Chapter 3
A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale
3-5 A Long Tail
The next thing was to eat the comfits: this caused some noise and confusion, as the large birds complained that they could not taste theirs, and the small ones choked and had to be patted on the back.
However, it was over at last, and they sat down again in a ring, and begged the Mouse to tell them something more.
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Alice:
You promised to tell me your history, you know,
said Alice,
and why it is you hate—C and D,
she added in a whisper, half afraid that it would be offended again.
Mouse:
Mine is a long and a sad tale!
said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing.
Alice:
It is a long tail, certainly,
said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail;
but why do you call it sad?
And she kept on puzzling about it while the Mouse was speaking, so that her idea of the tale was something like this:—
Mouse:
Fury said to a
mouse, That he
met in the
house,
‘Let us
both go to
law: I will
prosecute
you.—Come,
I’ll take no
denial; We
must have a
trial: For
really this
morning I’ve
nothing
to do.’
Said the
mouse to the
cur, ‘Such
a trial,
dear sir,
With
no jury
or judge,
would be
wasting
our
breath.’
‘I’ll be
judge, I’ll
be jury,’
Said
cunning
old Fury:
‘I’ll
try the
whole
cause,
and
condemn
you
to
death.’