Page 136 [136]
120 THE QUEEN'S
“Very, said Alice :—‘where’s the Duchess ?”
“Hush! hush!” said the Rabbit in a low,
hurried tone. He looked anxiously over his
shoulder as he spoke, and then raised himself
upon tiptoe, put his mouth close to her ear,
and whispered “She’s under sentence of execu¬
tion.”
‘What for?” said Alice.
‘Did you say ‘What a pity!’?” the Rabbit
asked.
“No, I didn’t,” said Alice: "I dont think its
at all á pity. I said ‘ What for ?’”
“She boxed the Queen’s ears—’ the Rabbit
began. Alice gave a little scream of laughter.
“Oh, hush!” the Rabbit whispered in a frightened
tone. “The Queen will hear you! You see she
came rather late, and the Queen said—”
“Get to your places!” shouted the Queen in
a voice of thunder, and people began running
about in all directions, tumbling up against each
other ; however, they got settled down in a minute
or two, and the game began.