full of tears, but said nothing.
This here young lady, said the Gryphon, she wants for to know your
history, she do.
I ll tell it her, said the Mock Turtle in a deep, hollow tone: sit
down, both of you, and don t speak a word till I ve finished.
So they sat down, and nobody spoke for some minutes. Alice thought to
herself, I don t see how he can _ever_ finish, if he doesn t begin.
But she waited patiently.
Once, said the Mock Turtle at last, with a deep sigh, I was a real
Turtle.
These words were followed by a very long silence, broken only by an
occasional exclamation of Hjckrrh! from the Gryphon, and the constant
heavy sobbing of the Mock Turtle. Alice was very nearly getting up and
saying, Thank you, sir, for your interesting story, but she could not
help thinking there _must_ be more to come, so she sat still and said
nothing.
When we were little, the Mock Turtle went on at last, more calmly,
though still sobbing a little now and then, we went to school in the
sea. The master was an old Turtle we used to call him Tortoise
Why did you call him Tortoise, if he wasn t one? Alice asked.
We called him Tortoise because he taught us, said the Mock Turtle
angrily: really you are very dull!
You ought to be ashamed of yourself for asking such a simple
question, added the Gryphon; and then they both sat silent and looked
at poor Alice, who felt ready to sink into the earth. At last the
Gryphon said to the Mock Turtle, Drive on, old fellow! Don t be all
day about it! and he went on in these words:
Yes, we went to school in the sea, though you mayn t believe it
I never said I didn t! interrupted Alice.
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