Not at first, perhaps, but you could keep it to half past one as long as you liked. ALICE Is that the way _you_ manage? HATTER Not I, we quarreled last March--just before _he_ went mad, you know. It was at the great concert given by the Queen of Hearts and I had to sing. "Twinkle, twinkle, little bat! How I wonder what you're at!" You know the song, perhaps. ALICE I've heard something like it. DORMOUSE Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle-- HATTER Well, I'd hardly finished the first verse when the Queen bawled out, "He's murdering the time! Off with his head!" ALICE How dreadfully savage! HATTER And ever since that, he won't do a thing I ask! It's always six o'clock now. ALICE Is that the reason so many tea things are put out here? HATTER Yes, that's it; it's always tea time, and we've no time to wash the things between whiles. ALICE Then you keep moving round, I suppose? HATTER Exactly so, as the things get used up. ALICE But when you come to the beginning again? MARCH HARE Suppose we change the subject. I vote the young lady tells us a story. ALICE I'm afraid I don't know one. MARCH HARE and HATTER Then the Dormouse shall. Wake up Dormouse. [_They pinch him on both sides at once._] DORMOUSE [_Opens his eyes slowly and says in a hoarse, feeble voice._] I wasn't asleep, I heard every word you fellows were saying. MARCH HARE Tell us a story. ALICE Yes, please do! HATTER And be quick about it, or you'll be asleep again before it's done. DORMOUSE Once upon a time there were three little sisters, and their names were Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie and they lived at the bottom of a well-- ALICE What did they live on? [Illustration] DORMOUSE They lived on treacle. ALICE They couldn't have done that, you know, they'd have been ill. DORMOUSE So they were, _very_ ill. ALICE But why did they live at the bottom of a well? MARCH HARE Take some more tea. ALICE I've had nothing yet, so I can't take more. HATTER You mean, you can't take _less_; it's very easy to take _more_ than nothing. ALICE Nobody asked _your_ opinion. HATTER Who's making personal remarks now? ALICE [_Helps herself to tea and bread and butter._] Why did they live at the bottom of a well? DORMOUSE [_Takes a minute or two to think._] It was a treacle-well. ALICE There's no such thing! HATTER and MARCH HARE Sh! Sh! DORMOUSE If you can't be civil, you'd better finish the story for yourself. ALICE [_Very humbly._] No, please go on. I won't interrupt you again. I dare say there may be _one_. DORMOUSE One, indeed! And so these three little sisters--they were learning to draw, you know-- ALICE What did they draw? DORMOUSE Treacle. HATTER I want a clean cup. Let's all move one place on. [_HATTER moves on, DORMOUSE takes his place, MARCH HARE takes DORMOUSE'S place and ALICE unwillingly takes MARCH HARE'S place._] ALICE