it was that they began: all she remembers is, that they were running
hand in hand, and the Queen went so fast that it was all she could do
to keep up with her: and still the Queen kept crying Faster! Faster!
but Alice felt she _could not_ go faster, though she had not breath
left to say so.
The most curious part of the thing was, that the trees and the other
things round them never changed their places at all: however fast they
went, they never seemed to pass anything. I wonder if all the things
move along with us? thought poor puzzled Alice. And the Queen seemed
to guess her thoughts, for she cried, Faster! Don t try to talk!
Not that Alice had any idea of doing _that_. She felt as if she would
never be able to talk again, she was getting so much out of breath: and
still the Queen cried Faster! Faster! and dragged her along. Are we
nearly there? Alice managed to pant out at last.
Nearly there! the Queen repeated. Why, we passed it ten minutes ago!
Faster! And they ran on for a time in silence, with the wind whistling
in Alice s ears, and almost blowing her hair off her head, she fancied.
Now! Now! cried the Queen. Faster! Faster! And they went so fast
that at last they seemed to skim through the air, hardly touching the
ground with their feet, till suddenly, just as Alice was getting quite
exhausted, they stopped, and she found herself sitting on the ground,
breathless and giddy.
The Queen propped her up against a tree, and said kindly, You may rest
a little now.
Alice looked round her in great surprise. Why, I do believe we ve been
under this tree the whole time! Everything s just as it was!
Of course it is, said the Queen, what would you have it?
Well, in _our_ country, said Alice, still panting a little, you d
generally get to somewhere else if you ran very fast for a long time,
as we ve been doing.
A slow sort of country! said the Queen. Now, _here_, you see, it
19