Oldal 102 [102]
86 PIG AND PEPPER,
“Here! you may nurse it a bit, if you like!”
the Duchess said to Alice, flinging the baby at
her as she spoke. "I must go and get ready to
play croquet with the Queen,” and she hurried
out of the room. The cook threw a frying-pan
after her as she went, but 1t Just missed her.
Alice caught the baby with some difticulty,
as it was a queer-shaped little creature, and held
out its arms and legs in all directions, “just
like a star-fish,” thought Alice. The poor little
thing was snorting like a steam-engine when
she caught it, and kept doubling itself up and
straightening itself out again, so that altogether,
for the first minute or two, it was as much as
she could do to hold it.
As soon as she had made out the proper way
of nursing it, (which was to twist it up into
a sort of knot, and then keep tight hold of its
right car and left foot, so as to prevent its
undoing itself,) she carried it out into the open
air. “If I don’t take this child away with me,”
thought Alice, “they’re sure to kill it im a day