"Well, then," started Floss again, "you see the nursery tea would look so nice that Sybil would be _sure_ to ask her mamma to let her have tea with us, even though it was the first evening. Perhaps, you know, she would be rather _shy_, just at first, till she got to know us. So we would be very, very kind to her, and after tea we would show her all our things--the dolls, only--Carrots, I'm afraid the dolls are getting rather old." "Are they?" said Carrots, sympathisingly. "When I'm a man I'll buy you such a _lot_ of new dolls, Floss, and Sybil, too, if she likes dolls--does she, Floss?" "I don't know. I should think so," said Floss. "When papa and mamma went to see auntie, they said Sybil was like a doll herself. I suppose she has beautiful blue eyes and long gold curls. That was a year ago; she must be bigger now, Carrots." "What?" "We must get up and run about a little now. It's too cold to sit still so long, and if we get cold, nurse won't let us come out alone again." Up jumped Carrots on to his sturdy little legs. "I'll run, Floss," he said. "Floss," he began, when they stopped to take breath again, "once I saw a little boy with a hoop. It went so nice on the sands. I wish I had a hoop, Floss." "I wish you had, dear," said Floss. "I'd buy you one, if I had any money. But I haven't, and we couldn't ask mamma, because I know," and Floss shook her head mysteriously, "I know poor mamma _hasn't any money to spare_. I must think of a plan to get some." Carrots kept silence for about three quarters of a minute. "Have you thinkened, Floss?" he asked, eagerly. "Thought," gravely said Floss, "not thinkened, what about?" "About a plan," replied Carrots. He called it "a pan," but Floss understood him. "Oh, dear, no," said Floss, "not yet. Plans take a great lot of thinking. They're real things, you see, Carrots, not like fancies about fairies and Sybil coming." "But when Sybil does come, that'll be real then," said Carrots. "Of course," agreed Floss, "but fancying about it before, isn't real." It took Carrots a little while to get this into his head. Then he began again. "When will you have thinkened enough, Floss? By tea-time?" "I don't know. No, I think you had better wait till to-morrow morning, and then perhaps the plan will be ready." "Very well," said Carrots, adding, with a little sigh, "to-morrow morning is a long time, Floss." "Not very," said Floss, consolingly. "Now, Carrots, let's have one more race, and then we must go in." CHAPTER III. PLANS. "'Have you invented a plan for it?' Alice inquired. 'Not yet,' said the knight." _Through the Looking-glass._