thought. But this was such a wonderfully
small sigh, that she wouldn't have heard it at all, if it hadn't come
QUITE close to her ear. The consequence of this was that it tickled her
ear very much, and quite took off her thoughts from the unhappiness of
the poor little creature.

'I know you are a friend,' the little voice went on; 'a dear friend, and
an old friend. And you won't hurt me, though I AM an insect.'

'What kind of insect?' Alice inquired a little anxiously. What she
really wanted to know was, whether it could sting or not, but she
thought this wouldn't be quite a civil question to ask.

'What, then you don't--' the little voice began, when it was drowned by
a shrill scream from the engine, and everybody jumped up in alarm, Alice
among the rest.

The Horse, who had put his head out of the window, quietly drew it in
and said, 'It's only a brook we have to jump over.' Everybody seemed
satisfied with this, though Alice felt a little nervous at the idea of
trains jumping at all. 'However, it'll take us into the Fourth Square,
that's some comfort!' she said to herself. In another moment she felt
the carriage rise straight up into the air, and in her fright she caught
at the thing nearest to her hand, which happened to be the Goat's beard.

* * * * * * *

* * * * * *

* * * * * * *

But the beard seemed to melt away as she touched it, and she found
herself sitting quietly under a tree--while the Gnat (for that was the
insect she had been talking to) was balancing itself on a twig just over
her head, and fanning her with its wings.

It certainly was a VERY large Gnat: 'about the size of a chicken,' Alice
thought. Still, she couldn't feel nervous with it, after they had been
talking together so long.

'--then you don't like all insects?' the Gnat went on, as quietly as if
nothing had happened.

'I like them when they can talk,' Alice said. 'None of them ever talk,
where _I_ come from.'

'What sort of insects do you rejoice in, where YOU come from?' the Gnat
inquired.

'I don't REJOICE in insects at all,' Alice explained, 'because I'm
rather afraid of them--at least the large kinds. But I can tell you the
names of some of them.'

'Of course they answer to their names?' the Gnat remarked carelessly.

'I never knew them do it.'

'What's the use of their having names,' the Gnat said, 'if they won't
answer to them?'

'No use to THEM,' said