# ■ 4 The Cheshire Cat

There was a boy outside the door，with a large letter in his hand．(He was dressed like a boy，but his face was very like a fish，Alice thought．)The Fish-Boy knocked at the door，and a second later a large plate came flying out of an open window．

A letter for the Duchess，'the Fish-Boy shouted．He pushed the letter under the door and went away．

Alice went up to the door and knocked，but there was a lot of noise inside and nobody answered．So she opened the door and walked in．

She found herself in a kitchen，which was full of smoke．There was a very angry cook by the fire，and in the middle of the room sat the Duchess，holding a screaming baby．Every few minutes a plate crashed to the floor．There was also a large cat，which was sitting on a chair and grinning from ear to ear．

Please，'Alice said politely to the Duchess，'why does your cat grin like that？'

It's a Cheshire Cat，'said the Duchess．'That's why．'

I didn't know that cats could grin，'said Alice．

Well，you don't know much，'said the Duchess．Another plate crashed to the floor and Alice jumped．'Here！'the Duchess went on．'You can hold the baby for a bit，if you like．The Queen has invited me to play croquet，and I must go and get ready．'She pushed the baby into Alice's arms and hurried out of the room．

Oh，the poor little thing！'said Alice，looking at the baby， which had a very strange face．She took it outside into the wood and walked around under the trees．Then the baby began to make strange noises，and Alice looked into its face again．Its eyes were really very small for a baby，and its nose now looked very like the nose of a pig．

Don't make noises like that，my dear，'said Alice．'It's not polite．You're beginning to sound like a pig．'

But a few minutes later，there was no mistake．It was a pig．Alice put it carefully on the ground，and it ran quietly away on its four legs into the wood．

I'm pleased about that，'Alice said to herself．'It will be a good-looking pig，but it would be terrible to be a child with a face like that．

She was thinking about pigs and children when she suddenly saw the Cheshire Cat in a tree．The Cat grinned at her，and she went nearer to it．

Please，'she said，'can you tell me which way to go from here？'

But where do you want to get to？'said the Cat．

It doesn't really matter—'began Alice．

Then it doesn't matter which way you go，'said the Cat．

But I would like to get somewhere，'Alice explained．

If you just go on walking，'said the Cat，'in the end you'll arrive somewhere．'

That was true，thought Alice，but not very helpful，so she tried another question．'What kind of people live near here？'

To the left，'the Cat said，'lives a Hatter．And to the right，lives a March Hare．You can visit either of them．They're both mad．'

But I don't want to visit mad people，'said Alice．

We're all mad here，you know，'said the Cat．'I'm mad．You're mad．'

How do you know that I'm mad？'said Alice．

Of course you're mad，'said the Cat．'Only mad people come here．'

Alice was thinking about this，but the Cat went on，'Are you playing croquet with the Queen today？'

I would like to very much，'said Alice，'but nobody has invited me yet．'

You'll see me there，'said the Cat，and vanished．

Alice was not really surprised at this，because so many strange things were happening today．She was still looking at the tree when，suddenly，the Cat appeared again．

I forgot to ask，'said the Cat．'What happened to the baby？'

It turned into a pig，'Alice said．

I'm not surprised，'said the Cat，and vanished again．

Alice began to walk on，and decided to visit the March Hare．'It's the month of May now，'she said to herself，'so perhaps the Hare won't be as mad as he was in March．'

Suddenly，there was the Cheshire Cat again，sitting in another tree．Alice jumped in surprise．

Do you think，'she said politely，'that you could come and go more slowly？'

All right，'said the Cat．And this time it vanished very slowly．First its tail went，then its body，then its head，and last，the grin．

Well！I've often seen a cat without a grin，'thought Alice，'but never a grin without a cat！'

Soon she saw the house of the March Hare in front of her．It was a large house，so she ate a little piece of mushroom to get bigger，and walked on．

■ 4 切舍貓

門外站著一個男孩，手裡拿著好大的一封信。（他穿得像個男孩，愛麗絲覺得他的臉卻很像一條魚。）魚孩敲了一下門，眨眼功夫一個大盤子從一扇打開的窗戶飛了出來。

“有封給公爵夫人的信，”魚孩大喊道。他把信從門下塞了進去，然後走開了。

愛麗絲走上前去敲了敲門，裡面一片嘈雜聲，卻無人應門。於是她打開門，走了進去。

她發現自己在一個小廚房裡，廚房裡盡是煙。火邊有一個廚師，氣哼哼地；在房間中央坐著公爵夫人，抱著一個正尖聲大叫的嬰兒。每隔幾分鐘就有一個盤子摔到地上。椅子上坐著一隻很大的貓，正咧著大嘴笑呢。

“請問，”愛麗絲客客氣氣地對公爵夫人說，“你的貓為什麼那樣咧著嘴笑？”

“這是一隻切舍貓，”公爵夫人說，“這就是原因。”

“我不知道貓會咧著嘴笑，”愛麗絲說。

“你不知道的事多著呢，”公爵夫人說。又有一隻盤子摔到地上，愛麗絲跳了起來。“來！”公爵夫人接著說：“要是你願意，這個孩子給你抱一會兒吧。王后請我打槌球，現在我得去準備一下。”她把孩子塞到愛麗絲的懷裡，急匆匆地走出去了。

“噢，可憐的小東西！”愛麗絲說。她看了看孩子的臉，真是張很奇怪的臉。她帶著它出了門，在樹林裡轉了轉。它開始發出一種奇怪的聲音，愛麗絲又看看它的臉。眼睛很小，不像嬰孩的眼睛，鼻子看起來像豬鼻子。

“親愛的，別那樣出聲，”愛麗絲說。“這很不禮貌，聽起來會像頭豬一樣。”

但過了一會兒這就算不上一個錯誤了。它確實是只豬。愛麗絲小心地把它放在地上，它四條腿著地，靜靜地跑進森林裡去了。

“我很高興，”愛麗絲自言自語道。“它會是隻漂亮的豬，可小孩要長這麼一張臉就太可怕了。”

正當她想著豬和小孩時，突然看見切舍貓正坐在一棵樹上。貓衝她咧嘴一笑，愛麗絲向它靠了靠。

她說：“請你告訴我，從這兒我該往哪條路走？”

“可你要上哪兒去呀？”貓問。

“去哪兒倒無所謂——”愛麗絲答道。

“那你走哪條路都行。”貓說。

“但我想去個什麼地方。”愛麗絲解釋道。

“如果你一直走，你總會到個什麼地方的。”貓說。

這倒是真的，愛麗絲想，可毫無意義。所以她試著問點別的。“這附近都住著什麼樣的人？”

貓回答：“左邊住著一個制帽人。右邊住了一隻三月兔。你可以去看看他們中的誰。可他們都瘋了。”

“我可不想去看瘋子。”愛麗絲說。

“你得知道，這兒人人都是瘋子。”切舍貓說：“我是瘋子，你也是瘋子。”

“你怎麼知道我瘋了？”愛麗絲問。

“你當然是瘋子，”切舍貓說。“到這兒來的人都瘋了。”

愛麗絲還在想著這個事，貓又接著問：“今天你去跟王后打槌球嗎？”

“我很想去，”愛麗絲說，”可沒人請我啊。”

“你在那兒會看到我的。”切舍貓說，然後一下子不見了。

愛麗絲也不覺得奇怪，因為今天發生了那麼多奇怪的事。她還在那兒盯著樹看，突然，切舍貓又出現了。

“我忘了問，”貓說：“那娃娃怎麼啦？”

“變成了一頭豬。”愛麗絲說。

“我一點也不覺得奇怪。”貓說，然後又不見了。

愛麗絲開步走了，決定去拜訪三月兔。她想：“現在是五月，不是三月，也許這隻兔不像在三月份那麼瘋了。”

突然，切舍貓又出現了。它坐在另一棵樹上。愛麗絲吃驚地跳了起來。

“你說，”愛麗絲客氣地說：“你可以慢一點一會兒出現，一會兒隱沒嗎？”

“可以。”貓說。這次，它慢慢地隱沒。先是尾巴沒了，然後是身體、頭，最後，咧著笑的嘴。

“我常看見不咧開嘴笑的貓，”愛麗絲想，“可還沒見過有咧開的嘴而沒有身子的貓。”

一會兒她看到三月兔的房子就在眼前。房子挺大，所以愛麗絲吃了一小片蘑菇以便長大一點，然後走上前去。