Which would NOT be an advantage, said Alice, who felt very glad to get an opportunity of showing off a little of her knowledge. Just think of what work it would make with the day and night! You see the earth takes twenty-four hours to turn round on its axis--
Talking of axes, said the Duchess, chop off her head!
Alice glanced rather anxiously at the cook, to see if she meant to take the hint; but the cook was busily stirring the soup, and seemed not to be listening, so she went on again: Twenty-four hours, I THINK; or is it twelve? I--
Oh, don't bother ME, said the Duchess; I never could abide figures! And with that she began nursing her child again, singing a sort of lullaby to it as she did so, and giving it a violent shake at the end of every line:
Speak roughly to your little boy,
And beat him when he sneezes:
He only does it to annoy,
Because he knows it teases.
CHORUS.
(In which the cook and the baby joined):--
Wow! wow! wow!
While the Duchess sang the second verse of the song, she kept tossing the baby violently up and down, and the poor little thing howled so, that Alice could hardly hear the words:--
I speak severely to my boy,
I beat him when he sneezes;
For he can thoroughly enjoy
The pepper when he pleases!
CHORUS.
Wow! wow! wow!
The baby grunted again, and Alice looked very anxiously into its face to see what was the matter with it. There could be no doubt that it had a VERY turn-up nose, much more like a snout than a real nose; also its eyes were getting extremely small for a baby: altogether Alice did not like the look of the thing at all. But perhaps it was only sobbing, she thought, and looked into its eyes again, to see if there were any tears.
No, there were no tears. If you're going to turn into a pig, my dear, said Alice, seriously, I'll have nothing more to do with you. Mind now! The poor little thing sobbed again (or grunted, it was impossible to say which), and they went on for some while in silence.
Alice was just beginning to think to herself, Now, what am I to do with this creature when I get it home? when it grunted again, so violently, that she looked down into its face in some alarm. This time there could be NO mistake about it: it was neither more nor less than a pig, and she felt that it would be quite absurd for her to carry it further.
