pigs, and was just saying to herself, `if one only knew the right

way to change them--' when she was a little startled by seeing

the Cheshire Cat sitting on a bough of a tree a few yards off.

  The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice.  It looked good-

natured, she thought:  still it had VERY long claws and a great

many teeth, so she felt that it ought to be treated with respect.

  `Cheshire Puss,' she began, rather timidly, as she did not at

all know whether it would like the name:  however, it only

grinned a little wider.  `Come, it's pleased so far,' thought

Alice, and she went on.  `Would you tell me, please, which way I

ought to go from here?'

  `That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said

the Cat.

  `I don't much care where--' said Alice.

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

  `--so long as I get SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation.

  `Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, `if you only walk

long enough.'

  Alice felt that this could not be denied, so she tried another

question.  `What sort of people live about here?'

  `In THAT direction,' the Cat said, waving its right paw round,

`lives a Hatter:  and in THAT direction,' waving the other paw,

`lives a March Hare.  Visit either you like:  they're both mad.'

  `But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.

  `Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat:  `we're all mad here.

I'm mad.  You're mad.'

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

  `You must be,' said the Cat, `or you wouldn't have come here.'

  Alice didn't think that proved it at all; however, she went on

`And how do you know that you're mad?'

  `To begin with,' said the Cat, `a dog's not mad.  You grant

that?'

  `I suppose so,' said Alice.

  `Well, then,' the Cat went on, `you see, a dog growls when it's

angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased.  Now I growl when I'm

pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry.  Therefore I'm mad.'

  `I call it purring, not growling,' said Alice.

  `Call it what you like,' said the Cat.  `Do you play croquet

with the Queen to-day?'

  `I should like it very much,' said Alice, `but I haven't been

invited yet.'

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

  Alice was not much surprised at this, she was getting so used ()