第十章 龙虾方阵舞 The Lobster Quadrille

CHAPTER 10 The Lobster Quadrille

The Mock Turtle sighed deeply and drew the back of one flapper across his eyes. With tears running down his cheeks, he started to speak, “You may not have lived much under the sea. Perhaps you were never introduced to a lobster.”

Alice began to say “I ate one once” but caught herself. “No, never,” she said. She shook her head from side to side with great speed hoping he believed her.

“So you must have no idea what a delightful thing a Lobster Quadrille dance is then.”

“No, indeed,” said Alice. “What sort of dance is it?”

The Griffin spoke up. “You first form a line along the seashore.”

“Two lines,” cried the Mock Turtle. “Seals, turtles, salmon, and so on. Then once you clear all the jellyfish out of the way, you advance twice.”

“Each time you advance, you’re with a partner. And do you know who your partner will be? A lobster, of course!” said the Griffin.

“Of course,” said the Mock Turtle, “you then throw the lobsters as far out to sea as you possibly can.”

“Swim after them!” shouted the Griffin. “You mustn’t forget to swim after them.”

“Turn a somersault in the sea,” cried the Mock Turtle flapping about. “Over and over you go.”

“Change lobsters again,” yelled the Griffin at the top of his voice.

“Then back to land again. That’s it!” said the Mock Turtle.

The two animals that had just been jumping wildly about seconds before now sat down and looked dreadfully sad.

“It must be a very pretty dance,” said Alice. “Would you like to see a little of a Lobster Quadrille?” asked the Griffin.

“Very much indeed,” said Alice.

“Let’s try the first part,” said the Mock Turtle to the Griffin. “We can do it without lobsters, you know. Which one of us shall sing?”

“Oh, you sing, you sing!” said the Griffin. “I’ve forgotten the words.”

So they began solemnly dancing around and around Alice. Every now and then they stepped on her toes when they passed too close. They waved their forepaws to mark the time while the Mock Turtle sang a slow, sad song:

“Will you walk a little faster?” said a whiting to a snail.

“There’s a porpoise close behind us, and he’s 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, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance?

Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?

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.

“What matters it how far we go?” his scaly friend replied.

“There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.

The farther off from England the nearer is to France—

Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.”

Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance?

Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?

“Thank you! It’s a very interesting dance to watch,” said Alice feeling quite relieved it was over. “I did so like the curious song about the whiting.”

“Oh,” said the Mock Turtle, “you’ve seen a whiting?”

“Yes,” said Alice without giving much thought. “I often see them on my dinn—” She quickly realized that telling them she ate them for dinner was not the best idea.

“I don’t know where Dinn may be,” said the Mock Turtle. “But if you’ve seen them, then you know what they’re like?”

“I believe so,” said Alice. “They have their tails in their mouths.”

“Yes! That’s right,” said the Mock Turtle turning to the Griffin. “Tell her why they have their tails in their mouths.”

“The reason,” said the Griffin, “is that they would go with the lobsters to the dance. So they were thrown out to sea. They had to fall a long way. So they got their tails stuck in their mouths and couldn’t get them back out. That’s all.”

“Thank you,” said Alice trying her best to be polite. “I never knew so much about a whiting before. It’s all very interesting.”

“Now, come. Let’s hear some of your adventures,” said the Griffin to Alice, after the dance. “I’m sure you have lots to share with us.”

“I could tell you my adventures. Especially if I begin from this morning,” said Alice, a little timidly. “But it’s no use going back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”

“Explain all that,” said the Mock Turtle.

“No, no! The adventure first!” said the Griffin impatiently. “Explanations take such a dreadful long time.”

So Alice began telling them her adventures from the time when she first saw the White Rabbit.

After a while, the Griffin asked, “Would you like to dance again or shall the Mock Turtle sing you a song?”

“A song if you please,” said Alice.

“Sing her ‘Turtle Soup,’ will you old fellow?” When Mock Turtle finished, the Griffin cried

out, “Sing it again. Sing it again.”

The Mock Turtle had opened his mouth to sing once again when the cries of “The trial’s beginning! The trial’s beginning!” were heard in the distance.

“Come on!” cried the Griffin. And, taking Alice by the hand, they hurried off.

“What trial is it?” Alice panted, as she ran.

But the Griffin only answered, “Come on!” and ran faster.