catching mice you can't think!  And oh, I wish you could see her

after the birds!  Why, she'll eat a little bird as soon as look

at it!'

  This speech caused a remarkable sensation among the party.

Some of the birds hurried off at once:  one old Magpie began

wrapping itself up very carefully, remarking, `I really must be

getting home; the night-air doesn't suit my throat!' and a Canary

called out in a trembling voice to its children, `Come away, my

dears!  It's high time you were all in bed!'  On various pretexts

they all moved off, and Alice was soon left alone.

  `I wish I hadn't mentioned Dinah!' she said to herself in a

melancholy tone.  `Nobody seems to like her, down here, and I'm

sure she's the best cat in the world!  Oh, my dear Dinah!  I

wonder if I shall ever see you any more!'  And here poor Alice

began to cry again, for she felt very lonely and low-spirited.

In a little while, however, she again heard a little pattering of

footsteps in the distance, and she looked up eagerly, half hoping

that the Mouse had changed his mind, and was coming back to

finish his story.

                           CHAPTER IV

                The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill

  It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and

looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something;

and she heard it muttering to itself `The Duchess!  The Duchess!

Oh my dear paws!  Oh my fur and whiskers!  She'll get me

executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!  Where CAN I have

dropped them, I wonder?'  Alice guessed in a moment that it was

looking for the fan and the pair of white kid gloves, and she

very good-naturedly began hunting about for them, but they were

nowhere to be seen--everything seemed to have changed since her

swim in the pool, and the great hall, with the glass table and

the little door, had vanished completely.

  Very soon the Rabbit noticed Alice, as she went hunting about,

and called out to her in an angry tone, `Why, Mary Ann, what ARE

you doing out here?  Run home this moment, and fetch me a pair of

gloves and a fan!  Quick, now!'  And Alice was so much frightened

that she ran off at once in the direction it pointed to, without

trying to explain the mistake it had made.

  `He took me for his housemaid,' she said to herself as she ran.

`How surprised he'll be when he finds out who I am!  But I'd ()