ce.

However, this was anything but a regular bee: in fact it was an
elephant--as Alice soon found out, though the idea quite took her breath
away at first. 'And what enormous flowers they must be!' was her next
idea. 'Something like cottages with the roofs taken off, and stalks put
to them--and what quantities of honey they must make! I think I'll go
down and--no, I won't JUST yet,' she went on, checking herself just as
she was beginning to run down the hill, and trying to find some excuse
for turning shy so suddenly. 'It'll never do to go down among them
without a good long branch to brush them away--and what fun it'll be
when they ask me how I like my walk. I shall say--"Oh, I like it well
enough--"' (here came the favourite little toss of the head), '"only it
was so dusty and hot, and the elephants did tease so!"'

'I think I'll go down the other way,' she said after a pause: 'and
perhaps I may visit the elephants later on. Besides, I do so want to get
into the Third Square!'

So with this excuse she ran down the hill and jumped over the first of
the six little brooks.

* * * * * * *

* * * * * *

* * * * * * *

'Tickets, please!' said the Guard, putting his head in at the window.
In a moment everybody was holding out a ticket: they were about the same
size as the people, and quite seemed to fill the carriage.

'Now then! Show your ticket, child!' the Guard went on, looking angrily
at Alice. And a great many voices all said together ('like the chorus of
a song,' thought Alice), 'Don't keep him waiting, child! Why, his time
is worth a thousand pounds a minute!'

'I'm afraid I haven't got one,' Alice said in a frightened tone: 'there
wasn't a ticket-office where I came from.' And again the chorus of
voices went on. 'There wasn't room for one where she came from. The land
there is worth a thousand pounds an inch!'

'Don't make excuses,' said the Guard: 'you should have bought one from
the engine-driver.' And once more the chorus of voices went on with 'The
man that drives the engine. Why, the smoke alone is worth a thousand
pounds a puff!'

Alice thought to herself, 'Then there's no use in speaking.' The
voices didn't join in this time, as she hadn't spoken, but to her
great surprise, they all THOUGHT in chorus (I hope you understand what
THINKING IN CHORUS means--for I must confess that _I_ don't), 'Better
say nothing at all. Language is worth a