Read Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland Online

44

CHAPTER VII. A MAD TEA-PARTY 

'You can draw water out of a water-well,' said the Hatter, 'so I should think 
you could draw treacle out of a treacle- well - eh, stupid?' 

'But they were in the well,' Alice said to the Dormouse, not choosing to notice 
this last remark. 

'Of course they were', said the Dormouse, ' - well in.' 

This answer so confused poor Alice, that she let the Dormouse go on for some 
time without interrupting it. 

'They were learning to draw,' the Dormouse went on, yawning and rubbing 
its eyes, for it was getting very sleepy, 'and they drew all manner of things - 
everything that begins with an M - ' 

'Why with an M?' said Alice. 

'Why not?' said the March Hare. 

Alice was silent. 

The Dormouse had closed its eyes by this time and was going off into a doze; 
but, on being pinched by the Hatter, it woke up again with a little shriek, and went 
on, ' - that begins with an M, such as mouse-traps, and the moon, and memory, 
and muchness - you know you say things are "much of a muchness" - did you 
ever see such a thing as a drawing of a muchness?' 

'Really, now you ask me,' said 
Alice, very much confused, T don't 
think - ' 

'Then you shouldn't talk,' said the 
Hatter. 

This piece of rudeness was more 
than Alice could bear; she got up 
in great disgust, and walked off; the 
Dormouse fell asleep instantly and 
neither of the others took the least no- 
tice of her going, though she looked 
back once or twice, half hoping that 
they would call after her; the last time 
she saw them, they were trying to put 
the Dormouse into the teapot. 

At any rate I'll never go there again! ' said Alice as she picked her way through 
the wood, 'It's the stupidest tea-party I ever was at in all my life!' 

Just as she said this, she noticed that one of the trees had a door leading right 
into it. 'That's very curious!' she thought, 'But everything's curious today. I think 
I may as well go in at once.' And in she went. 

Once more she found herself in the long hall, and close to the little glass table. 
'Now, I'll manage better this time,' she said to herself and began by taking the 
little golden key, and unlocking the door that led into the garden. Then she went