talking to.
Alice was so astonished that she could not speak for a minute: it quite
seemed to take her breath away. At length, as the Tiger-lily only went
on waving about, she spoke again, in a timid voice almost in a whisper.
And can _all_ the flowers talk?
As well as _you_ can, said the Tiger-lily. And a great deal louder.
It isn t manners for us to begin, you know, said the Rose, and I
really was wondering when you d speak! Said I to myself, Her face has
got _some_ sense in it, though it s not a clever one! Still, you re
the right colour, and that goes a long way.
I don t care about the colour, the Tiger-lily remarked. If only her
petals curled up a little more, she d be all right.
Alice didn t like being criticised, so she began asking questions.
Aren t you sometimes frightened at being planted out here, with nobody
to take care of you?
There s the tree in the middle, said the Rose: what else is it good
for?
But what could it do, if any danger came? Alice asked.
It says Bough-wough! cried a Daisy: that s why its branches are
called boughs!
Didn t you know _that_? cried another Daisy, and here they all began
shouting together, till the air seemed quite full of little shrill
voices. Silence, every one of you! cried the Tiger-lily, waving
itself passionately from side to side, and trembling with excitement.
They know I can t get at them! it panted, bending its quivering head
towards Alice, or they wouldn t dare to do it!
Never mind! Alice said in a soothing tone, and stooping down to the
daisies, who were just beginning again, she whispered, If you don t
hold your tongues, I ll pick you!
14