(Before she had this fit)

        An obstacle that came between

          Him, and ourselves, and it.

        Don't let him know she liked them best,

          For this must ever be

        A secret, kept from all the rest,

          Between yourself and me.'

  `That's the most important piece of evidence we've heard yet,'

said the King, rubbing his hands; `so now let the jury--'

  `If any one of them can explain it,' said Alice, (she had

grown so large in the last few minutes that she wasn't a bit

afraid of interrupting him,) `I'll give him sixpence.  _I_ don't

believe there's an atom of meaning in it.'

  The jury all wrote down on their slates, `SHE doesn't believe

there's an atom of meaning in it,' but none of them attempted to

explain the paper.

  `If there's no meaning in it,' said the King, `that saves a

world of trouble, you know, as we needn't try to find any.  And

yet I don't know,' he went on, spreading out the verses on his

knee, and looking at them with one eye; `I seem to see some

meaning in them, after all.  "--SAID I COULD NOT SWIM--" you

can't swim, can you?' he added, turning to the Knave.

  The Knave shook his head sadly.  `Do I look like it?' he said.

(Which he certainly did NOT, being made entirely of cardboard.)

  `All right, so far,' said the King, and he went on muttering

over the verses to himself:  `"WE KNOW IT TO BE TRUE--" that's

the jury, of course-- "I GAVE HER ONE, THEY GAVE HIM TWO--" why,

that must be what he did with the tarts, you know--'

  `But, it goes on "THEY ALL RETURNED FROM HIM TO YOU,"' said

Alice.

  `Why, there they are!' said the King triumphantly, pointing to

the tarts on the table.  `Nothing can be clearer than THAT.

Then again--"BEFORE SHE HAD THIS FIT--"  you never had fits, my

dear, I think?' he said to the Queen.

  `Never!' said the Queen furiously, throwing an inkstand at the

Lizard as she spoke.  (The unfortunate little Bill had left off

writing on his slate with one finger, as he found it made no

mark; but he now hastily began again, using the ink, that was

trickling down his face, as long as it lasted.)

  `Then the words don't FIT you,' said the King, looking round ()