"I didn't learn it," said the Mock Tur-tle, with a sigh. "I just took the first course." "What was that?" asked Al-ice. "Reel-ing and Writh-ing, of course, at first," the Mock Tur-tle said. "An old eel used to come once a week. He taught us to drawl, to stretch and to faint in coils." "What was that like?" Al-ice asked. "Well, I can't show you, my-self," he said: "I'm too stiff. And the Gry-phon didn't learn it." "How man-y hours a day did you do les-sons?" asked Al-ice. "Ten hours the first day," said the Mock Tur-tle; "nine the next and so on." "What a strange plan!" said Al-ice. "That's why they're called les-sons," said the Gry-phon: "they les-sen from day to day." This was such a new thing to Al-ice that she sat still a good while and didn't speak. "Then there would be a day when you would have no school," she said. "Of course there would," said the Mock Tur-tle. "What did you do then?" asked Al-ice. "I'm tired of this," said the Gry-phon: "tell her now of the games we played." CHAPTER X. THE LOB-STER DANCE. The Mock Tur-tle sighed, looked at Al-ice and tried to speak, but for a min-ute or two sobs choked his voice. "Same as if he had a bone in his throat," said the Gry-phon, and set to work to shake him and punch him in the back. At last the Mock Tur-tle found his voice and with tears run-ning down his cheeks, he went on: [Illustration] "You may not have lived much in the sea"--("I have-n't," said Al-ice) "so you can not know what a fine thing a Lob-ster Dance is!" "No," said Al-ice. "What sort of a dance is it?" "Why," said the Gry-phon, "you first form in a line on the sea-shore--" "Two lines!" cried the Mock Tur-tle. "Seals, tur-tles, and so on; then when you've cleared all the small fish out of the way--" "That takes some time," put in the Gry-phon. "You move to the front twice--" "Each with a lob-ster by his side!" cried the Gry-phon. "Of course," the Mock Tur-tle said: "move to the front twice--" "Change and come back in same way," said the Gry-phon. "Then, you know," the Mock Tur-tle went on, "you throw the--" "The lob-sters!" shout-ed the Gry-phon, with a bound in-to the air. "As far out to sea as you can--" "Swim out for them," screamed the Gry-phon. "Turn heels o-ver head in the sea!" cried the Mock Tur-tle. "Change a-gain!" yelled the Gry-phon at the top of his voice. "Then back to land, and--that's all the first part," said the Mock Tur-tle. Both the Gry-phon and the Mock Tur-tle had jumped a-bout like mad things all this time. Now they sat down quite sad and still, and looked at Al-ice. "It must be a pret-ty dance," said Al-ice. "Would you like to see some of it?" asked the Mock Tur-tle. "Oh, yes," she said. "Come, let's try the first part!" said the Mock Tur-tle to the Gry-phon. "We can do it without lob-sters, you know. Which shall sing?" "Oh, _you_ sing," said the Gry-phon. "I don't know the words."