×

Utilizziamo i cookies per contribuire a migliorare LingQ. Visitando il sito, acconsenti alla nostra politica dei cookie.


image

Alice in Wonderland, Solo reading, British Accent, 12. Alice's Evidence

Solo reading, British Accent, 12. Alice's Evidence

Chapter 12 Alice's Evidence ‘Here!' cried Alice, quite forgetting in the flurry of the moment how large she had grown in the last few minutes, and she jumped up in such a hurry that she tipped over the jury-box with the edge of her skirt, upsetting all the jurymen on to the heads of the crowd below, and there they lay sprawling about, reminding her very much of a globe of goldfish she had accidentally upset the week before.

‘Oh, I beg your pardon!' she exclaimed in a tone of great dismay, and began picking them up again as quickly as she could, for the accident of the goldfish kept running in her head, and she had a vague sort of idea that they must be collected at once and put back into the jury-box, or they would die.

‘The trial cannot proceed,' said the King in a very grave voice, ‘until all the jurymen are back in their proper places — all ,' he repeated with great emphasis, looking hard at Alice as he said do. Alice looked at the jury-box, and saw that, in her haste, she had put the Lizard in head downwards, and the poor little thing was waving its tail about in a melancholy way, being quite unable to move. She soon got it out again, and put it right; ‘not that it signifies much,' she said to herself; ‘I should think it would be quite as much use in the trial one way up as the other.' As soon as the jury had a little recovered from the shock of being upset, and their slates and pencils had been found and handed back to them, they set to work very diligently to write out a history of the accident, all except the Lizard, who seemed too much overcome to do anything but sit with its mouth open, gazing up into the roof of the court.

‘What do you know about this business?' the King said to Alice.

‘Nothing,' said Alice. ‘Nothing whatever ?' persisted the King.

‘Nothing whatever,' said Alice. ‘That's very important,' the King said, turning to the jury. They were just beginning to write this down on their slates, when the White Rabbit interrupted: ‘ Un important, your Majesty means, of course,' he said in a very respectful tone, but frowning and making faces at him as he spoke. ‘ Un important, of course, I meant,' the King hastily said, and went on to himself in an undertone, ‘important — unimportant — unimportant — important —' as if he were trying which word sounded best. Some of the jury wrote it down ‘important,' and some ‘unimportant.' Alice could see this, as she was near enough to look over their slates; ‘but it doesn't matter a bit,' she thought to herself. At this moment the King, who had been for some time busily writing in his note-book, cackled out ‘Silence!' and read out from his book, ‘Rule Forty-two. All persons more than a mile high to leave the court .' Everybody looked at Alice.

‘ I'm not a mile high,' said Alice. ‘You are,' said the King. ‘Nearly two miles high,' added the Queen. ‘Well, I shan't go, at any rate,' said Alice: ‘besides, that's not a regular rule: you invented it just now.' ‘It's the oldest rule in the book,' said the King. ‘Then it ought to be Number One,' said Alice. The King turned pale, and shut his note-book hastily. ‘Consider your verdict,' he said to the jury, in a low, trembling voice. ‘There's more evidence to come yet, please your Majesty,' said the White Rabbit, jumping up in a great hurry; ‘this paper has just been picked up.' ‘What's in it?' said the Queen.

‘I haven't opened it yet,' said the White Rabbit, ‘but it seems to be a letter, written by the prisoner to — to somebody.' ‘It must have been that,' said the King, ‘unless it was written to nobody, which isn't usual, you know.' ‘Who is it directed to?' said one of the jurymen.

‘It isn't directed at all,' said the White Rabbit; ‘in fact, there's nothing written on the outside .' He unfolded the paper as he spoke, and added ‘It isn't a letter, after all: it's a set of verses.' ‘Are they in the prisoner's handwriting?' asked another of the jurymen.

‘No, they're not,' said the White Rabbit, ‘and that's the queerest thing about it.' (The jury all looked puzzled.)

‘He must have imitated somebody else's hand,' said the King. (The jury all brightened up again.)

‘Please your Majesty,' said the Knave, ‘I didn't write it, and they can't prove I did: there's no name signed at the end.' ‘If you didn't sign it,' said the King, ‘that only makes the matter worse. You must have meant some mischief, or else you'd have signed your name like an honest man.' There was a general clapping of hands at this: it was the first really clever thing the King had said that day.

‘That proves his guilt,' said the Queen. ‘It proves nothing of the sort!' said Alice.

‘Why, you don't even know what they're about!' ‘Read them,' said the King. The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. ‘Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?' he asked.

‘Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, ‘and go on till you come to the end: then stop.' These were the verses the White Rabbit read:—

‘They told me you had been to her,

And mentioned me to him:

She gave me a good character,

But said I could not swim.

He sent them word I had not gone

(We know it to be true):

If she should push the matter on,

What would become of you?

I gave her one, they gave him two,

You gave us three or more;

They all returned from him to you,

Though they were mine before.

If I or she should chance to be

Involved in this affair,

He trusts to you to set them free,

Exactly as we were.

My notion was that you had been

(Before she had this fit)

An obstacle that came between

Him, and ourselves, and it.

Don't let him know she liked them best, For this must ever be

A secret, kept from all the rest,

Between yourself and me.' ‘That's the most important piece of evidence we've heard yet,' said the King, rubbing his hands; ‘so now let the jury —' ‘If any one of them can explain it,' said Alice, (she had grown so large in the last few minutes that she wasn't a bit afraid of interrupting him,) ‘I'll give him sixpence. I don't believe there's an atom of meaning in it.' The jury all wrote down on their slates, ‘ She doesn't believe there's an atom of meaning in it,' but none of them attempted to explain the paper. ‘If there's no meaning in it,' said the King, ‘that saves a world of trouble, you know, as we needn't try to find any. And yet I don't know,' he went on, spreading out the verses on his knee, and looking at them with one eye; ‘I seem to see some meaning in them, after all. “— said I could not swim —” you can't swim, can you?' he added, turning to the Knave.

The Knave shook his head sadly. ‘Do I look like it?' he said. (Which he certainly did not , being made entirely of cardboard.)

‘All right, so far,' said the King, and he went on muttering over the verses to himself: ‘“ we know it to be true —” that's the jury, of course — “ I gave her one, they gave him two —” why, that must be what he did with the tarts, you know —' ‘But, it goes on “ they all returned from him to you ,”' said Alice. ‘Why, there they are!' said the King triumphantly, pointing to the tarts on the table. ‘Nothing can be clearer than that . Then again —“ before she had this fit —” you never had fits, my dear, I think?' he said to the Queen.

‘Never!' said the Queen furiously, throwing an inkstand at the Lizard as she spoke. (The unfortunate little Bill had left off writing on his slate with one finger, as he found it made no mark; but he now hastily began again, using the ink, that was trickling down his face, as long as it lasted.)

‘Then the words don't fit you,' said the King, looking round the court with a smile. There was a dead silence.

‘It's a pun!' the King added in an offended tone, and everybody laughed, ‘Let the jury consider their verdict,' the King said, for about the twentieth time that day. ‘No, no!' said the Queen.

‘Sentence first — verdict afterwards.' ‘Stuff and nonsense!' said Alice loudly. ‘The idea of having the sentence first!' ‘Hold your tongue!' said the Queen, turning purple.

‘I won't!' said Alice.

‘Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved.

‘Who cares for you?' said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) ‘You're nothing but a pack of cards!' At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face.

‘Wake up, Alice dear!' said her sister; ‘Why, what a long sleep you've had!' ‘Oh, I've had such a curious dream!' said Alice, and she told her sister, as well as she could remember them, all these strange Adventures of hers that you have just been reading about; and when she had finished, her sister kissed her, and said, ‘It was a curious dream, dear, certainly: but now run in to your tea; it's getting late.' So Alice got up and ran off, thinking while she ran, as well she might, what a wonderful dream it had been.

But her sister sat still just as she left her, leaning her head on her hand, watching the setting sun, and thinking of little Alice and all her wonderful Adventures, till she too began dreaming after a fashion, and this was her dream:—

First, she dreamed of little Alice herself, and once again the tiny hands were clasped upon her knee, and the bright eager eyes were looking up into hers — she could hear the very tones of her voice, and see that queer little toss of her head to keep back the wandering hair that would always get into her eyes — and still as she listened, or seemed to listen, the whole place around her became alive the strange creatures of her little sister's dream. The long grass rustled at her feet as the White Rabbit hurried by — the frightened Mouse splashed his way through the neighbouring pool — she could hear the rattle of the teacups as the March Hare and his friends shared their never-ending meal, and the shrill voice of the Queen ordering off her unfortunate guests to execution — once more the pig-baby was sneezing on the Duchess's knee, while plates and dishes crashed around it — once more the shriek of the Gryphon, the squeaking of the Lizard's slate-pencil, and the choking of the suppressed guinea-pigs, filled the air, mixed up with the distant sobs of the miserable Mock Turtle. So she sat on, with closed eyes, and half believed herself in Wonderland, though she knew she had but to open them again, and all would change to dull reality — the grass would be only rustling in the wind, and the pool rippling to the waving of the reeds — the rattling teacups would change to tinkling sheep- bells, and the Queen's shrill cries to the voice of the shepherd boy — and the sneeze of the baby, the shriek of the Gryphon, and all thy other queer noises, would change (she knew) to the confused clamour of the busy farm-yard — while the lowing of the cattle in the distance would take the place of the Mock Turtle's heavy sobs. Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood: and how she would gather about her other little children, and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago: and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days.

THE END

Solo reading, British Accent, 12. Alice's Evidence Solo-Lesung, Britischer Akzent, 12. Alices Beweise Lectura en solitario, Acento británico, 12. Pruebas de Alice خواندن انفرادی، لهجه بریتانیایی، 12. شواهد آلیس Lecture solo, Accent britannique, 12. Les preuves d'Alice ソロ・リーディング、ブリティッシュ・アクセント、12.アリスの証拠 혼자 읽기, 영국식 악센트, 12. 앨리스의 증거 Czytanie solo, British Accent, 12. Alice's Evidence Leitura a solo, British Accent, 12. A prova de Alice Сольное чтение, Британский акцент, 12. Доказательства Алисы Solo okuma, İngiliz Aksanı, 12. Alice'in Kanıtı Сольне читання, британський акцент, 12 років. Докази Аліси 独读,《英国口音》,12。爱丽丝的证据 獨讀,英國口音,12.愛麗絲的證據

Chapter 12 Alice's Evidence ‘Here!' cried Alice, quite forgetting in the flurry of the moment how large she had grown in the last few minutes, and she jumped up in such a hurry that she tipped over the jury-box with the edge of her skirt, upsetting all the jurymen on to the heads of the crowd below, and there they lay sprawling about, reminding her very much of a globe of goldfish she had accidentally upset the week before. — вскричала Алиса, совсем забыв в суматохе того, как сильно она выросла за последние несколько минут, и вскочила в такой спешке, что краем юбки опрокинула ложу присяжных, опрокинув всех присяжных заседателей. в головы толпы внизу, и там они лежали, растянувшись, очень напоминая ей шар из золотых рыбок, который она случайно опрокинула за неделю до этого.

‘Oh, I beg your pardon!' she exclaimed in a tone of great dismay, and began picking them up again as quickly as she could, for the accident of the goldfish kept running in her head, and she had a vague sort of idea that they must be collected at once and put back into the jury-box, or they would die. — воскликнула она тоном великого смятения и принялась снова собирать их так быстро, как только могла, потому что несчастный случай с золотыми рыбками все время прокручивался у нее в голове, и у нее возникло смутное представление о том, что их нужно немедленно собрать и поставить на место. обратно в суд присяжных, иначе они умрут.

‘The trial cannot proceed,' said the King in a very grave voice, ‘until all the jurymen are back in their proper places — all ,' he repeated with great emphasis, looking hard at Alice as he said do. Alice looked at the jury-box, and saw that, in her haste, she had put the Lizard in head downwards, and the poor little thing was waving its tail about in a melancholy way, being quite unable to move. Алиса взглянула на скамью для присяжных и увидела, что в спешке она толкнула Ящерицу головой вниз, а бедняжка меланхолически махала хвостом, совершенно не в силах пошевелиться. She soon got it out again, and put it right; ‘not that it signifies much,' she said to herself; ‘I should think it would be quite as much use in the trial one way up as the other.' Вскоре она снова достала его и поправила; «Не то, чтобы это много значило, — сказала она себе. — Я думаю, в суде от него будет столько же пользы, как и от другого. As soon as the jury had a little recovered from the shock of being upset, and their slates and pencils had been found and handed back to them, they set to work very diligently to write out a history of the accident, all except the Lizard, who seemed too much overcome to do anything but sit with its mouth open, gazing up into the roof of the court. Как только присяжные немного оправились от потрясения от потрясения, а их доски и карандаши были найдены и возвращены им, они принялись очень усердно писать историю несчастного случая, все, кроме Ящерицы, который казался слишком подавленным, чтобы делать что-либо, кроме как сидеть с открытым ртом, глядя на крышу двора.

‘What do you know about this business?' the King said to Alice.

‘Nothing,' said Alice. ‘Nothing whatever ?' Rien du tout ? persisted the King.

‘Nothing whatever,' said Alice. — Ничего, — сказала Алиса. ‘That's very important,' the King said, turning to the jury. — Это очень важно, — сказал король, обращаясь к присяжным. They were just beginning to write this down on their slates, when the White Rabbit interrupted: ‘ Un important, your Majesty means, of course,' he said in a very respectful tone, but frowning and making faces at him as he spoke. Ils commençaient à écrire cela sur leurs ardoises, lorsque le lapin blanc les interrompit : Un important, votre Majesté veut dire, bien sûr", dit-il d'un ton très respectueux, mais en fronçant les sourcils et en faisant des grimaces. Они только начали записывать это на своих грифельных досках, как Белый Кролик прервал: «Неважно, ваше величество, конечно», — сказал он очень почтительно, но хмурясь и корча гримасы. ‘ Un important, of course, I meant,' the King hastily said, and went on to himself in an undertone, ‘important — unimportant — unimportant — important —' as if he were trying which word sounded best. -- Неважно, конечно, я имел в виду, -- поспешно сказал Король и продолжал про себя вполголоса, -- важно -- неважно -- неважно -- важно -- как будто он пробовал, какое слово звучит лучше. Some of the jury wrote it down ‘important,' and some ‘unimportant.' Alice could see this, as she was near enough to look over their slates; ‘but it doesn't matter a bit,' she thought to herself. At this moment the King, who had been for some time busily writing in his note-book, cackled out ‘Silence!' В этот момент король, который некоторое время деловито писал в своей записной книжке, закудахтал: «Молчать!» and read out from his book, ‘Rule Forty-two. All persons more than a mile high to leave the court .' Всем лицам ростом более мили покинуть двор». Everybody looked at Alice.

‘ I'm not a mile high,' said Alice. ‘You are,' said the King. ‘Nearly two miles high,' added the Queen. ‘Well, I shan't go, at any rate,' said Alice: ‘besides, that's not a regular rule: you invented it just now.' «Ну, во всяком случае, я не пойду, — сказала Алиса, — кроме того, это не обычное правило: вы его только что придумали». ‘It's the oldest rule in the book,' said the King. ‘Then it ought to be Number One,' said Alice. The King turned pale, and shut his note-book hastily. ‘Consider your verdict,' he said to the jury, in a low, trembling voice. — Обдумайте ваш вердикт, — сказал он присяжным тихим, дрожащим голосом. ‘There's more evidence to come yet, please your Majesty,' said the White Rabbit, jumping up in a great hurry; ‘this paper has just been picked up.' ‘What's in it?' said the Queen.

‘I haven't opened it yet,' said the White Rabbit, ‘but it seems to be a letter, written by the prisoner to — to somebody.' «Я еще не открывал его, — сказал Белый Кролик, — но, похоже, это письмо, написанное заключенным… кому-то». ‘It must have been that,' said the King, ‘unless it was written to nobody, which isn't usual, you know.' «Должно быть, так оно и было, — сказал король, — если только это не было написано никому, что, знаете ли, необычно». ‘Who is it directed to?' said one of the jurymen.

‘It isn't directed at all,' said the White Rabbit; ‘in fact, there's nothing written on the outside .' He unfolded the paper as he spoke, and added ‘It isn't a letter, after all: it's a set of verses.' ‘Are they in the prisoner's handwriting?' asked another of the jurymen.

‘No, they're not,' said the White Rabbit, ‘and that's the queerest thing about it.' — Нет, — сказал Белый Кролик, — и это самое странное во всем этом. (The jury all looked puzzled.)

‘He must have imitated somebody else's hand,' said the King. (The jury all brightened up again.)

‘Please your Majesty,' said the Knave, ‘I didn't write it, and they can't prove I did: there's no name signed at the end.' «Пожалуйста, ваше величество, — сказал Валет, — я этого не писал, и они не могут доказать, что это был я: в конце нет подписи имени». ‘If you didn't sign it,' said the King, ‘that only makes the matter worse. «Если вы его не подписали, — сказал король, — это только ухудшит дело. You must have meant some mischief, or else you'd have signed your name like an honest man.' Ты, должно быть, имел в виду какое-то зло, иначе подписался бы, как честный человек. There was a general clapping of hands at this: it was the first really clever thing the King had said that day.

‘That proves his guilt,' said the Queen. — Это доказывает его вину, — сказала Королева. ‘It proves nothing of the sort!' — Это ничего не доказывает! said Alice.

‘Why, you don't even know what they're about!' ‘Read them,' said the King. The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. ‘Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?' — С чего мне начать, пожалуйста, ваше величество? he asked.

‘Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, ‘and go on till you come to the end: then stop.' These were the verses the White Rabbit read:—

‘They told me you had been to her, «Мне сказали, что ты был у нее,

And mentioned me to him: И упомянул меня ему:

She gave me a good character, Она дала мне хороший характер,

But said I could not swim. Но сказал, что я не умею плавать.

He sent them word I had not gone Он послал им слово, что я не ушел

(We know it to be true): (Мы знаем, что это правда):

If she should push the matter on, Если она будет настаивать на этом,

What would become of you? Что бы с тобой стало?

I gave her one, they gave him two, Я дал ей один, они дали ему два,

You gave us three or more; Вы дали нам три или больше;

They all returned from him to you, Все они вернулись от него к тебе,

Though they were mine before.

If I or she should chance to be

Involved in this affair,

He trusts to you to set them free,

Exactly as we were.

My notion was that you had been

(Before she had this fit)

An obstacle that came between

Him, and ourselves, and it.

Don't let him know she liked them best, For this must ever be

A secret, kept from all the rest,

Between yourself and me.' ‘That's the most important piece of evidence we've heard yet,' said the King, rubbing his hands; ‘so now let the jury —' ‘If any one of them can explain it,' said Alice, (she had grown so large in the last few minutes that she wasn't a bit afraid of interrupting him,) ‘I'll give him sixpence. -- Если кто-нибудь из них сможет это объяснить, -- сказала Алиса (она так повзрослела за последние несколько минут, что ничуть не побоялась его перебить), -- я дам ему шесть пенсов. I don't believe there's an atom of meaning in it.' The jury all wrote down on their slates, ‘ She doesn't believe there's an atom of meaning in it,' but none of them attempted to explain the paper. ‘If there's no meaning in it,' said the King, ‘that saves a world of trouble, you know, as we needn't try to find any. And yet I don't know,' he went on, spreading out the verses on his knee, and looking at them with one eye; ‘I seem to see some meaning in them, after all. “— said I could not swim —” you can't swim, can you?' he added, turning to the Knave.

The Knave shook his head sadly. ‘Do I look like it?' he said. (Which he certainly did not , being made entirely of cardboard.)

‘All right, so far,' said the King, and he went on muttering over the verses to himself: ‘“ we know it to be true —” that's the jury, of course — “ I gave her one, they gave him two —” why, that must be what he did with the tarts, you know —' ‘But, it goes on “ they all returned from him to you ,”' said Alice. ‘Why, there they are!' Ach, da sind sie ja! said the King triumphantly, pointing to the tarts on the table. ‘Nothing can be clearer than that . Then again —“ before she had this fit —” you never had fits, my dear, I think?' С другой стороны, — до того, как у нее случился этот припадок, — у тебя никогда не было припадков, моя дорогая, я думаю? he said to the Queen.

‘Never!' said the Queen furiously, throwing an inkstand at the Lizard as she spoke. — в ярости сказала Королева, бросая чернильницу в Ящерицу. (The unfortunate little Bill had left off writing on his slate with one finger, as he found it made no mark; but he now hastily began again, using the ink, that was trickling down his face, as long as it lasted.) (Несчастный маленький Билл перестал писать на грифельной доске одним пальцем, так как обнаружил, что он не оставляет следов; но теперь он поспешно начал снова, используя чернила, которые стекали по его лицу, пока они держались.)

‘Then the words don't fit you,' said the King, looking round the court with a smile. There was a dead silence.

‘It's a pun!' the King added in an offended tone, and everybody laughed, ‘Let the jury consider their verdict,' the King said, for about the twentieth time that day. ‘No, no!' said the Queen.

‘Sentence first — verdict afterwards.' ‘Stuff and nonsense!' said Alice loudly. ‘The idea of having the sentence first!' ‘Hold your tongue!' said the Queen, turning purple.

‘I won't!' said Alice.

‘Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved.

‘Who cares for you?' «Кто заботится о тебе?» said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) — сказала Алиса (к этому времени она уже достигла своего полного размера). ‘You're nothing but a pack of cards!' — Ты всего лишь колода карт! At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face. Elle poussa un petit cri, moitié de frayeur, moitié de colère, et essaya de les repousser. Elle se retrouva allongée sur la berge, la tête sur les genoux de sa soeur, qui brossait doucement quelques feuilles mortes qui avaient voltigé des arbres sur son visage. При этом вся стая поднялась на воздух и налетела на нее: она вскрикнула, наполовину от испуга, наполовину от гнева, и попыталась отбиться от них, и очутилась лежащей на берегу, с на коленях у сестры, которая осторожно смахивала с деревьев опавшие листья, падавшие ей на лицо.

‘Wake up, Alice dear!' said her sister; ‘Why, what a long sleep you've had!' ‘Oh, I've had such a curious dream!' said Alice, and she told her sister, as well as she could remember them, all these strange Adventures of hers that you have just been reading about; and when she had finished, her sister kissed her, and said, ‘It was a curious dream, dear, certainly: but now run in to your tea; it's getting late.' So Alice got up and ran off, thinking while she ran, as well she might, what a wonderful dream it had been.

But her sister sat still just as she left her, leaning her head on her hand, watching the setting sun, and thinking of little Alice and all her wonderful Adventures, till she too began dreaming after a fashion, and this was her dream:— Mais sa sœur resta assise comme elle l'avait laissée, la tête appuyée sur sa main, regardant le soleil couchant et pensant à la petite Alice et à toutes ses merveilleuses aventures, jusqu'à ce qu'elle se mette à rêver à son tour, et voici ce qu'elle rêva

First, she dreamed of little Alice herself, and once again the tiny hands were clasped upon her knee, and the bright eager eyes were looking up into hers — she could hear the very tones of her voice, and see that queer little toss of her head to keep back the wandering hair that would always get into her eyes — and still as she listened, or seemed to listen, the whole place around her became alive the strange creatures of her little sister's dream. Tout d'abord, elle rêva de la petite Alice elle-même, et une fois de plus, les petites mains étaient serrées sur son genou, et les yeux brillants et enthousiastes regardaient dans les siens - elle pouvait entendre le ton même de sa voix, et voir cet étrange petit mouvement de la tête pour retenir les cheveux errants qui lui arrivaient toujours dans les yeux - et tandis qu'elle écoutait, ou semblait écouter, tout l'endroit autour d'elle devenait vivant, les créatures étranges du rêve de sa petite sœur. The long grass rustled at her feet as the White Rabbit hurried by — the frightened Mouse splashed his way through the neighbouring pool — she could hear the rattle of the teacups as the March Hare and his friends shared their never-ending meal, and the shrill voice of the Queen ordering off her unfortunate guests to execution — once more the pig-baby was sneezing on the Duchess's knee, while plates and dishes crashed around it — once more the shriek of the Gryphon, the squeaking of the Lizard's slate-pencil, and the choking of the suppressed guinea-pigs, filled the air, mixed up with the distant sobs of the miserable Mock Turtle. So she sat on, with closed eyes, and half believed herself in Wonderland, though she knew she had but to open them again, and all would change to dull reality — the grass would be only rustling in the wind, and the pool rippling to the waving of the reeds — the rattling teacups would change to tinkling sheep- bells, and the Queen's shrill cries to the voice of the shepherd boy — and the sneeze of the baby, the shriek of the Gryphon, and all thy other queer noises, would change (she knew) to the confused clamour of the busy farm-yard — while the lowing of the cattle in the distance would take the place of the Mock Turtle's heavy sobs. Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood: and how she would gather about her other little children, and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago: and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days. Enfin, elle s'imaginait que cette même petite sœur deviendrait elle-même une femme adulte, et qu'elle conserverait, pendant toutes ses années de maturité, le cœur simple et aimant de son enfance ; qu'elle rassemblerait ses autres petits enfants, et qu'elle rendrait leurs yeux brillants et enthousiastes en leur racontant de nombreuses histoires étranges, peut-être même en leur faisant rêver du pays des merveilles d'il y a longtemps ; qu'elle compatirait à tous leurs chagrins simples, et qu'elle trouverait du plaisir dans toutes leurs joies simples, en se rappelant sa propre vie d'enfant, et les heureux jours d'été.

THE END