ttle shrieks of 'Oh, oh,
oh!' from poor Alice, it swept her straight off the seat, and down among
the heap of rushes.

However, she wasn't hurt, and was soon up again: the Sheep went on with
her knitting all the while, just as if nothing had happened. 'That was
a nice crab you caught!' she remarked, as Alice got back into her place,
very much relieved to find herself still in the boat.

'Was it? I didn't see it,' Said Alice, peeping cautiously over the side
of the boat into the dark water. 'I wish it hadn't let go--I should
so like to see a little crab to take home with me!' But the Sheep only
laughed scornfully, and went on with her knitting.

'Are there many crabs here?' said Alice.

'Crabs, and all sorts of things,' said the Sheep: 'plenty of choice,
only make up your mind. Now, what DO you want to buy?'

'To buy!' Alice echoed in a tone that was half astonished and half
frightened--for the oars, and the boat, and the river, had vanished all
in a moment, and she was back again in the little dark shop.

'I should like to buy an egg, please,' she said timidly. 'How do you
sell them?'

'Fivepence farthing for one--Twopence for two,' the Sheep replied.

'Then two are cheaper than one?' Alice said in a surprised tone, taking
out her purse.

'Only you MUST eat them both, if you buy two,' said the Sheep.

'Then I'll have ONE, please,' said Alice, as she put the money down on
the counter. For she thought to herself, 'They mightn't be at all nice,
you know.'

The Sheep took the money, and put it away in a box: then she said 'I
never put things into people's hands--that would never do--you must get
it for yourself.' And so saying, she went off to the other end of the
shop, and set the egg upright on a shelf.

'I wonder WHY it wouldn't do?' thought Alice, as she groped her way
among the tables and chairs, for the shop was very dark towards the end.
'The egg seems to get further away the more I walk towards it. Let me
see, is this a chair? Why, it's got branches, I declare! How very odd to
find trees growing here! And actually here's a little brook! Well, this
is the very queerest shop I ever saw!'

* * * * * * *

* * * * * *

* * * * * * *

So she went on, wondering more and more at every step, as everything
turned into a tree the moment she came up to it, and she quite expected
the egg to do the same.

CHAPTER VI. Humpty Dumpty

However,