Аліса в Країні чудес
The Queen’s Croquet Ground
Bythetimeshehadcaughttheflamingoandbroughtitback,thefightwasover,andboththehedgehogswereoutofsight: "butitdoesn’tmattermuch,"thoughtAlice,"asallthearchesaregonefromthissideoftheground. "Soshetuckeditawayunderherarm,thatitmightnotescapeagain,andwentbackforalittlemoreconversationwithherfriend.
WhenshegotbacktotheCheshire-Cat,shewassurprisedtofindquitealargecrowdcollectedroundit: therewasadisputegoingonbetweentheexecutioner,theKing,andtheQueen,whowerealltalkingatonce,whilealltherestwerequitesilent,andlookedveryuncomfortable.
ThemomentAliceappeared,shewasappealedtobyallthreetosettlethequestion,andtheyrepeatedtheirargumentstoher, though,astheyallspokeatonce,shefounditveryhardtomakeoutexactlywhattheysaid.
Theexecutioner’sargumentwas,thatyoucouldn’tcutoffaheadunlesstherewasabodytocutitofffrom: thathehadneverhadtodosuchathingbefore,andhewasn’tgoingtobeginathistimeoflife.
TheKing’sargumentwasthatanythingthathadaheadcouldbebeheaded,andthatyouweren’ttotalknonsense.
TheQueen’sargumentwasthat,ifsomethingwasn’tdoneaboutitinlessthannotime,she’dhaveeverybodyexecuted,allround. (Itwasthislastremarkthathadmadethewholepartylooksograveandanxious.)
