CHAPTER V.
Wool and Water
She caught the shawl as she spoke, and looked about for the owner: in
another moment the White Queen came running wildly through the wood,
with both arms stretched out wide, as if she were flying, and Alice
very civilly went to meet her with the shawl.
I m very glad I happened to be in the way, Alice said, as she helped
her to put on her shawl again.
The White Queen only looked at her in a helpless frightened sort of
way, and kept repeating something in a whisper to herself that sounded
like bread-and-butter, bread-and-butter, and Alice felt that if there
was to be any conversation at all, she must manage it herself. So she
began rather timidly: Am I addressing the White Queen?
Well, yes, if you call that a-dressing, The Queen said. It isn t
_my_ notion of the thing, at all.
Alice thought it would never do to have an argument at the very
beginning of their conversation, so she smiled and said, If your
Majesty will only tell me the right way to begin, I ll do it as well as
I can.
But I don t want it done at all! groaned the poor Queen. I ve been
a-dressing myself for the last two hours.
It would have been all the better, as it seemed to Alice, if she had
got some one else to dress her, she was so dreadfully untidy. Every
single thing s crooked, Alice thought to herself, and she s all over
pins! may I put your shawl straight for you? she added aloud.
I don t know what s the matter with it! the Queen said, in a
melancholy voice. It s out of temper, I think. I ve pinned it here,
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