tle had just
begun to repeat it, when a cry of "the trial's beginning!" was
heard in the distance.

"Come on!" cried the Gryphon, and, taking Alice by the hand, he
hurried off, without waiting for the end of the song.

"What trial is it?" panted Alice as she ran, but the Gryphon only
answered "come on!" and ran the faster, and more and more faintly
came, borne on the breeze that followed them, the melancholy
words:

"Soo--oop of the e--e--evening,
Beautiful beautiful Soup!"

The King and Queen were seated on their throne when they arrived,
with a great crowd assembled around them: the Knave was in
custody: and before the King stood the white rabbit, with a
trumpet in one hand, and a scroll of parchment in the other.

"Herald! read the accusation!" said the King.

On this the white rabbit blew three blasts on the trumpet, and
then unrolled the parchment scroll, and read as follows:

[Illustration]

"The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts
All on a summer day:
The Knave of Hearts he stole those tarts,
And took them quite away!"

[Illustration]

"Now for the evidence," said the King, "and then the sentence."

"No!" said the Queen, "first the sentence, and then the
evidence!"

"Nonsense!" cried Alice, so loudly that everybody jumped, "the
idea of having the sentence first!"

"Hold your tongue!" said the Queen.

"I won't!" said Alice, "you're nothing but a pack of cards! Who
cares for you?"

At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down
upon her: she gave a little scream of fright, and tried to beat
them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in
the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some leaves
that had fluttered down from the trees on to her face.

"Wake up! Alice dear!" said her sister, "what a nice long sleep
you've had!"

"Oh, I've had such a curious dream!" said Alice, and she told her
sister all her Adventures Under Ground, as you have read them,
and when she had finished, her sister kissed her and said "it was
a curious dream, dear, certainly! But now run in to your tea:
it's getting late."

So Alice ran off, thinking while she ran (as well she might) what
a wonderful dream it had been.

* * * * *

But her sister sat there some while longer, watching the setting
sun, and thinking of little Alice and her Adventures, till she
too began dreaming after a fashion, and this was her dr