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<title>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</title>
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<h2 id="pgepubid00009"><a id="VI_PIG_AND_PEPPER"></a>Pig And Pepper</h2>
<p>For a minute or twoshe stood looking at the house, when
suddenly a footman in livery came running out of the wood (judging by his face only,
she would have called him a fish)—and rapped loudly at the door with his
knuckles. It was opened by another footman in livery,with a round face and large eyes
like a frog.</p>
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<img src="images/i015_th.jpg" alt="Illo15" />
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<p>The Fish-Footman began by producing from under his arm a great letter, and this he
handed over to the other, saying, in a solemn tone, "For the Duchess.<a id="Page_32"
class="pageno" title="[Pg 32]"></a> An invitation from the Queen to play croquet." The
Frog-Footman repeated, in the same solemn tone, "From the Queen. An invitation for the
Duchess to play croquet." Then they both bowed low and their curls got entangled
together.</p>
<p>When Alice next peeped out, the Fish-Footman was gone, and the other was sitting on
the ground near the door, staring stupidly up into the sky. Alice went timidly up to
the door and knocked.</p>
<p>"There's no sortof use in knocking," said the Footman, "and that for two reasons.
First, because I'm on the same side of the door as you are; secondly, because they're
making such a noise inside, no one could possibly hear you." And certainly there
<i>was</i> a most extraordinary noise going on within—a constant howling and
sneezing, and every now and then a great crash, as if a dish or kettle had been broken
to pieces.</p>
<p>"How am I to get in?" asked Alice.</p>
<p>"<i>Are</i> you to get in at all?" said the Footman. "That's the first question, you
know."</p>
<p>Alice opened the door and went in. The door led right into a large kitchen, which
was full of smoke from one end to the other; the Duchess was sitting on a three-legged
stool in the middle, nursing a baby; the cook was leaning over the fire, stirring a
large caldron which seemed to be full of soup.</p>
<p>"There's certainly too much pepper in that soup!" Alice said to herself, as well as
she could for sneezing. Even the Duchess sneezed occasionally; and asforthe baby, it
was sneezing and howling alternately without a moment'spause. The only two
creatures<a id="Page_33" class="pageno" title="[Pg 33]"></a> in the kitchen that did
<i>not</i> sneeze were the cook and a large cat, which was grinning from ear to
ear.</p>
<p>"Please would you tell me," said Alice, a little timidly, "why your cat grins like
that?"</p>
<p>"It's a Cheshire-Cat," said the Duchess,"and that's why."</p>
<p>"I didn't know that Cheshire-Cats always grinned; in fact, I didn't know that cats
<i>could</i> grin," said Alice.</p>
<p>"You don't know much," said the Duchess, "and that's a fact."</p>
<p>Just then the cook took the caldron of soupoff the fire, and at once set to work
throwing everything within her reach at the Duchess and the baby—the fire-irons
came first; then followed a shower of saucepans, plates and dishes. The Duchess took no
notice of them, even when they hit her, and the baby was howling so much already that
itwas quite impossible to say whether the blows hurt it or not.</p>
<p>"Oh, <i>please</i> mind what you're doing!" cried Alice, jumping up and down in an
agony of terror.</p>
<p>"Here! You may nurse it a bit, if you like!" the Duchess said to Alice, flinging the
baby at her as she spoke. "I must go and get ready to play croquet with the Queen," and
she hurried out of the room.</p>
<p>Alice caught the baby with some difficulty, as it was a queer-shaped little creature
and held out its arms and legs in all directions. "If I don't take this child away with
me," thought Alice, "they're sure to kill it in a day or two. Wouldn't it be murder to
leave it behind?" She said the last words out loud and the little thing grunted in
reply.<a id="Page_34" class="pageno" title="[Pg 34]"></a></p>
<p>"If you're going to turn into a pig, my dear," said Alice, "I'll have nothing more
to do with you. Mind now!"</p>
<p>Alice was just beginning to think to herself, "Now, what am I to do with this
creature, when I get it home?" when it grunted again so violently that Alice looked
down into its face in some alarm. This time there could be <i>no</i> mistake about
it—it was neither more nor less than a pig; so she set the little creature down
and felt quite relieved to see it trot awayquietly into the wood.</p>
<p>Alice was a little startled by seeing the Cheshire-Catsitting on a bough of a tree
a few yards off. The Cat only grinned when it saw her. "Cheshire-Puss," began Alice,
rather timidly, "would you please tell me which way I ought to gofrom here?"</p>
<p>"In <i>that</i> direction," the Cat said, waving the right paw 'round, "lives a
Hatter; and in <i>that</i> direction," waving the other paw, "lives a March Hare. Visit
either you like; they're both mad."</p>
<p>"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.</p>
<p>"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat; "we're all mad here. Do you play croquet
with the Queen to-day?"</p>
<p>"I should like it very much," said Alice, "but I haven't been invited yet."</p>
<p>"You'll see me there," said the Cat, and vanished.</p>
<p>Alice had not gone much farther before she came in sight of the house of the March
Hare; it was so large a house that she did not like to go near till she had nibbled
some more of the left-hand bit of mushroom.</p>
<p><a id="Page_35" class="pageno" title="[Pg 35]"></a></p>
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