And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life.
You are old, said the youth, one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose
What made you so awfully clever?
I have answered three questions, and that is enough,
Said his father; don t give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I ll kick you down stairs!
That is not said right, said the Caterpillar.
Not _quite_ right, I m afraid, said Alice, timidly; some of the
words have got altered.
It is wrong from beginning to end, said the Caterpillar decidedly,
and there was silence for some minutes.
The Caterpillar was the first to speak.
What size do you want to be? it asked.
Oh, I m not particular as to size, Alice hastily replied; only one
doesn t like changing so often, you know.
I _don t_ know, said the Caterpillar.
Alice said nothing: she had never been so much contradicted in her life
before, and she felt that she was losing her temper.
Are you content now? said the Caterpillar.
Well, I should like to be a _little_ larger, sir, if you wouldn t
mind, said Alice: three inches is such a wretched height to be.
27