Page:Carroll - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.djvu/59

There was a problem when proofreading this page.

---

A CAUCUS-RACE AND A LONG TALE

---

“Mine is a long and a sad tale!” said the Mouse, turning to Alice and sighing.

“It is a long tail, certainly,” said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail; “but why do you call it sad?” And she kept on puzzling about it while the Mouse was speaking, so that her idea of the tale was something like this:——

“Fury said to                                         a mouse, That                                            he met in the                                              house, ‘Let us                                                both go to                                             law: I will                                         prosecute                                   you.—Come,                               I’ll take no                         denial: We                    must have the                 trial; For             really this        morning I’ve   nothing to do.’ Said the  mouse to     the cur,        ‘Such a            trial, dear                sir, With                     no jury                         or judge,                              would                                 be wast-                                     ing our                                         breath.’                                              ‘I’ll be                                                   judge,                                                       I’ll be                                                           jury,’                                                              said                                                                 cun-                                                                     ning                                                                         old                                                                        Fury:                                                                        ‘I’ll                                                                      try                                                                  the                                                            whole                                                        cause,                                                      and                                                  con-                                             demn                                        you to                                   death.’”

39