Stranica 156 [156]
140 THE MOCK
So they went up to the Mock Turtle, who looked
at them with large eyes full of tears, but said
nothing.
“This here young lady,” said the Gryphon,
“she wants for to know your history, she do.”
“T’ll tell it her,” said the Mock Turtle in a
deep, hollow tone: “sit down both of you, and
don’t speak a word till I’ve finished.”
So they sat down, and nobody spoke for some
minutes. Alice thought to herself, “I don’t see
how he can ever finish, if he doesn’t begin.” But
she waited patiently.
“Once,” said the Mock Turtle at last, with a
deep sigh, “I was a real Turtle.”
These words were followed by a very long
silence, broken only by an occasional exclamation
of “ Hjckrrh!” from the Gryphon, and the con_
stant heavy sobbing of the Mock Turtle. Alice
was very nearly getting up and saying, “Thank
you, sir, for your interesting story,’ but she could
not help thinking there must be more to come, so
she sat still and said nothing.