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Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland
Kapitel 11:
Who stole the tarts?, Lewis Carroll, Seite 3 ( von 4 )
"Give your evidence," the King repeated angrily, "or I'll have
you executed, whether you're nervous or not."
"I'm a poor man, your Majesty," the Hatter began, in a trembling
voice, "and I hadn't begun my tea - not above a week or so - and what with
the bread-and-butter getting so thin - and the twinkling of the tea -"
"The twinkling of what?" said the King.
"It began
with the tea," the Hatter replied.
"Of course winkling begins with a T!" said the King sharply. "Do
you take me for a dunce? Go on!"
"I'm a poor man," the Hatter went on, "and most things twinkled
after that - only the March Hare said -"
"I didn't!" the March Hare interrupted in a great hurry.
"You did!" said the Hatter.
"I deny it!" said the March Hare.
"He denies it," said the King: "leave out that part."
"Well, at any rate, the Dormouse said -" the Hatter went on, looking
anxiously round to see if he would deny it too: but the Dormouse denied
nothing, being fast asleep.
"After that," continued the Hatter, "I cut some more
bread-and-butter -"
"But what did the Dormouse say?" one of the jury asked.
"That I can't remember," said the Hatter.
"You must
remember," remarked the King, "or I'll have you executed."
The miserable Hatter dropped his teacup and bread-and-butter, and went down on
one knee. "I'm a poor man, your Majesty," he began.
"You're a very poor
speaker,"
said the King.
Here one of the guinea-pigs cheered, and was immediately suppressed by the
officers of the court. (As that is rather a hard word, I will just explain to
you how it was done. They had a large canvas bag, which tied up at the mouth
with strings: into this they slipped the guinea-pig, head first, and then sat
upon it.)
"I'm glad I've seen that done," thought Alice. "I've so often
read in the newspapers, at the end of trials, 'There was some attempt at
applause, which was immediately suppressed by the officers of the court,' and I
never understood what it meant till now."
"If that's all you know about it, you may stand down," continued the
King.
"I can't go no lower," said the Hatter: "I'm on the floor, as it
is."
"Then you may sit down," the
King replied.
Here the other guinea-pig cheered, and was suppressed.
"Come, that finishes the guinea-pigs!" thought Alice. "Now we
shall get on better."
"I'd rather finish my tea," said the Hatter, with an anxious look at
the Queen, who was reading the list of singers.
"You may go," said the King, and the Hatter hurriedly left the court,
without even waiting to put his shoes on.
"- and just take his head off outside," the Queen added to one of the
officers; but the Hatter was out of sight before the officer could get to the
door.
"Call the next witness!" said the King.
The next witness was the Duchess's cook. She carried the pepper-box in her
hand, and Alice guessed who it was, even before she got into the court, by the
way the people near the door began sneezing all at once.
"Give your evidence," said the King.
"Shan't," said the cook.
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