'I don't know what you mean,' she said.

'I talks English, doesn't I?' the Frog went on. 'Or are you deaf? What
did it ask you?'

'Nothing!' Alice said impatiently. 'I've been knocking at it!'

'Shouldn't do that--shouldn't do that--' the Frog muttered. 'Vexes it,
you know.' Then he went up and gave the door a kick with one of his
great feet. 'You let IT alone,' he panted out, as he hobbled back to his
tree, 'and it'll let YOU alone, you know.'

At this moment the door was flung open, and a shrill voice was heard
singing:

'To the Looking-Glass world it was Alice that said,
"I've a sceptre in hand, I've a crown on my head;
Let the Looking-Glass creatures, whatever they be,
Come and dine with the Red Queen, the White Queen, and me."'

And hundreds of voices joined in the chorus:

'Then fill up the glasses as quick as you can,
And sprinkle the table with buttons and bran:
Put cats in the coffee, and mice in the tea--
And welcome Queen Alice with thirty-times-three!'

Then followed a confused noise of cheering, and Alice thought to
herself, 'Thirty times three makes ninety. I wonder if any one's
counting?' In a minute there was silence again, and the same shrill
voice sang another verse;

'"O Looking-Glass creatures," quoth Alice, "draw near!
'Tis an honour to see me, a favour to hear:
'Tis a privilege high to have dinner and tea
Along with the Red Queen, the White Queen, and me!"'

Then came the chorus again:--

'Then fill up the glasses with treacle and ink,
Or anything else that is pleasant to drink:
Mix sand with the cider, and wool with the wine--
And welcome Queen Alice with ninety-times-nine!'

'Ninety times nine!' Alice repeated in despair, 'Oh, that'll never
be done! I'd better go in at once--' and there was a dead silence the
moment she appeared.

Alice glanced nervously along the table, as she walked up the large
hall, and noticed that there were about fifty guests, of all kinds: some
were animals, some birds, and there were even a few flowers among them.
'I'm glad they've come without waiting to be asked,' she thought: 'I
should never have known who were the right people to invite!'

There were three chairs at the head of the table; the Red and White
Queens had already taken two of them, but the middle one was empty.
Alice sat down in it, rather uncomfortable in the silence, and longing
for some one to speak.

At last the Red Queen bega