pleased to find that there was a real one, blazing away as brightly as
the one she had left behind. So I shall be as warm here as I was in
the old room, thought Alice: warmer, in fact, because there ll be no
one here to scold me away from the fire. Oh, what fun it ll be, when
they see me through the glass in here, and can t get at me!
Then she began looking about, and noticed that what could be seen from
the old room was quite common and uninteresting, but that all the rest
was as different as possible. For instance, the pictures on the wall
next the fire seemed to be all alive, and the very clock on the
chimney-piece (you know you can only see the back of it in the
Looking-glass) had got the face of a little old man, and grinned at
her.
They don t keep this room so tidy as the other, Alice thought to
herself, as she noticed several of the chessmen down in the hearth
among the cinders: but in another moment, with a little Oh! of
surprise, she was down on her hands and knees watching them. The
chessmen were walking about, two and two!
Here are the Red King and the Red Queen, Alice said (in a whisper,
for fear of frightening them), and there are the White King and the
White Queen sitting on the edge of the shovel and here are two castles
walking arm in arm I don t think they can hear me, she went on, as she
put her head closer down, and I m nearly sure they can t see me. I
feel somehow as if I were invisible
Here something began squeaking on the table behind Alice, and made her
turn her head just in time to see one of the White Pawns roll over and
begin kicking: she watched it with great curiosity to see what would
happen next.
It is the voice of my child! the White Queen cried out as she rushed
past the King, so violently that she knocked him over among the
cinders. My precious Lily! My imperial kitten! and she began
scrambling wildly up the side of the fender.
Imperial fiddlestick! said the King, rubbing his nose, which had been
hurt by the fall. He had a right to be a _little_ annoyed with the
Queen, for he was covered with ashes from head to foot.
8