'One.'

'And if you take one from three hundred and sixty-five, what remains?'

'Three hundred and sixty-four, of course.'

Humpty Dumpty looked doubtful. 'I'd rather see that done on paper,' he
said.

Alice couldn't help smiling as she took out her memorandum-book, and
worked the sum for him:

365
1
____

364
___

Humpty Dumpty took the book, and looked at it carefully. 'That seems to
be done right--' he began.

'You're holding it upside down!' Alice interrupted.

'To be sure I was!' Humpty Dumpty said gaily, as she turned it round for
him. 'I thought it looked a little queer. As I was saying, that SEEMS
to be done right--though I haven't time to look it over thoroughly just
now--and that shows that there are three hundred and sixty-four days
when you might get un-birthday presents--'

'Certainly,' said Alice.

'And only ONE for birthday presents, you know. There's glory for you!'

'I don't know what you mean by "glory,"' Alice said.

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. 'Of course you don't--till I tell
you. I meant "there's a nice knock-down argument for you!"'

'But "glory" doesn't mean "a nice knock-down argument,"' Alice objected.

'When _I_ use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 'it
means just what I choose it to mean--neither more nor less.'

'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you CAN make words mean so many
different things.'

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master--that's
all.'

Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty
Dumpty began again. 'They've a temper, some of them--particularly verbs,
they're the proudest--adjectives you can do anything with, but not
verbs--however, _I_ can manage the whole lot of them! Impenetrability!
That's what _I_ say!'

'Would you tell me, please,' said Alice 'what that means?'

'Now you talk like a reasonable child,' said Humpty Dumpty, looking very
much pleased. 'I meant by "impenetrability" that we've had enough of
that subject, and it would be just as well if you'd mention what you
mean to do next, as I suppose you don't mean to stop here all the rest
of your life.'

'That's a great deal to make one word mean,' Alice said in a thoughtful
tone.

'When I make a word do a lot of work like that,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'I
always pay it extra.'

'Oh!' said Alice. She was too much puzzled to make any