Harry Rountree: Illustrations for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 2nd part

Advice from a Caterpillar

"You are old, Father William," the young man said,

"And your hair has become very white;

And yet you incessantly stand on your head -

Do you think, at your age, it is right?"

"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law,

And argued each case with my wife;

And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw,

Has  lasted the rest of my life."

"You are old," said the youth; "one would hardly suppose

That your eye was a steady as ever;

Yet you balanced an eel on the end oy your nose-

What made you so awfully clever?"

"It is a very good height indeed!" said the Caterpillar angrily, rearing itself upright as it spoke (it was exactly three inches high).

All she could see, when she looked down, was an immense length of neck, which seemed to rise like a stalk out of a sea ofgreen leaves that lay far below her.

..."but little girls eat eggs quite as much as serpents do, you know."

"I don't believe it," said the Pigeon; "but if they do, why then they're a kind of serpent, that's all I can say."

Pig and Pepper.

At this moment the door of thr house  opened, and a large plate came skimming out, straight at the Footman's head. It just grazed his nose, and broke to pieces against one of the trees behind him.

...and at once set to work throwing everything within her reach at the Duchess and the baby: the fireirons came first; then followed a shower of saucepans, plates, and dishes.

The frying-pan just missed her.

While the Duchess sang the second verse of the song she kept tossing the baby violently up and down, and the poor little thing howled so that Alice could hardly hear the words...

"Here! you may nurse it a bit, if you like!" said the Duchess to Alice, flinging the baby at her as she spoke.

So she set the little creature down, and felt quite relieved to see it tro away quietly into the wood.

"All right," said the Cat; and this time it vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin...

A Mad Tea-Party

"Have some wine," the March Hare said, in an encouraging tone.

"It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited," said the March Hare.

"You might just as well say," added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking in his sleep, that 'I breathe when I sleep' is the same thing as 'I sleep when I breathe'!"


"It was the best butter," the March Hare meekly replied.
"Yes, but some crumbs must have got in as well," the Hatter grumbled. "you shouldn't have put it in with the bread-knife.

"The Dormouse is asleep again," said the Hatter, and he poured a little hot tea on to its nose.

"It goes on, you know," the Hatter continued, "in this way,-
'Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea-tray in the sky,
Twinkle, twinkle -'"

"Once upon a time there were three little sisters," the Dormouse began in a grat hurry, "and their names were Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie; and they lived at the bottom of a well - "

...the last time she saw them, they were trying to put the Dormouse into the teapot.

The Queen's Croquet-Ground

"Look out now, Five! Don't go splashing paint over me like that!"
"I couln't help it," said Five, in a sulky tone; "Seven jogged my elbow."

 "yes, it is his business!" said Five, "and I'll tell him - it was for bringing the cook tulip roots instead of onions."

Then followed the Knave of Hearts, carrying the King's crown on a crimson velvet cushion.

"May it please your Majesty," said Two, in a very humble tone, going down on one knee as he spoke, "we were trying - "
"I see!" said the Queen, who had meanwhile been examining the roses. "Off with their heads!"

"It's - it's a very fine day!" said a timid voice at her side. She was walking by the White Rabbit, who was peeping anxiously into her face.
"Very," said Alice, "where's the Duchess?"
"Hush! Hush!" said the Rabbit, in a low, hurried tone. He looked anxiously over his shoulder as he spoke, and then raised himself upon tiptop, put his mouth close to her ear, and whispered, "She's under sentence of execution."

Alice thought she had never seen such a curious croquet-ground in her life. It was all ridges and furrows, the croquet-balls were live hedge-hogs, and the mallets live flamingos.

 "Whom are you talking to?" said theking, coming up to Alice, and looking at the Cat's head with great curiosity.

"she's in prison," the Queen said to the executioner; "fetch her here."