many tea-things are put out here?' she asked.

  `Yes, that's it,' said the Hatter with a sigh:  `it's always

tea-time, and we've no time to wash the things between whiles.'

  `Then you keep moving round, I suppose?' said Alice.

  `Exactly so,' said the Hatter:  `as the things get used up.'

  `But what happens when you come to the beginning again?' Alice

ventured to ask.

  `Suppose we change the subject,' the March Hare interrupted,

yawning.  `I'm getting tired of this.  I vote the young lady

tells us a story.'

  `I'm afraid I don't know one,' said Alice, rather alarmed at

the proposal.

  `Then the Dormouse shall!' they both cried.  `Wake up,

Dormouse!'  And they pinched it on both sides at once.

  The Dormouse slowly opened his eyes.  `I wasn't asleep,' he

said in a hoarse, feeble voice:  `I heard every word you fellows

were saying.'

  `Tell us a story!' said the March Hare.

  `Yes, please do!' pleaded Alice.

  `And be quick about it,' added the Hatter, `or you'll be asleep

again before it's done.'

  `Once upon a time there were three little sisters,' the

Dormouse began in a great hurry; `and their names were Elsie,

Lacie, and Tillie; and they lived at the bottom of a well--'

  `What did they live on?' said Alice, who always took a great

interest in questions of eating and drinking.

  `They lived on treacle,' said the Dormouse, after thinking a

minute or two.

  `They couldn't have done that, you know,' Alice gently

remarked; `they'd have been ill.'

  `So they were,' said the Dormouse; `VERY ill.'

  Alice tried to fancy to herself what such an extraordinary ways

of living would be like, but it puzzled her too much, so she went

on:  `But why did they live at the bottom of a well?'

  `Take some more tea,' the March Hare said to Alice, very

earnestly.

  `I've had nothing yet,' Alice replied in an offended tone, `so

I can't take more.'

  `You mean you can't take LESS,' said the Hatter:  `it's very

easy to take MORE than nothing.'

  `Nobody asked YOUR opinion,' said Alice.

  `Who's making personal remarks now?' the Hatter asked

triumphantly.

  Alice did not quite know what to say to this:  so she helped

herself to some tea and bread-and-butter, and then turned to the ()