Now one can breathe more easily, said the Knight, putting back his
shaggy hair with both hands, and turning his gentle face and large mild
eyes to Alice. She thought she had never seen such a strange-looking
soldier in all her life.
He was dressed in tin armour, which seemed to fit him very badly, and
he had a queer-shaped little deal box fastened across his shoulder,
upside-down, and with the lid hanging open. Alice looked at it with
great curiosity.
I see you re admiring my little box. the Knight said in a friendly
tone. It s my own invention to keep clothes and sandwiches in. You see
I carry it upside-down, so that the rain can t get in.
But the things can get _out_, Alice gently remarked. Do you know the
lid s open?
I didn t know it, the Knight said, a shade of vexation passing over
his face. Then all the things must have fallen out! And the box is no
use without them. He unfastened it as he spoke, and was just going to
throw it into the bushes, when a sudden thought seemed to strike him,
and he hung it carefully on a tree. Can you guess why I did that? he
said to Alice.
Alice shook her head.
In hopes some bees may make a nest in it then I should get the honey.
But you ve got a bee-hive or something like one fastened to the
saddle, said Alice.
Yes, it s a very good bee-hive, the Knight said in a discontented
tone, one of the best kind. But not a single bee has come near it yet.
And the other thing is a mouse-trap. I suppose the mice keep the bees
out or the bees keep the mice out, I don t know which.
I was wondering what the mouse-trap was for, said Alice. It isn t
very likely there would be any mice on the horse s back.
Not very likely, perhaps, said the Knight: but if they _do_ come, I
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