“Make a remark,” said the Red Queen: “it’s ridiculous to leave all the conversation to the pudding!” “Do you know, I’ve had such a quantity of poetry repeated to me to-day,” Alice began, a little frightened at finding that, the moment she opened her lips, there was dead silence, and all eyes were fixed upon her; “and it’s a very curious thing, I think—every poem was about fishes in some way. Do you know why they’re so fond of fishes, all about here?” She spoke to the Red Queen, whose answer was a little wide of the mark. “As to fishes,” she said, very slowly and solemnly, putting her mouth close to Alice’s ear, “her White Majesty knows a lovely riddle—all in poetry—all about fishes. Shall she repeat it?” “Her Red Majesty’s very kind to mention it,” the White Queen murmured into Alice’s other ear, in a voice like the cooing of a pigeon. “It would be _such_ a treat! May I?” “Please do,” Alice said very politely. The White Queen laughed with delight, and stroked Alice’s cheek. Then she began: “‘First, the fish must be caught.’ That is easy: a baby, I think, could have caught it. ‘Next, the fish must be bought.’ That is easy: a penny, I think, would have bought it. ‘Now cook me the fish!’ That is easy, and will not take more than a minute. ‘Let it lie in a dish!’ That is easy, because it already is in it. ‘Bring it here! Let me sup!’ It is easy to set such a dish on the table. ‘Take the dish-cover up!’ Ah, that is so hard that I fear I’m unable! For it holds it like glue— Holds the lid to the dish, while it lies in the middle: Which is easiest to do, Un-dish-cover the fish, or dishcover the riddle?” “Take a minute to think about it, and then guess,” said the Red Queen. “Meanwhile, we’ll drink your health—Queen Alice’s health!” she screamed at the top of her voice, and all the guests began drinking it directly, and very queerly they managed it: some of them put their glasses upon their heads like extinguishers, and drank all that trickled down their faces—others upset the decanters, and drank the wine as it ran off the edges of the table—and three of them (who looked like kangaroos) scrambled into the dish of roast mutton, and began eagerly lapping up the gravy, “just like pigs in a trough!” thought Alice. “You ought to return thanks in a neat speech,” the Red Queen said, frowning at Alice as she spoke. “We must support you, you know,” the White Queen whispered, as Alice got up to do it, very obediently, but a little frightened. “Thank you very much,” she whispered in reply, “but I can do quite well without.” “That wouldn’t be at all the thing,” the Red Queen said very decidedly: so Alice tried to submit to it with a good grace. (“And they _did_ push so!” she said afterwards, when she was telling her sister the history of the feast. “You would have thought they wanted to squeeze me flat!”)