judge,' she said to herself, `because of his great wig.'

  The judge, by the way, was the King; and as he wore his crown

over the wig, (look at the frontispiece if you want to see how he

did it,) he did not look at all comfortable, and it was certainly

not becoming.

  `And that's the jury-box,' thought Alice, `and those twelve

creatures,' (she was obliged to say `creatures,' you see, because

some of them were animals, and some were birds,) `I suppose they

are the jurors.'  She said this last word two or three times over

to herself, being rather proud of it:  for she thought, and

rightly too, that very few little girls of her age knew the

meaning of it at all.  However, `jury-men' would have done just

as well.

  The twelve jurors were all writing very busily on slates.

`What are they doing?'  Alice whispered to the Gryphon.  `They

can't have anything to put down yet, before the trial's begun.'

  `They're putting down their names,' the Gryphon whispered in

reply, `for fear they should forget them before the end of the

trial.'

  `Stupid things!' Alice began in a loud, indignant voice, but

she stopped hastily, for the White Rabbit cried out, `Silence in

the court!' and the King put on his spectacles and looked

anxiously round, to make out who was talking.

  Alice could see, as well as if she were looking over their

shoulders, that all the jurors were writing down `stupid things!'

on their slates, and she could even make out that one of them

didn't know how to spell `stupid,' and that he had to ask his

neighbour to tell him.  `A nice muddle their slates'll be in

before the trial's over!' thought Alice.

  One of the jurors had a pencil that squeaked.  This of course,

Alice could not stand, and she went round the court and got

behind him, and very soon found an opportunity of taking it

away.  She did it so quickly that the poor little juror (it was

Bill, the Lizard) could not make out at all what had become of

it; so, after hunting all about for it, he was obliged to write

with one finger for the rest of the day; and this was of very

little use, as it left no mark on the slate.

  `Herald, read the accusation!' said the King.

  On this the White Rabbit blew three blasts on the trumpet, and

then unrolled the parchment scroll, and read as follows:--

    `The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts,

          All on a summer day:

      The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts,

          And took them quite away!'

  `Consider your verdict,' the King said to the jury.

  `Not yet, not yet!' the Rabbit hastily interrupted.  `There's

a great deal to come before that!'

  `Call the first witness,' said the King; and the White Rabbit

blew three blasts on the trumpet, and called out, `First

witness!'

  The first witness was the Hatter.  He came in with a teacup in

one hand and a piece of bread-and-butter in the other.  `I beg

pardon, your Majesty,' he began, `for bringing these in:  but I

hadn't quite finished my tea when I was sent for.'

  `You ought to have finished,' said the King.  `When did you

begin?'

  The Hatter looked at the March Hare, who had followed him into

the court, arm-in-arm with the Dormouse.  `Fourteenth of March, I

think it was,' he said.

  `Fifteenth,' said the March Hare.

  `Sixteenth,' added the Dormouse.

  `Write that down,' the King said to the jury, and the jury

eagerly wrote down all three dates on their slates, and then

added them up, and reduced the answer to shillings and pence.

  `Take off your hat,' the King said to the Hatter.

  `It isn't mine,' said the Hatter.

  `Stolen!' the King exclaimed, turning to the jury, who

instantly made a memorandum of the fact.

  `I keep them to sell,' the Hatter added as an explanation;

`I've none of my own.  I'm a hatter.'

  Here the Queen put on her spectacles, and began staring at the

Hatter, who turned pale and fidgeted.

  `Give your evidence,' said the King; `and don't be nervous, or

I'll have you executed on the spot.'

  This did not seem to encourage the witness at all:  he kept

shifting from one foot to the other, looking uneasily at the

Queen, and in his confusion he bit a large piece out of his

teacup instead of the bread-and-butter.

  Just at this moment Alice felt a very curious sensation, which

puzzled her a good deal until she made out what it was:  she was

beginning to grow larger again, and she thought at first she

would get up and leave the court; but on second thoughts she

decided to remain where she was as long as there was room for

her.

  `I wish you wouldn't squeeze so.' said the Dormouse, who was

sitting next to her.  `I can hardly breathe.'

  `I can't help it,' said Alice very meekly:  `I'm growing.'

  `You've no right to grow here,' said the Dormouse.

  `Don't talk nonsense,' said Alice more boldly:  `you know

you're growing too.'

  `Yes, but I grow at a reasonable pace,' said the Dormouse:

`not in that ridiculous fashion.'  And he got up very sulkily

and crossed over to the other side of the court.

  All this time the Queen had never left off staring at the

Hatter, and, just as the Dormouse crossed the court, she said to

one of the officers of the court, `Bring me the list of the

singers in the last concert!' on which the wretched Hatter

trembled so, that he shook both his shoes off.

  `Give your evidence,' the King repeated angrily, `or I'll have

you executed, whether you're nervous or not.'

  `I'm a poor man, your Majesty,' the Hatter began, in a

trembling voice, `--and I hadn't begun my tea--not above a week

or so--and what with the bread-and-butter getting so thin--and

the twinkling of the tea--'

  `The twinkling of the what?' said the King.

  `It began with the tea,' the Hatter replied.

  `Of course twinkling begins with a T!' said the King sharply.

`Do you take me for a dunce?  Go on!'

  `I'm a poor man,' the Hatter went on, `and most things

twinkled after that--only the March Hare said--'

  `I didn't!' the March Hare interrupted in a great hurry.

  `You did!' said the Hatter.

  `I deny it!' said the March Hare.

  `He denies it,' said the King:  `leave out that part.'

  `Well, at any rate, the Dormouse said--' the Hatter went on,

looking anxiously round to see if he would deny it too:  but the

Dormouse denied nothing, being fast asleep.

  `After that,' continued the Hatter, `I cut some more bread-

and-butter--'

  `But what did the Dormouse say?' one of the jury asked.

  `That I can't remember,' said the Hatter.

  `You MUST remember,' remarked the King, `or I'll have you

executed.'

  The miserable Hatter dropped his teacup and bread-and-butter,

and went down on one knee.  `I'm a poor man, your Majesty,' he

began.

  `You're a very poor speaker,' said the King.

  Here one of the guinea-pigs cheered, and was immediately

suppressed by the officers of the court.  (As that is rather a

hard word, I will just explain to you how it was done.  They had

a large canvas bag, which tied up at the mouth with strings:

into this they slipped the guinea-pig, head first, and then sat

upon it.)

  `I'm glad I've seen that done,' thought Alice.  `I've so often

read in the newspapers, at the end of trials, "There was some

attempts at applause, which was immediately suppressed by the

officers of the court," and I never understood what it meant

till now.'

  `If that's all you know about it, you may stand down,'

continued the King.

  `I can't go no lower,' said the Hatter:  `I'm on the floor, as

it is.'

  `Then you may SIT down,' the King replied.

  Here the other guinea-pig cheered, and was suppressed.

  `Come, that finished the guinea-pigs!' thought Alice.  `Now we

shall get on better.'

  `I'd rather finish my tea,' said the Hatter, with an anxious

look at the Queen, who was reading the list of singers.