from her as hard as it could go, and making quite a commotion in the
pool as it went.
So she called softly after it, Mouse dear! Do come back again, and we
won t talk about cats or dogs either, if you don t like them! When the
Mouse heard this, it turned round and swam slowly back to her: its face
was quite pale (with passion, Alice thought), and it said in a low
trembling voice, Let us get to the shore, and then I ll tell you my
history, and you ll understand why it is I hate cats and dogs.
It was high time to go, for the pool was getting quite crowded with the
birds and animals that had fallen into it: there were a Duck and a
Dodo, a Lory and an Eaglet, and several other curious creatures. Alice
led the way, and the whole party swam to the shore.
CHAPTER III.
A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale
They were indeed a queer-looking party that assembled on the bank the
birds with draggled feathers, the animals with their fur clinging close
to them, and all dripping wet, cross, and uncomfortable.
The first question of course was, how to get dry again: they had a
consultation about this, and after a few minutes it seemed quite
natural to Alice to find herself talking familiarly with them, as if
she had known them all her life. Indeed, she had quite a long argument
with the Lory, who at last turned sulky, and would only say, I am
older than you, and must know better; and this Alice would not allow
without knowing how old it was, and, as the Lory positively refused to
tell its age, there was no more to be said.
At last the Mouse, who seemed to be a person of authority among them,
called out, Sit down, all of you, and listen to me! _I ll_ soon make
you dry enough! They all sat down at once, in a large ring, with the
Mouse in the middle. Alice kept her eyes anxiously fixed on it, for she
felt sure she would catch a bad cold if she did not get dry very soon.
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