Chapter 6

Humpty-Dumpty

However, the egg only became larger and larger, and looked more and more human. When she had come to it, she saw that it had eyes and a nose and mouth. It was Humpty Dumpty himself. “It can’t be anybody else!” she said to herself. “I’m sure of it!”

Humpty Dumpty was sitting on the top of a high wall. He didn’t move and didn’t look at Alice.

“He looks exactly like an egg!” she said aloud.

“It’s very unpleasant,” Humpty Dumpty said after a long silence, looking away from Alice, “when someone calls one an egg!”

“I said you looked like an egg, Sir,” Alice gently explained. “And some eggs are very pretty.”

“Some people,” said Humpty Dumpty, looking away from her as usual, “have no more sense than a baby!”

Alice didn’t know what to say to this. So she stood and repeated to herself:

 

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall:

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the King’s horses and all the King’s men

Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty in his place again.

 

“Don’t stand there talking to yourself like that,” Humpty Dumpty said, “tell me your name.”

“My name is Alice.”

“What a stupid name!” Humpty Dumpty interrupted.

“Why do you sit here alone?” asked Alice. She didn’t want to begin an argument.

“Because there’s nobody with me!” said Humpty Dumpty. “Did you think I didn’t know the answer to that? Ask another.”

“Don’t you think you’d be safer down on the ground?” Alice went on, “This wall is so tall!”

“Of course I don’t think so! If I fell off, the King has promised me to …”

“To send all his horses and all his men,” Alice interrupted.

“Yes, all his horses and all his men,” Humpty Dumpty went on. “They’d pick me up again in a minute! It’s my turn to ask questions … How old did you say you were?”

“Seven years and six months,” said Alice.

“Now if you’d asked me, I’d advise you to stay at seven … but it’s too late now.”

“I never ask advice about growing,” Alice said.

“Too proud?” he asked.

“What a beautiful belt you’ve got on!” Alice changed the subject, “or … a beautiful cravat … no, a belt, I mean. I beg your pardon!”

Humpty Dumpty was very angry and said nothing for a minute or two.

“It is terrible,” he said at last, “when a person doesn’t know how a cravat looks like! It’s a cravat, child, and a beautiful one. It’s a present from the White King and Queen!”

“Is it really?” said Alice, she was pleased to find a good subject at last.

“They gave it to me for an un-birthday present.”

“But what is an un-birthday present?”

“When somebody gives you a present and it isn’t your birthday, of course.”

Alice looked at him thoughtfully. “I like birthday presents best,” she said.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” cried Humpty Dumpty. “How many days are there in a year?”

“Three hundred and sixty-five,” said Alice.

“And how many birthdays have you?”

“One.”

“And if you take one from three hundred and sixty-five?”

“Three hundred and sixty-four, of course.”

“So there are three hundred and sixty-four days when you may get un-birthday presents.”

“You are very good at explaining things, Sir,” said Alice. “Would you tell me the meaning of the poem, which is called ‘Jabberwocky’?”

“Let’s hear it,” said Humpty Dumpty. “I can explain all the poems!”

Alice repeated the first verse:

 

“Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.’

 

“That’s enough to begin with,” Humpty Dumpty interrupted: “there are a lot of hard words there. ‘Brillig’ means four o’clock in the afternoon.”

“Alright,” said Alice: “and ‘slithy’?”

“It means ‘lithe and slimy’. ‘Lithe’ is the same as ‘active’.”

“I see it now,” Alice said thoughtfully, “and what are ‘toves’?”

“Something like badgers … they’re something like lizards …”

“And what’s about ‘gyre’ and to ‘gimble’?”

“To ‘gyre’ is to go round and round like a gyroscope. To ‘gimble’ is to make holes like a gimlet.”

“And ‘the wabe’ is the lawn round a sun-dial?” said Alice. She finally understood something.

“Yes. Well then, ‘mimsy’ is ‘flimsy and miserable’. And a ‘borogove’ is a thin bird, which looks very shabby.”

“And then ‘mome raths’?” said Alice.

“Well, a ‘rath’ is a sort of green pig, but ‘mome’ I’m not sure about it …”

“And what does ‘outgrabe’ mean?”

“Well, ‘outgribing’ is something between bellowing and whistling, with a kind of sneeze in the middle. Where did you find this hard poem?”

“I read it in a book,” said Alice.

“You know, I can repeat poetry too,” said Humpty Dumpty.

“Oh, you don’t have to!” said Alice.

“Well then,” said Humpty Dumpty. “Good-bye.”

Alice got up, gave him her hand.

“Good-bye, till we meet again!” she said cheerfully.

Humpty Dumpty gave her one of his fingers to shake and said: “You’re exactly like other people.”

“You should look at my face, people have different faces,” Alice said in a thoughtful tone.

“That’s a problem,” said Humpty Dumpty. “Your face is the same as everybody has.”

Alice waited a minute but he didn’t say anything else. She said “Good-bye!” once more and quietly went away. And then she heard a terrible noise.

Exercises

1. Did Humpty-Dumpty like Alice’s name?

1. Yes, he did. He said it was lovely.

2. Yes, he did. He said it had a great meaning.

3. No, he didn’t. He said it was very simple.

4. No, he didn’t. He said it was stupid.

2. How did Alice know about the poem “Humpty-Dumpty”?

1. She made it up herself.

2. She read it in the book.

3. She heard it in the film.

4. She learnt it by heart at school.

3. How did Humpty Dumpty get his belt?

1. It was his birthday present.

2. It was his un-birthday present.

3. It was his New Year present.

4. He found it in the wood.

4. Choose the right statement:

2. Humpty Dumpty said he didn’t like poetry.

3. Humpty Dumpty said he was good at making up poems.

4. Humpty Dumpty hoped Alice would like his poem.

5. Choose the right statement:

1. Humpty Dumpty was selfish and not polite.

2. Humpty Dumpy was friendly and nice.

3. Humpty Dumpty didn’t want to speak to Alice.

4. Humpty Dumpty wasn’t very clever.

6. Choose the right preposition

to, with, from, at, away

1. ‘However, I can do anything I want …… them!’

2. ‘Some people,’ said Humpty Dumpty, looking …… from her as usual.

3. ‘It’s a cravat, child, and a beautiful one. It’s a present …… the White King and Queen!

4. ‘Don’t stand there talking …… yourself like that,’ Humpty Dumpty said.

7. Complete the table

Chapter 7

The Lion and the Unicorn

The next moment soldiers came running through the wood. Alice hid behind a tree and watched them.

She thought that they were very clumsy. When one fell down, several more always fell over him, so that the ground was soon covered with soldiers.

Then came the horses. They had four feet, but however they fell too.

Once Alice got out of the wood, she found the White King. He was sitting on the ground and writing something in his note-book.

“Did you meet any soldiers, my dear, when you came through the wood?” asked the King.

“Yes, I did,” said Alice.

“I couldn’t send all the horses, because two of them are in the game. And I haven’t sent the two Messengers. They’re both in the town. Just look and tell me if you can see them.”

“I see nobody on the road,” said Alice.

“I only wish I had such eyes,” the King said. “To see Nobody! And at that distance!”

Alice was still looking along the road. “I see somebody now!” she said at last. “But he’s coming very slowly … and how funny he goes!”

“Not at all,” said the King. “He only does it when he’s happy.”

At this moment the Messenger arrived: he was out of breath and couldn’t say a word. He could only wave his hands and make the fearful faces at the poor King.

“Who did you meet on the road?” the King went on.

“Nobody,” said the Messenger.

“Quite right,” said the King: “this young lady saw him too. So Nobody walks slower than you.”

“I do my best,” the Messenger said. “I’m sure nobody walks much faster than I do!”

“He can’t do that,” said the King, “However, now you can tell us what has happened in the town.”

“I’ll whisper it,” said the Messenger. He got close to the King’s ear. However, instead of whispering, he shouted: “They’re doing it again!”

“Who are doing it again?” she asked.

“The Lion and the Unicorn, of course,” said the King.

“Fighting for the crown?”

“Yes,” said the King: “and the joke is, that it’s my crown! Let’s run and watch them.”

And they ran, Alice repeated to herself, as she ran, the words of the old song:

 

The Lion and the Unicorn

were fighting for the crown

The Lion beat the Unicorn

all around the town.

Some gave them white bread,

and some gave them brown;

Some gave them plum cake

and drummed them out of town.

 

“Does … the one … that wins … get the crown?” she asked, as she started to get out of breath.

“Dear me, no!” said the King. “What an idea!”

FInally they came to a great crowd. In the middle of that crowd the Lion and Unicorn were fighting.

There was a pause in the fight, and the Lion and the Unicorn sat down, panting. The King cried: “Ten minutes for refreshments!”

“I don’t think they’ll fight any more today,” said the King.

For a minute or two Alice stood silent. Suddenly she cried, “Look, look! It’s the White Queen! She is running across the country! How fast those Queens can run!”

“There’s some enemy after her, I think,” the King said. “That wood is full of them.”

“But aren’t you going to run and help her?” Alice asked.

“Oh, no use!” said the King. “She runs very quickly.”

At this moment the Unicorn walked by them, with his hands in his pockets. “I was the best this time?” he said to the King.

“A little,” the King said nervously. “But why did you pierce him with your horn?”

“I didn’t hurt him,” the Unicorn said, and he was going to leave, when suddenly he saw Alice.

“What … is … this?” he said at last.

“This is a child! We only found it today!”

“I always thought they were fantastic monsters!” said the Unicorn. “Is it alive?”

“It can talk!”

Alice smiled and said: “Do you know, I always thought Unicorns were fantastic monsters, too! I never saw one alive before!”

“Well, now that we have seen each other,” said the Unicorn, “if you’ll believe in me, I’ll believe in you. Do you agree?”

“Yes, if you like,” said Alice.

The Lion joined them soon: he looked very tired and sleepy. “What’s this!” he said, looking at Alice.

“Ah, what is it?” the Unicorn cried.

“You’ll never guess! I couldn’t.”

The Lion looked at Alice thoughtfully.

“Are you animal … vegetable … or mineral?” he said and yawned at every word.

“It’s a fantastic monster!” the Unicorn cried out, before Alice could say anything.

They decided to have some cake.

The King felt very uncomfortable, because he sat down between the two great creatures; but there was no other place for him.

Then the drums began. Alice couldn’t understand where the noise came from. She got up and jumped over the little brook.

She looked back and saw that the Lion and the Unicorn rose to their feet with angry looks that they were interrupted in their feast. Alice put her hands over her ears, trying not to hear the terrible sound of drums.