CHAPTER III

                      Looking-Glass Insects  
  
     Of course the first thing to do was to make a  grand  survey  of  the 
country she was going to  travel  through.  -  It's  something  very  like 
learning geography, - thought Alice, as she stood on tiptoe  in  hopes  of 
being able to see a little further. - Principal rivers - there  ARE  none. 
Principal mountains - I'm on the only one, but I don't think it's got  any 
name. Principal towns - why, what ARE those creatures, making  honey  down 
there? They can't be bees - nobody ever saw bees a mile off,  you  know  - 
and for some time she stood silent, watching one of them that was bustling 
about among the flowers, poking its proboscis into them, - just as  if  it 
was a regular bee, - thought Alice. 
     However, this was anything but a regular  bee:  in  fact  it  was  an 
elephant - as Alice soon found out, though the idea quite took her  breath 
away at first. - And what enormous flowers they must be! -  was  her  next 
idea. - Something like cottages with the roofs taken off, and  stalks  put 
to them - and what quantities of honey they must make!  I  think  I'll  go 
down and - no, I won't JUST yet, - she went on, checking herself  just  as 
she was beginning to run down the hill, and trying to find some excuse for 
turning shy so suddenly. - It'll never do to go down among them without  a 
good long branch to brush them away - and what fun it'll be when they  ask 
me how I like my walk. I shall say -"Oh, I like it well enough - " - (here 
came the favourite little toss of the head), - "only it was so  dusty  and 
hot, and the elephants did tease so!" 
     - I think I'll go down the other way, - she said after a pause: - and
perhaps I may visit the elephants later on. Besides, I do so want  to  get
into the Third Square!
     So with this excuse she ran down the hill and jumped over  the  first 
of the six little brooks. 
  
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     - Tickets, please! - said the Guard,  putting  his  head  in  at  the
window. In a moment everybody was holding out a ticket:  they  were  about
the same size as the people, and quite seemed to fill the carriage.
     - Now then! Show your ticket, child! - the  Guard  went  on,  looking
angrily at Alice. And a great many voices all said together ( -  like  the
chorus of a song, - thought Alice), - Don't keep him waiting, child!  Why,
his time is worth a thousand pounds a minute!
     - I'm afraid I haven't got one, - Alice said in a frightened tone:  -
there wasn't a ticket-office where I came from." And again the  chorus  of
voices went on. - There wasn't room for one where she came from. The  land
there is worth a thousand pounds an inch!
     - Don't make excuses, - said the Guard: - you should have bought  one
from the engine-driver. - And once more the chorus of voices went on  with
- The man that drives the engine. Why, the smoke alone is worth a thousand
pounds a puff!
     Alice thought to herself, - Then there's no  use  in  speaking."  The 
voices didn't join in this time, as she hadn't spoken, but  to  her  great 
surprise, they all THOUGHT in chorus (I hope you understand what  THINKING 
IN CHORUS means - for I must confess that _I_ don't), - Better say nothing 
at all. Language is worth a thousand pounds a word! 
     - I shall dream about a thousand pounds  tonight,  I  know  I  shall!
thought Alice.
     All this  time  the  Guard  was  looking  at  her,  first  through  a 
telescope, then through a microscope, and then through an  operaglass.  At 
last he said, - You're travelling the wrong way, - and shut up the  window 
and went away. 
     - So young a child, - said the gentleman sitting opposite to her  (he
was dressed in white paper), - ought to know which way she's  going,  even
if she doesn't know her own name!
     A Goat, that was sitting next to the gentleman  in  white,  shut  his 
eyes and said in a loud voice,  -  She  ought  to  know  her  way  to  the 
ticket-office, even if she doesn't know her alphabet! 
     There was a Beetle sitting next to the Goat  (it  was  a  very  queer 
carriage-full of passengers altogether), and, as the  rule  seemed  to  be 
that they should all speak in turn, HE went on with - She'll  have  to  go 
back from here as luggage! 
     Alice couldn't see who was sitting beyond the Beetle,  but  a  hoarse 
voice spoke next. - Change engines - it said, and  was  obliged  to  leave 
off. 
     - It sounds like  a  horse,  -  Alice  thought  to  herself.  And  an
extremely small voice, close to her ear, said, - You might make a joke  on
that - something about "horse" and "hoarse," you know.
     Then a very gentle voice in the distance said, - She must be labelled 
"Lass, with care," you know 
     And after that other voices went on (What a number  of  people  there 
are in the carriage! - thought Alice), saying, - She must go by  post,  as 
she's got a head on her - She must be sent as a message by the telegraph - 
She must draw the train herself the rest of the way - and so on. 
     But  the  gentleman  dressed  in  white  paper  leaned  forwards  and 
whispered in her ear, - Never mind what they all say, my dear, but take  a 
return-ticket every time the train stops." 
     - Indeed I shan't! - Alice said rather impatiently. - I don't  belong
to this railway journey at all - I was in a wood just now - and I  wish  I
could get back there.
     - You might make a joke on THAT, said the little voice close  to  her
ear: - something about "you WOULD if you could," you know.
     - Don't tease so, - said Alice, looking about in vain  to  see  where
the voice came from; - if you're so anxious to have a joke made, why don't
you make one yourself?
     The little voice sighed deeply: it was VERY unhappy,  evidently,  and 
Alice would have said something pitying to comfort it, - If it would  only 
sigh like other people! - she thought. But this  was  such  a  wonderfully 
small sigh, that she wouldn't have heard it at  all,  if  it  hadn't  come 
QUITE close to her ear. The consequence of this was that  it  tickled  her 
ear very much, and quite took off her thoughts from the unhappiness of the 
poor little creature. 
     - I know you are a friend, the little voice went on; - a dear friend,
and an old friend. And you won't hurt me, though I AM an insect.
     - What kind of insect? - Alice inquired a little anxiously. What  she
really wanted to know was, whether it could sting or not, but she  thought
this wouldn't be quite a civil question to ask.
     - What, then you don't - the little voice began, when it was  drowned
by a shrill scream from the engine, and  everybody  jumped  up  in  alarm,
Alice among the rest.
     The Horse, who had put his head out of the window, quietly drew it in 
and said, - It's only a brook we have to jump  over.  -  Everybody  seemed 
satisfied with this, though Alice felt a little nervous  at  the  idea  of 
trains jumped at all. - However, it'll take us  into  the  Fourth  Square, 
that's some comfort! - she said to herself. In another moment she felt the 
carriage rise straight up into the air, and in her fright  she  caught  at 
the thing nearest to her hand. which happened to be the Goat's beard. 
  
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     But the beard seemed to melt away as she touched it,  and  she  found 
herself sitting quietly under a tree - while the Gnat (for  that  was  the 
insect she had been talking to) was balancing itself on a twig  just  over 
her head, and fanning her with its wings. 
     It certainly was a VERY large Gnat: - about the size  of  a  chicken, 
Alice thought. Still, she couldn't feel nervous with it,  after  they  had 
been talking together so long. 
     - then you don't like all insects? - the Gnat went on, as quietly  as
if nothing had happened.
     - I like them when they can talk, - Alice said. - None of  them  ever
talk, where _I_ come from.
     - What sort of insects do you rejoice in, where YOU come from? -  the
Gnat inquired.
     - I don't REJOICE in insects at all, - Alice explained, - because I'm
rather afraid of them - at least the large kinds. But I can tell  you  the
names of some of them."
     - Of  course  they  answer  to  their  names?  -  the  Gnat  remarked
carelessly.
     - I never knew them do it.
     - What's the use of their having names the Gnat said, - if they won't
answer to them?
     - No use to THEM, - said Alice; - but it's useful to the  people  who
name them, I suppose. If not, why do things have names at all?
     - I can't say, - the Gnat replied. - Further on,  in  the  wood  down
there, they've got no names - however, go on with your  list  of  insects:
you're wasting time.
     - Well, there's the Horse-fly, - Alice began, counting off the  names
on her fingers.
     - All right, - said the Gnat: - half way up that bush, you'll  see  a
Rocking-horse-fly, if you look. It's made entirely of wood, and gets about
by swinging itself from branch to branch.
     - What does it live on? - Alice asked, with great curiosity.
     - Sap and sawdust, - said the Gnat. - Go  on  with  the  list.  Alice
looked up at the Rocking-horse-fly with great interest, and
made up her mind that it must have  been  just  repainted,  it  looked  so 
bright and sticky; and then she went on. 
     - And there's the Dragon-fly.
     - Look on the branch above your head, - said the Gnat,  -  and  there
you'll find a snap-dragon-fly. Its body is made of plum-pudding, its wings
of holly-leaves, and its head is a raisin burning in brandy.
     - And what does it live on?
     - Frumenty and mince pie, - the Gnat replied; - and it makes is  nest
in a Christmas box.
     - And then there's the Butterfly, - Alice  went  on,  after  she  had
taken a good look at the insect with its head on fire, and had thought  to
herself, - I wonder if that's the reason insects are  so  fond  of  flying
into candles - because they want to turn into Snap-dragon-flies!
     - Crawling at your feet, - said the Gnat (Alice drew her feet back in
some alarm), - you may observe a Bread-and-Butterfly. Its wings  are  thin
slices of Bread-and-butter, its body is a crust, and its head is a lump of
sugar.
     - And what does IT live on?
     - Weak tea with cream in it. A new difficulty came into Alice's head.
- Supposing it couldn't find
any? - she suggested. 
     - Then it would die, of course.
     - But that must happen very often, - Alice remarked thoughtfully.
     - It always happens, - said the Gnat. After this,  Alice  was  silent
for a minute or two, pondering. The Gnat
amused itself meanwhile by humming round and round her head:  at  last  it 
settled again and remarked, - I suppose you don't want to lose your name? 
     - No, indeed, - Alice said, a little anxiously.
     - And yet I don't know, - the Gnat went on in a careless tone: - only
think how convenient it would be if you could manage to  go  home  without
it! For instance, if the governess wanted to call you to your lessons, she
would call out "come here - ," and there she  would  have  to  leave  off,
because there wouldn't be any name for her  to  all,  and  of  course  you
wouldn't have to go, you know.
     - That would never do, I'm sure, - said Alice: - the governess  would
never think of excusing me lessons for that. If she couldn't  remember  my
name, she'd call me "Miss!" as the servants do.
     - Well. if she said "Miss," and didn't say anything more, - the  Gnat
remarked, - of course you'd miss your lessons. That's a joke. I  wish  YOU
had made it.
     - Why do you wish _I_ had made it? - Alice asked. - It's a  very  bad
one.
     But the Gnat only sighed deeply, while two large tears  came  rolling 
down its cheeks. 
     - You shouldn't make jokes, - Alice  said,  -  if  it  makes  you  so
unhappy.
     Then came another of those melancholy little sighs, and this time the 
poor Gnat really seemed to have sighed itself away, for, when Alice looked 
up, there was nothing whatever to be seen on the twig,  and,  as  she  was 
getting quite chilly with sitting still so, long she got up and walked on. 
     She very soon came to an open field, with a wood on the other side of 
it: it looked much darker than the last wood,  and  Alice  felt  a  LITTLE 
timid about going into it. However, on second thoughts, she  made  up  her 
mind to go on: - for I certainly won't go BACK, - she thought to  herself, 
and this was the only way to the Eighth Square. 
     - This must be the wood, she said thoughtfully to  herself,  -  where
things have no names. I wonder what'll become of MY name when I go  in?  I
shouldn't like to lose it at all - because they'd have to give me another,
and it would be almost certain to be an ugly one. But then the  fun  would
be, trying to find the creature that had got my old name! That's just like
the advertisements, you know, when people lose dogs - "ANSWERS TO THE NAME
OF - DASH: - HAD ON A BRASS COLLAR" - just fancy  calling  everything  you
met "Alice," till one of them answered! Only they wouldn't answer at  all,
if they were wise.
     She was rambling on in this way when she reached the wood: it  looked 
very cool and shady. - Well, at any rate it's a great comfort, she said as 
she stepped under the trees, - after being so hot, to get into the -  into 
WHAT? - she went on, rather surprised at not being able to  think  of  the 
word. - I mean to get under the -  under  the  under  THIS,  you  know!  - 
putting her hand on the trunk of the tree. 
     - What DOES it call itself, I wonder? I do believe it's got  no  name 
why, to be sure it hasn't! 
     She stood silent for a minute,  thinking:  then  she  suddenly  began 
again. - Then it really HAS happened, after all! And how, who am I? I WILL 
remember, if I can! I'm determined to do it! - But being determined didn't 
help much, and all she could say, after a great deal of puzzling,  was,  - 
L, I KNOW it begins with L! 
     Just then a Fawn came wandering by: it looked at Alice with its large 
gentle eyes, but didn't seem at all frightened. - Here then! Here then!  - 
Alice said, as he held out her hand and tried to stroke it;  but  it  only 
started back a little, and then stood looking at her again. 
     - What do you call yourself? - the Fawn said at  last.  Such  a  soft
sweet voice it had!
     - I wish I knew! - thought poor Alice. She answered, rather sadly,  -
Nothing, just now.
     - Think again, - it said: - that won't do. Alice thought, but nothing
came of it. - Please, would you tell me
what YOU call yourself? - she said timidly. - I think that  might  help  a 
little. 
     - I'll tell you, of you'll move a little further on, - the Fawn said.
- I can't remember here.
     So they walked on together though  the  wood,  Alice  with  her  arms 
clasped lovingly round the soft neck of the Fawn, till they came out  into 
another open field, and here the Fawn gave a sudden bound  into  the  air, 
and shook itself free from Alice's arms. - I'm a Fawn! - it cried out in a 
voice of delight, - and, dear me! you're a human child! - A sudden look of 
alarm came into its beautiful brown eyes, and in  another  moment  it  had 
darted away a full speed. 
     Alice stood looking after it, almost ready to cry  with  vexation  at 
having lost her dear little fellow-traveller so  suddenly.  -  However,  I 
know my name now. - she said, - that's SOME comfort. Alice - Alice I won't 
forget it again. And now, which of these finger-posts ought I to follow, I 
wonder? 
     It was not a very difficult question to answer, as there was only one 
road through the wood, and the two finger-posts both pointed along  it.  - 
I'll settle it, - Alice said to herself, - when the road divides and  they 
point different ways. 
     But this did not seem likely to happen. She went on and  on,  a  long 
way, but wherever the road divided there were sure to be two  finger-posts 
pointing the same way, one marked - TO TWEEDLEDUM'S HOUSE - and the  other 
- TO THE HOUSE OF TWEEDLEDEE. 
     - I do believe, - said Alice at last, - that they live  in  the  same
house! I wonder I never thought of that before - But I  can't  stay  there
long. I'll just call and say "how d'you do?" and ask them the way  out  of
the wood. If I could only get the Eighth Square before it gets dark! -  So
she wandered on, talking to herself as she went, till, on turning a  sharp
corner, she came upon two fat little men, so suddenly that she  could  not
help starting back, but in another moment she recovered  herself,  feeling
sure that they must be