Beautiful, beautiful Soup!
`Well, I never heard it before, said the Mock Turtle; `but it sounds uncommon nonsense.
`Why, what are YOUR shoes done with? said the Gryphon. `I mean, what makes them so shiny?
`Oh, a song, please, if the Mock Turtle would be so kind, Alice replied, so eagerly that the Gryphon said, in a rather offended tone, `Hm! No accounting for tastes! Sing her "Turtle Soup," will you, old fellow?
Waiting in a hot tureen!
`Turn a somersault in the sea! cried the Mock Turtle, capering wildly about.
Alice was thoroughly puzzled. `Does the boots and shoes! she repeated in a wondering tone.
`Swim after them! screamed the Gryphon.
So they began solemnly dancing round and round Alice, every now and then treading on her toes when they passed too close, and waving their forepaws to mark the time, while the Mock Turtle sang this, very slowly and sadly:--
`--change lobsters, and retire in same order, continued the Gryphon.
Beautiful, beautiful Soup!
`It must be a very pretty dance, said Alice timidly.
`Explain all that, said the Mock Turtle.
`Its the first position in dancing. Alice said; but was dreadfully puzzled by the whole thing, and longed to change the subject.
melancholy words:--
`Wouldnt it really? said Alice in a tone of great surprise.
`The lobsters! shouted the Gryphon, with a bound into the air.
`Dont you mean "purpose"? said Alice.
`Go on with the next verse, the Gryphon repeated impatiently: `it begins "I passed by his garden."
`Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,
`IT DOES THE BOOTS AND SHOES. the Gryphon replied very solemnly.
`It all came different! the Mock Turtle repeated thoughtfully. `I should like to hear her try and repeat something now. Tell her to begin. He looked at the Gryphon as if he thought it had some kind of authority over Alice.
The Lobster Quadrille
`Boots and shoes under the sea, the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, `are done with a whiting. Now you know.
`Come, lets try the first figure! said the Mock Turtle to the Gryphon. `We can do without lobsters, you know. Which shall sing?
Alice did not dare to disobey, though she felt sure it would all come wrong, and she went on in a trembling voice:--
`I mean what I say, the Mock Turtle replied in an offended tone. And the Gryphon added `Come, lets hear some of YOUR adventures.
`--as far out to sea as you can--
`--you advance twice--
`How the creatures order one about, and make one repeat lessons! thought Alice; `I might as well be at school at once. However, she got up, and began to repeat it, but her head was so full of the Lobster Quadrille, that she hardly knew what she was saying, and the words came very queer indeed:--
`Each with a lobster as a partner! cried the Gryphon.
`Very much indeed, said Alice.
`Stand up and repeat "TIS THE VOICE OF THE SLUGGARD," said the Gryphon.
`Two lines! cried the Mock Turtle. `Seals, turtles, salmon, and so on; then, when youve cleared all the jelly-fish out of the way--
`What trial is it? Alice panted as she ran; but the Gryphon only answered `Come on! and ran the faster, while more and more faintly came, carried on the breeze that followed them, the
`Of course, the Mock Turtle said: `advance twice, set to partners--
`No, no! The adventures first, said the Gryphon in an impatient tone: `explanations take such a dreadful time.
So Alice began telling them her adventures from the time when she first saw the White Rabbit. She was a little nervous about it just at first, the two creatures got so close to her, one on each side, and opened their eyes and mouths so VERY wide, but she gained courage as she went on. Her listeners were perfectly quiet till she got to the part about her repeating `YOU ARE OLD, FATHER WILLIAM, to the Caterpillar, and the words all coming different, and then the Mock Turtle drew a long breath, and said `Thats very curious.
`No, indeed, said Alice. `What sort of a dance is it?
`And what are they made of? Aliceasked in a tone of great curiosity.
`Of course not, said the Mock Turtle: `why, if a fish came to ME, and told me he was going a journey, I should say "With what porpoise?"
[later editions continued as follows When the sands are all dry, he is gay as a lark, And will talk in contemptuous tones of the Shark, But, when the tide rises and sharks are around, His voice has a timid and tremulous sound.]
`Chorus again! cried the Gryphon, and the Mock Turtle had just begun to repeat it, when a cry of `The trials beginning! was heard in the distance.
`They were obliged to have him with them, the Mock Turtle said: `no wise fish would go anywhere without a porpoise.
`Come on! cried the Gryphon, and, taking Alice by the hand, it hurried off, without waiting for the end of the song.
`I should like to have it explained, said the Mock Turtle.
`Then, you know, the Mock Turtle went on, `you throw the--
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
`Oh, YOU sing, said the Gryphon. `Ive forgotten the words.
`Soo--oop of the e--e--evening,
`Tis the voice of the Lobster; I heard him declare, "You have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair." As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his nose Trims his belt and his buttons, and turns out his toes.
`Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish, Game, or any other dish? Who would not give all else for two p ennyworth only of beautiful Soup? Pennyworth only of beautiful Soup? Beau--ootiful Soo--oop! Beau--ootiful Soo--oop! Soo--oop of the e--e--evening, Beautiful, beauti--FUL SOUP!
Alice said nothing; she had sat down with her face in her hands, wondering if anything would EVER happen in a natural way again.
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Beau--ootiful Soo--oop!
Will you, wont you, will you, wont you, will you join the dance? Will you, wont you, will you, wont you, wont you join the dance?
`I can tell you more than that, if you like, said the Gryphon. `Do you know why its called a whiting?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
`Soles and eels, of course, the Gryphon replied rather impatiently: `any shrimp could have told you that.
`"What matters it how far we go?" his scaly friend replied. "There is another shore, you know, upon the other side. The further off from England the nearer is to France-- Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.
Alice looked down at them, and considered a little before she gave her answer. `Theyre done with blacking, I believe.
`What IS the use of repeating all that stuff, the Mock Turtle interrupted, `if you dont explain it as you go on? Its by far the most confusing thing I ever heard!
The Mock Turtle sighed deeply, and drew the back of one flapper across his eyes. He looked at Alice, and tried to speak, but for a minute or two sobs choked his voice. `Same as if he had a bone in his throat, said the Gryphon: and it set to work shaking him and punching him in the back. At last the Mock Turtle recovered his voice, and, with tears running down his cheeks, he went on again:--
`Thats different from what I used to say when I was a child, said the Gryphon.
`"Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail. "Theres a porpoise close behind us, and hes treading on my tail. See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance! They are waiting on the shingle--will you come and join the dance?
Will you, wont you, will you, wont you, will you join the dance? Will you, wont you, will you, wont you, wont you join the dance?"
`The reason is, said the Gryphon, `that they WOULD go with the lobsters to the dance. So they got thrown out to sea. So they had to fall a long way. So they got their tails fast in their mouths. So they couldnt get them out again. Thats all.
`I could tell you my adventures--beginning from this morning, said Alice a little timidly: `but its no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.
The Mock Turtle sighed deeply, and began, in a voice sometimes choked with sobs, to sing this:--
`THAT generally takes some time, interrupted the Gryphon.
[later editions continued as follows The Panther took pie-crust, and gravy, and meat, While the Owl had the dish as its share of the treat. When the pie was all finished, the Owl, as a boon, Was kindly permitted to pocket the spoon: While the Panther received knife and fork with a growl, And concluded the banquet--]
`Why, said the Gryphon, `you first form into a line along the sea-shore--
`I dont know where Dinn may be, said the Mock Turtle, `but if youve seen them so often, of course you know what theyre like.
`Back to land again, and thats all the first figure, said the Mock Turtle, suddenly dropping his voice; and the two creatures, who had been jumping about like mad things all this time, sat down again very sadly and quietly, and looked at Alice.
`I believe so, Alice replied thoughtfully. `They have their tails in their mouths--and theyre all over crumbs.
`Thank you, its a very interesting dance to watch, said Alice, feeling very glad that it was over at last: `and I do so like that curious song about the whiting!
Soo--oop of the e--e--evening,
`Shall we try another figure of the Lobster Quadrille? the Gryphon went on. `Or would you like the Mock Turtle to sing you a song?
`Thank you, said Alice, `its very interesting. I never knew so much about a whiting before.
`If Id been the whiting, said Alice, whose thoughts were still running on the song, `Id have said to the porpoise, "Keep back, please: we dont want YOU with us!"
`But about his toes? the Mock Turtle persisted. `How COULD he turn them out with his nose, you know?
"You can really have no notion how delightful it will be When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!" But the snail replied "Too far, too far!" and gave a look askance-- Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance. Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance. Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.
Beau--ootiful Soo--oop!
`Yes, said Alice, `Ive often seen them at dinn-- she checked herself hastily.
`Change lobsters again! yelled the Gryphon at the top of its voice.
`Would you like to see a little of it? said the Mock Turtle.
`You may not have lived much under the sea-- (`I havent, said Alice)-- `and perhaps you were never even introduced to a lobster-- (Alice began to say `I once tasted-- but checked herself hastily, and said `No, never) `--so you can have no idea what a delightful thing a Lobster Quadrille is!
`Youre wrong about the crumbs, said the Mock Turtle: `crumbs would all wash off in the sea. But they HAVE their tails in their mouths; and the reason is-- here the Mock Turtle yawned and shut his eyes.--`Tell her about the reason and all that, he said to the Gryphon.
`I never thought about it, said Alice. `Why?
`Its all about as curious as it can be, said the Gryphon.
`I passed by his garden, and marked, with one eye, How the Owl and the Panther were sharing a pie--
`Yes, I think youd better leave off, said the Gryphon: and Alice was only too glad to do so.
`Oh, as to the whiting, said the Mock Turtle, `they--youve seen them, of course?
`She cant explain it, said the Gryphon hastily. `Go on with the next verse.
