Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Chapter 10

Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Chapter 10

Episode Transcript

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This is a LibriVox recording. AllLibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information and to find outhow you can volunteer, please visit LibriVox
dot org. Recording by Roger W. Barnett. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis

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Carroll, Chapter ten, The LobsterQuadrille. The mock turtle sighed deeply and
drew the back of one flapper acrosshis eyes. He looked at Alice and

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tried to speak, but for aminute or two, sobs choked his voice,
same as if he had a bonein his throat, said the Griffin,
and it set to work, shakinghim and punching him in the back.

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At last, the mock turtle recoveredhis voice, and, with tears
running down his cheeks, he wenton again. You may not have lived
much under the sea, I haven't, said Alice. And perhaps you were

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never even introduced to a lobster.Alice began to say I once tasted,
but checked herself hastily and said,no, never, So you can have
no idea what a delightful thing alobster quadrille is. No, indeed,

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said Alice, what sort of adance is it? Why, said the
griffin. You first form into aline along the seashore, two lines,
cried the mock turtle. Seals turtles, salmon, and so on. Then

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when you've cleared all the jelly fishout of the way, that generally takes
some time, interrupted the griffin.You advanced twice, each with a lobster
as a partner, cried the griffin. Of course, the mock turtle said,

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advance twice, set to partners,change lobsters, and retire in the
same order, continued the griffin.Then you know, the mock turtle went,
on, you throw the the lobsters, shouted the griffin, with a

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bound into the air. As farout to sea as you can swim after
them, screamed the griffin. Turna somersault in the sea, cried the
mock turtle, capering wildly about changelobsters again, yelled the griffin at the

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top of his voice. Back toland again. And that's all, the
first figure, said the mock turtle, suddenly dropping his voice, and the
two creatures, who had been jumpingabout like mad things all this time,

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set down again very sadly and quietly, and looked at Alice. It must
be a very pretty dance, saidAlice timidly. Would you like to see
a little of it? Said themock turtle. Very much indeed, said

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Alice. Come let's try the firstfigure, said the mock turtle to the
griffin. We can do without lobsters. You know which shall sing? Oh
you singing? Said the griffin.I've forgotten the words. So they began

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solemnly dancing around and round Alice,every now and then, treading on her
hose when they passed too close,and waving their fore paws to mark the
time, while the mock turtle sangthis very slowly and sadly. Will you

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walk a little faster? Said awhiting to a snail. There's a porpoise
close behind us, and he's treadingon my tail. See how eagerly the
lobsters and the turtles all advance.They are waiting on the shingle. Will

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you come and join the dance?Will you won't you? Will you?
Won't you? Will you join thedance? Will you won't you? Will
you won't you won't you join thedance? And really have no notion how
delightful it will be when they takeus up and throw us with the lobsters

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out to sea. But the snailreplied too far, too far, and
gave a look Askance said he thankedthe whiting kindly, but he would not
join the dance. Would not,could not, would not, could not,

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would not join the dance. Wouldnot, could not, would not,
could not, could not join thedance? What matters it? How
far we go? His scaly friendreplied, there is another shore, you
know, upon the other side,the further off from England. The nearer

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is to France. Then turn not, pale, beloved snail, but come
and join the dance. Will youwon't you? Will you? Won't you?
Will you join the dance? Willyou won't you? Will you?

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Won't you? Won't you join thedance? Thank you? It's a very
interesting dance to watch, said Alice, feeling very glad that it was over
at last. And I do solike that curious song about the whiting.

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Oh as to the whiting, saidthe mock turtle. They you've seen them,
of course, yes, said Alice. I've often seen them. Then
she checked herself hastily. I don'tknow where din may be, said the

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mock turtle. But if you've seenthem so often, of course you know
what they're like. I believe so, Alice replied thoughtfully. They have their
tails in their mouths, and they'reall over crumbs. You're wrong about the

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crumbs, said the mock turtle.Crumbs would all wash off in the sea.
But they have their tails in theirmouths, and the reason is here.
The mock turtle yawned and shut hiseyes. Tell her about the reason

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and all that he said to thegriffin. The reason is, said the
griffin, that they would go withthe lobsters to the dance, so they
got thrown out to sea, sothey had to fall a long way,

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so they got their tails fast intheir mouths so they couldn't get them out
again. That's all, thank you, said Alice. It's very interesting.
I never knew so much about awhiting before. I can tell you more

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than that, if you like,said the griffin. Do you know why
it's called a whiting? I neverthought about it, said Alice. Why
it does bob boots and shoes,the griffin replied, very solemnly. Alice

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was thoroughly puzzled. Does the bootsand shoes? She repeated, in a
wondering tone, Why what are yourshoes done with? Said the griffin,
I mean, what makes them soshiny. Alice looked down at them and

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considered a little before she gave heranswer. They're done with blacking. I
believe boots and shoes under the sea. The griffin went on, in a
deep voice. Are done with whitingnow you know? And what are they

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made of? Alice asked, ina tone of great curiosity, souls and
eels, of course, the griffinreplied, rather impatiently. Any shrimp could
have told you that. If I'dbeen the whiting, said Alice, whose

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thoughts were still running on the song, I'd have said to the porpoise,
keep back, please, we don'twant you with us. They were obliged
to have him with them. Themock turtle said, no, wise fish

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would go anywhere without a porpoise,wouldn't it, really, said Alice in
a tone of great surprise. Ofcourse not, said the mock turtle.
Why if a fish came to meand told me he was going on a

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journey, I would say, withwhat porpoise? Don't you mean, purpose,
said Alice? I mean what Isay, the mock turtle replied in
an offended tone, and the griffinadded, come, let's hear some of

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your adventures. I could tell youmy adventures beginning from this morning, said
Alice a little timidly. But it'sno use going back to yesterday, because
I was a different person. Thenexplain all that, said the mock turtle.

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No, no, the adventures first, said the griffin in an impatient
tone. Explanations take such a dreadfultime. So Alice began telling them her
adventures from the time when she firstsaw the white rabbit. She was a

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little nervous about it, just atfirst. The two creatures got so close
to her, one on each side, and opened their eyes and mouths so
very wide, but she gained courageas she went on. Her listeners were

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perfectly quiet till she got to thepart about her repeating you are old father
William to the caterpillar, and thewords all coming different. And then the
mock turtle drew a long breath andsaid, that's very curious. It's all

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about as curious as it can be, said the griffin. It all came
different, the mock turtle repeated,thoughtfully, I should like to hear her
try and repeat something. Now,tell her to begin. He looked at

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the griffin as if he thought ithad some kind of authority over Alice,
stand up and repeat, tis thevoice of the sluggard, said the griffin.
How the creatures order one about andmake one repeat lessons, thought Alice.

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I might as well be at schoolat once. However, she got
up and began to repeat it,but her head was so full of the
lobster quadrille that she hardly knew whatshe was saying, and the words came
very queer. Indeed, tis thevoice of the lobster. I heard him

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declare you have baked me too?Brown? I must sugar my hair as
a duck with its eyelids. Sohe with his nose, trims his belt
and his buttons, and turns outhis toes. When the sands are all

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dry. He as gay as alark, and will talk in contemptuous tones
of the shark. But when thetide rises and sharks are around, his
voice has a timid and tremulous sound. That's different from what I used to

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say when I was a child,said the griffin. Well I never heard
it before, said the mock turtle. But it sounds uncommon nonsense. Alice
said nothing. She had sat downwith her face in her hands, wondering
if anything would ever happen in anatural way again. I should like to

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have it explained, said the mockturtle. She can't explain it, said
the griffin hastily. Go on withthe next verse. But about his toes,
the mock turtle persisted, How couldhe turn them out with his nose?

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You know, it's the first positionin dancing, Alice said, but
was dreadfully puzzled by the whole thingand longed to change the subject. Go
on with the next verse, thegriffin repeated, impatiently. It begins,

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I passed by his garden. Alicedid not dare to disobey, though she
felt sure it would all come wrong, and she went on in a trembling
voice. I passed by his garden, and marked with one eye how the

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owl and the panther were sharing pie. The panther took pie, crust and
gravy and meat, while the owlhad the dish as its share of the
treat. When the pie was allfinished, the owl, as a boon,

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was kindly permitted to pocket the spoon, while the panther received knife and
fork. With a growl and concludedthe banquet, what is the use of
repeating all that stuff, the mockturtle interrupted, If you don't explain it

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as you go on, it's byfar the most confusing thing I ever heard.
Yes, I think you you'd betterleave off, said the griffin,
and Alice was only too glad todo so. Shall we try another figure

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of the lobster quadrille, The griffinwent on, Or would you like the
mock turtle to sing you a song? Oh, a song please? If
the mock turtle would be so kind, Alice replied so eagerly that the Griffin

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said, in a rather offended tone, hum no accounting for tastes, sing
her turtle soup, will you,old fellow? The mock turtle sighed deeply
and began, in a voice sometimeschoked with sobs, to sing this beautiful

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soup, so rich and green,waiting in a hot turine. Who for
such dainties would not stoop soup ofthe evening, beautiful soup, Soup of

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the evening, beautiful soup, beautautifulsoup, beautautiful soup, Soup of the
evening, beautiful, beautiful soup,beautiful soup. Who cares for fish,

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game or any other dish? Whowould not give all else for two penniworth
only of beautiful soup, penniworth onlyof beautiful soup, bewautiful soup, bewautiful

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soup. Soup of the evening Beautiful, Beautiful Soup chorus again cried the griffin,
and the mock turtle had just begunto repeat it when a cry of

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the trial's beginning was heard in thedistance. Come on, cried the griffin,
and taking Alice by the hand,it hurts off without waiting for the
end of the song. What trialis it? Alice panted as she ran,

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but the griffin only answered come on, and ran the faster, while
more and more faintly came, carriedon the breeze that followed them the melancholy
words soop of the evening, Beautiful, Beautiful Soup. End of Chapter ten.