in my kitchen AT ALL. Soup is good without it.”
She quite forgot about the Duchess, and was a little frightened when she heard her voice close to her ear. “You’re thinking about something, my dear, and you forget to talk.”
Alice did not like very much to be so close to the Duchess: first, because the Duchess was VERY ugly; and secondly, because she put her chin on Alice’s shoulder, and it was an uncomfortably sharp chin. However, she did not like to be rude, so she didn’t say anything.
“Are you wondering why I don’t put my arm round your waist,” the Duchess said after a pause: “the reason is, I’m afraid of your flamingo.”
“HE can bite,” Alice replied.
“Very true,” said the Duchess: “flamingoes and mustard both bite. And the moral of that is – ‘Birds of a feather flock together.[137]’”
“But mustard isn’t a bird,” Alice remarked.
“Right, as usual,” said the Duchess.
“It’s a mineral, I THINK,” said Alice.
“Of course it is,” said the Duchess, who agreed to everything that Alice said; “there’s a large mustard-mine near here. And the moral of that is – ”
“Oh, I know!” exclaimed Alice, who wasn’t listening, “it’s a vegetable. It doesn’t look like a vegetable, but it is.”
“I quite agree with you,” said the Duchess; “and the moral of that is – ”
But here, to Alice’s great surprise, the Duchess suddenly stopped talking and her arm began to tremble. Alice looked up and saw the Queen who was standing in front of them and frowning like a thunderstorm.
“A fine day, your Majesty!” the Duchess began in a low, weak voice.
“Now, you may choose,” shouted the Queen; “either you or your head must be off,[138] and immediately! Take your choice!”
The Duchess took her choice, and in a moment she was gone.[139]
“Let’s go on with the game,” the Queen said to Alice; Alice was too frightened to say a word, so she slowly followed her back to the croquet-ground.
Without the Queen the other guests were having a rest: however, when they saw her, they hurried back to the game, because the delay could cost them their lives.
The game continued but as the Queen often shouted her favourite: “Off with his head!” or “Off with her head!” very soon all the players, except the King, the Queen, and Alice, were under arrest.
Then the Queen said to Alice, “Have you seen the Mock Turtle[140] yet?”
“No,” said Alice. “I don’t even know what a Mock Turtle is.”
“It’s the thing what Mock Turtle Soup[141] is made from,” said the Queen.
“I never saw one, or heard of one,” said Alice.
“Come on, then,” said the Queen, “and he will tell you his history,”
As they walked off together, Alice heard the King say in a low voice, to the company, “You are all pardoned.[142]” “THAT’S a good thing!” she said to herself.
Very soon they came to a Gryphon.[143] “Take this young lady to see the Mock Turtle, and to hear his history. I must go back,” the Queen said and Alice was left alone with the Gryphon. She did not quite like the look of the creature, so she waited.
The Gryphon watched the Queen and when she was out of sight it chuckled. “What fun!” said the Gryphon.
“What IS the fun?” said Alice.
“Well, SHE,” said the Gryphon. “they never execute anybody, you know. Come on!”
When they saw the Mock Turtle in the distance, he was sitting sad and lonely and, as they came nearer, Alice heard that he was sighing as if his heart would break.[144] She pitied him deeply. “What is his sorrow?” she asked the Gryphon, and the Gryphon answered, “Well, he hasn’t got any sorrow, you know. Come on!”
So they went up to the Mock Turtle, who looked at them with large eyes full of tears, but said nothing.
“This young lady,” said the Gryphon, “wants to know your history.”
“I’ll
A cat may look at a king – Кошкам разрешается смотреть на королей
it must be removed – его надо убрать
began fading away – начала бледнеть и таять
When I’M a Duchess – Когда я буду герцогиней…
Birds of a feather flock together –
either you or your head must be off – или тебя, или твоей головы здесь не будет
she was gone – ее уже не было
Mock Turtle – «ненастоящая» черепаха
Mock turtle soup – суп «под черепаху» (
You are all pardoned – Вы все помилованы
Gryphon – мифическое крылатое существо с туловищем льва, головой орла или льва. Имеет острые когти и белоснежные или золотые крылья.
as if his heart would break – как будто у него разрывалось сердце
