9. The Mock Turtle
Alice looked around and saw a big smile in the air.
'“Hello, Cheshire Cat," she said, and the whole cat appeared on the garden wall.
"How are you?" asked the cat. "Are you enjoying yourself?”
"It’s not a very good game," said Alice. “Everyone is fighting."
Alice looked around and saw the Queen behind her.
"What is this?” asked the Queen.
"It’s the Cheshire Cat." said Alice.
“I don’t want it here!” shouted the Queen.
"It’s the Duchess’s cat. Ask her to take it away," said Alice.
One of the soldiers went to get the Duchess, but the cat started to disappear again. When the
Duchess arrived, it was gone.
"I'm so happy to see you again!" said the Duchess. She took Alice’s arm and they walked around
the garden. The Duchess was very ugly, and she held* Alice very tight. Alice was glad when the
Queen called her.
"You must meet the Mock Turtle!” shouted the Queen. They walked to another part of the
garden, where a Gryphon was asleep in the sun.
"Get up, you lazy thing!” shouted the Queen. "Take Alice to see the Mock Turtle!”
The Queen went back to the croquet game and the Gryphon sat up slowly.
"Come on," it said to Alice.
They walked for a few minutes, and then Alice saw the Mock Turtle. He was on a rock and he looked very unhappy.
"Why is he so sad?” asked Alice.
"Oh, he’s not sad,” said the Gryphon. "He just thinks he’s sad.”
They looked at the Mock Turtle. He looked back at them with tears in his eyes.
"This is Alice,” said the Gryphon. "She wants to hear your story.”
They sat down next to the Mock Turtle and waited for him to speak.
“Once," said the Mock Turtle at last, with a deep sigh. "I went to a school under the sea. Our teacher was an old Turtle. We called him Tortoise.”
“Why did you call him Tortoise?" asked Alice.
"Because he fought* us!” said the Mock Turtle. "What a silly question! We had lessons every day, and we played games, too ..."
The Mock Turtle talked and talked. Alice didn’t understand much of his story, but she listened politely. Then the Mock Turtle started to sing a song. Alice and the Gryphon danced.
Suddenly, they heard a shout from far away. “The trial is starting!"
"Come on!” said the Gryphon. He took Alice’s hand and they ran.
“What trial is it?" asked Alice. But the Gryphon didn’t answer. They ran faster and faster, and Alice could still hear the Mock Turtle's song behind them.