Oldal 46 [46]
30 A CAUCUS-RACE
and after a few minutes it seemed quite natural
to Alice to find herself talking familiarly with
them, as if she had known them all her life.
Indeed, she had quite a long argument with
the Lory, who at last turned sulky, and would
only say, “lam older than you, and must know
better ;” and this Alice would not allow, with¬
out knowing how old it was, and as the Lory
positively refused to tell its age, there was no
more to be said.
At last the Mouse, who seemed to be a
person of some authority among them, called
out, “Sit down, all of you, and listen to me!
FU soon make you dry enough!” They all sat
down at once, in a large ring, with the Mouse
in the middle. Alice kept her eyes anxiously
fixed on it, for she felt sure she would catch a
bad cold if she did not get dry very soon.
“Ahem!” said the’ Mouse with an important
air, “are you all ready? ‘This is the driest thing
I know. Silence all round, if you please!
‘William the Conqueror, whose cause was