Аліса в Країні чудес

           ‘Nothingwhatever? ’persistedtheKing. 

           ‘Nothingwhatever,’saidAlice. 

           ‘That’sveryimportant,’theKingsaid,turningtothejury. Theywerejustbeginningtowritethisdownontheirslates,whentheWhiteRabbitinterrupted: ‘Unimportant,yourMajestymeans,ofcourse,’hesaidinaveryrespectfultone,butfrowningandmakingfacesathimashespoke. 

           ‘Unimportant,ofcourse,Imeant,’theKinghastilysaid, andwentontohimselfinanundertone,‘important—unimportant—unimportant—important—’asifheweretryingwhichwordsoundedbest. 

           Someofthejurywroteitdown‘important,’andsome‘unimportant. ’Alicecouldseethis,asshewasnearenoughtolookovertheirslates; ‘butitdoesn’tmatterabit,’shethoughttoherself. 

           AtthismomenttheKing,whohadbeenforsometimebusilywritinginhisnote-book,cackledout ‘Silence! ’andreadoutfromhisbook,‘RuleForty-two. Allpersonsmorethanamilehightoleavethecourt.’ 

           EverybodylookedatAlice. 

           ‘I’mnotamilehigh,’saidAlice. 

           ‘Youare,’saidtheKing. 

           ‘Nearlytwomileshigh,’addedtheQueen. 

           ‘Well,Ishan’tgo,atanyrate,’saidAlice: ‘besides,that’snotaregularrule: youinventeditjustnow.’ 

           ‘It’stheoldestruleinthebook,’saidtheKing.