`It turned into a pig,’ Alice quietly said, just as if it had come back in a natural way.

  `I thought it would,’ said the Cat, and vanished again.

Alice waited a little, half expecting to see it again, but it did not appear, and after a minute or two she walked on in the direction in which the March Hare was said to live. `I’ve seen hatters before,’ she said to herself; `the March Hare will be much the most interesting, and perhaps as this is May it won’t be raving mad—­at least not so mad as it was in March.’  As she said this, she looked up, and there was the Cat again, sitting on a branch of a tree.

  `Did you say pig, or fig?’ said the Cat.

`I said pig,’ replied Alice; `and I wish you wouldn’t keep appearing and vanishing so suddenly:  you make one quite giddy.’

`All right,’ said the Cat; and this time it vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone.

`Well!  I’ve often seen a cat without a grin,’ thought Alice; `but a grin without a cat!  It’s the most curious thing I ever saw in my life!’

She had not gone much farther before she came in sight of the house of the March Hare:  she thought it must be the right house, because the chimneys were shaped like ears and the roof was thatched with fur.  It was so large a house, that she did not like to go nearer till she had nibbled some more of the lefthand bit of mushroom, and raised herself to about two feet high:  even then she walked up towards it rather timidly, saying to herself `Suppose it should be raving mad after all!  I almost wish I’d gone to see the Hatter instead!’

CHAPTER VII

A Mad Tea-Party

There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it:  a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. `Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,’ thought Alice; `only, as it’s asleep, I suppose it doesn’t mind.’

The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it:  `No room!  No room!’ they cried out when they saw Alice coming. `There’s plenty of room!’ said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

  `Have some wine,’ the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. `I don’t see any wine,’ she remarked.

  `There isn’t any,’ said the March Hare.

`Then it wasn’t very civil of you to offer it,’ said Alice angrily.

`It wasn’t very civil of you to sit down without being invited,’ said the March Hare.

`I didn’t know it was your table,’ said Alice; `it’s laid for a great many more than three.’