Through the Looking-Glass

"Do you hear the snow against the window-panes, Kitty? How nice and soft it sounds! Just as if some one was kissing the window all over outside. I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again." And when they wake up in the summer, Kitty, they dress themselves all in green, and dance about — whenever the wind blows — oh, thats very pretty!" cried Alice, dropping the ball of worsted to clap her hands. "And I do so wish it was true! Im sure the woods look sleepy in the autumn, when the leaves are getting brown."

"The horror of that moment," the King went on, "I shall never never forget!" "You will, though," the Queen said, "if you dont make a memorandum of it."

"It seems very pretty, she said when she had finished it, but its rather hard to understand! (You see she didnt like to confess, even to herself, that she couldnt make it out at all.) "Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas — only I dont exactly know what they are!"

"The Red Queen shook her head, "You may call it nonsense if you like," she said, "but Ive heard nonsense, compared with which that would be as sensible as a dictionary!"

"Speak in French when you cant think of the English for a thing—turn out your toes when you walk—and remember who you are!"

"What sort of insects do you rejoice in, where you come from?" the Gnat inquired. "I dont rejoice in insects at all," Alice explained, "because Im rather afraid of them—at least the large kinds. But I can tell you the names of some of them." "Of course they answer to their names?" the Gnat remarked carelessly. "I never knew them to do it." "Whats the use of their having names," the Gnat said, "if they wont answer to them?" "No use to them," said Alice; "but its useful to the people who name them, I suppose. If not, why do things have names at all?"

"Contrariwise," continued Tweedledee, "if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isnt, it aint. Thats logic."

"I weep for you", the Walrus said, "I deeply sympathise."

"You know," he added very gravely, "its one of the most serious things that can possibly happen to one in a battle — to get ones head cut off."

"Im sure Ill take you with pleasure!" the [White] Queen said. "Twopence a week, and jam every other day." Alice couldnt help laughing, as she said, "I dont want you to hire me—and I dont care for jam." "Its very good jam," said the Queen. "Well, I dont want any to-day, at any rate." "You couldnt have it if you did want it," the Queen said. "The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday — but never jam to-day." "It must come sometimes to "jam to-day," Alice objected. "No, it cant," said the Queen. "Its jam every other day: to-day isnt any other day, you know."

"I dont understand you," said Alice. "Its dreadfully confusing!" "Thats the effect of living backwards," the Queen said kindly: "it always makes one a little giddy at first."

"One thing was certain, that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it: — it was the black kittens fault entirely. For the white kitten had been having its face washed by the old cat for the last quarter of an hour (and bearing it pretty well, considering); so you see that it couldnt have had any hand in the mischief."