at HIS time of life.

  The King's argument was, that anything that had a head could be

beheaded, and that you weren't to talk nonsense.

  The Queen's argument was, that if something wasn't done about

it in less than no time she'd have everybody executed, all round.

(It was this last remark that had made the whole party look so

grave and anxious.)

  Alice could think of nothing else to say but `It belongs to the

Duchess:  you'd better ask HER about it.'

  `She's in prison,' the Queen said to the executioner:  `fetch

her here.'  And the executioner went off like an arrow.

   The Cat's head began fading away the moment he was gone, and,

by the time he had come back with the Dutchess, it had entirely

disappeared; so the King and the executioner ran wildly up and down

looking for it, while the rest of the party went back to the game.

                           CHAPTER IX

                     The Mock Turtle's Story

  `You can't think how glad I am to see you again, you dear old

thing!' said the Duchess, as she tucked her arm affectionately

into Alice's, and they walked off together.

  Alice was very glad to find her in such a pleasant temper, and

thought to herself that perhaps it was only the pepper that had

made her so savage when they met in the kitchen.

  `When I'M a Duchess,' she said to herself, (not in a very

hopeful tone though), `I won't have any pepper in my kitchen AT

ALL.  Soup does very well without--Maybe it's always pepper that

makes people hot-tempered,' she went on, very much pleased at

having found out a new kind of rule, `and vinegar that makes them

sour--and camomile that makes them bitter--and--and barley-sugar

and such things that make children sweet-tempered.  I only wish

people knew that:  then they wouldn't be so stingy about it, you

know--'

  She had quite forgotten the Duchess by this time, and was a

little startled when she heard her voice close to her ear.

`You're thinking about something, my dear, and that makes you

forget to talk.  I can't tell you just now what the moral of that

is, but I shall remember it in a bit.'

  `Perhaps it hasn't one,' Alice ventured to remark.

  `Tut, tut, child!' said the Duchess.  `Everything's got a ()