They were standing under a tree, each with an arm round theother's neck, and Alice knew which was which in a moment, becauseone of them had `DUM' embroidered on his collar, and the other`DEE.' `I suppose they've each got "TWEEDLE" round at the backof the collar,' she said to herself.

They stood so still that she quite forgot they were alive, andshe was just looking round to see if the word "TWEEDLE" waswritten at the back of each collar, when she was startled by avoice coming from the one marked `DUM.'

`If you think we're wax-works,' he said, `you ought to pay, youknow. Wax-works weren't made to be looked at for nothing,Nohow!'

`Contrariwise,' added the one marked `DEE,' `if you think we'realive, you ought to speak.'

`I'm sure I'm very sorry,' was all Alice could say; for thewords of the old song kept ringing through her head like theticking of a clock, and she could hardly help saying them outloud: --

`Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Just then flew down a monstrous crow,

`I know what you're thinking about,' said Tweedledum: `but itisn't so, nohow.'

`Contrariwise,' continued Tweedledee, `if it was so, it mightbe; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't.That's logic.'

`I was thinking,' Alice said very politely, `which is the bestway out of this wood: it's getting so dark. Would you tell me,please?'

But the little men only looked at each other and grinned.

They looked so exactly like a couple of great schoolboys, thatAlice couldn't help pointing her finger at Tweedledum, and saying`First Boy!'

`Nohow!' Tweedledum cried out briskly, and shut his mouth upagain with a snap.

`Next Boy!' said Alice, passing on to Tweedledee, though shefelt quite certain he would only shout out "Contrariwise!' and sohe did.

`You've been wrong!' cried Tweedledum. `The first thing in avisit is to say "How d'ye do?" and shake hands!' And here thetwo brothers gave each other a hug, and then they held out thetwo hands that were free, to shake hands with her.

Alice did not like shaking hands with either of them first, forfear of hurting the other one's feelings; so, as the best way outof the difficulty, she took hold of both hands at once: the nextmoment they were dancing found in a ring. This seemed quitenatural (she remembered afterwards), and she was not evensurprised to hear music playing: it seemed to come from the treeunder which they were dancing, and it was done (as well as shecould make it out) by the branches rubbing one across the other,like fiddles and fiddle-sticks.

`But it certainly

The other two dancers were fat, and very soon out of breath.`Four times round is enough for one dance,' Tweedledum pantedout, and they left off dancing as suddenly as they had begun:the music stopped at the same moment.

Then they let go of Alice's hands, and stood looking at her fora minute: there was a rather awkward pause, as Alice didn't knowhow to begin a conversation with people she had just been dancingwith. `It would never do to say "How d'ye do?"

`I hope you're not much tired?' she said at last.

`Nohow. And thank you

`So much obliged!' added Tweedledee. `You like poetry?'

`Ye-es. pretty well --

`What shall I repeat to her?' said Tweedledee, looking round atTweedledum with great solemn eyes, and not noticing Alice'squestion.

`"

Tweedledee began instantly:

`The sun was shining -- '

Here Alice ventured to interrupt him. `If it's

Tweedledee smiled gently, and began again:

`The sun was shining on the sea,

The moon was shining sulkily,

The sea was wet as wet could be,

The Walrus and the Carpenter

"If seven maids with seven mops

"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"

The eldest Oyster looked at him.

But four young oysters hurried up,

Four other Oysters followed them,

The Walrus and the Carpenter

"The time has come," the Walrus said,

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,

"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,

"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,

"It was so kind of you to come!

"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,

"I weep for you," the Walrus said.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter.

`He ate more than the Carpenter, though,' said Tweedledee.`You see he held his handkerchief in front, so that the Carpentercouldn't count how many he took: contrariwise.'

`That was mean!' Alice said indignantly. `Then I like theCarpenter best -- if he didn't eat so many as the Walrus.'

`But he ate as many as he could get,' said Tweedledum.

This was a puzzler. After a pause, Alice began, `Well! Theywere

`It's only the Red King snoring,' said Tweedledee.

`Come and look at him!' the brothers cried, and they each tookone of Alice's hands, and led her up to where the King wassleeping.

`Isn't he a

Alice couldn't say honestly that he was. He had a tall rednight-cap on, with a tassel, and he was lying crumpled up into asort of untidy heap, and snoring loud -- `fit to snore his headoff!' as Tweedledum remarked.

`I'm afraid he'll catch cold with lying on the damp grass,'said Alice, who was a very thoughtful little girl.

`He's dreaming now,' said Tweedledee: `and what do you thinkhe's dreaming about?'

Alice said `Nobody can guess that.'

`Why, about

`Where I am now, of course,' said Alice.

`Not you!' Tweedledee retorted contemptuously. `You'd benowhere. Why, you're only a sort of thing in his dream!'

`If that there King was to wake,' added Tweedledum, `you'd goout -- bang! -- just like a candle!'

`I shouldn't!' Alice exclaimed indignantly. `Besides, if I'Monly a sort of thing in his dream, what are

`Ditto' said Tweedledum.

`Ditto, ditto' cried Tweedledee.

He shouted this so loud that Alice couldn't help saying, `Hush!

You'll be waking him, I'm afraid, if you make so much noise.'

`Well, it no use

`I

`You won't make yourself a bit realler by crying,' Tweedledeeremarked: `there's nothing to cry about.'

`If I wasn't real,' Alice said -- half-laughing though hertears, it all seemed so ridiculous -- `I shouldn't be able tocry.'

`I hope you don't suppose those are real tears?' Tweedleduminterrupted in a tone of great contempt.

`I know they're talking nonsense,' Alice thought to herself:`and it's foolish to cry about it.' So she brushed away hertears, and went on as cheerfully as she could. `At any rate I'dbetter be getting out of the wood, for really it's coming on verydark. Do you think it's going to rain?'

Tweedledum spread a large umbrella over himself and hisbrother, and looked up into it. `No, I don't think it is,' hesaid: `at least -- not under

`But it may rain

`It may -- if it chooses,' said Tweedledee: `we've noobjection. Contrariwise.'

`Selfish things!' thought Alice, and she was just going to say`Good-night' and leave them, when Tweedledum sprang out fromunder the umbrella and seized her by the wrist.

`Do you see

`It's only a rattle,' Alice said, after a careful examinationof the little white thing. `Not a rattle

`I knew it was!' cried Tweedledum, beginning to stamp aboutwildly and tear his hair. `It's spoilt, of course!' Here helooked at Tweedledee, who immediately sat down on the ground, andtried to hide himself under the umbrella.

Alice laid her hand upon his arm, and said in a soothing tone,`You needn't be so angry about an old rattle.'

`But it isn't old!' Tweedledum cried, in a greater fury thanever. `It's new, I tell you -- I bought it yesterday -- my niceNEW

All this time Tweedledee was trying his best to fold up theumbrella, with himself in it: which was such an extraordinarything to do, that it quite took off Alice's attention from theangry brother. But he couldn't quite succeed, and it ended inhis rolling over, bundled up in the umbrella, with only his headout: and there he lay, opening and shutting his mouth and hislarge eyes -- 'looking more like a fish than anything else,'Alice thought.

`Of course you agree to have a battle?' Tweedledum said in acalmer tone.

`I suppose so,' the other sulkily replied, as he crawled out ofthe umbrella: `only

So the two brothers went off hand-in-hand into the wood, andreturned in a minute with their arms full of things -- such asbolsters, blankets, hearth-rugs, table-cloths, dish-covers andcoal-scuttles. `I hope you're a good hand a pinning and tyingstrings?' Tweedledum remarked. `Every one of these things hasgot to go on, somehow or other.'

Alice said afterwards she had never seen such a fuss made aboutanything in all her life -- the way those two bustled about --and the quantity of things they put on -- and the trouble theygave her in tying strings and fastening buttons -- `Reallythey'll be more like bundles of old clothes that anything else,by the time they're ready!' she said to herself, as he arranged abolster round the neck of Tweedledee, `to keep his head frombeing cut off,' as he said.

`You know,' he added very gravely, `it's one of the mostserious things that can possibly happen to one in a battle -- toget one's head cut off.'

Alice laughed loud: but she managed to turn it into a cough,for fear of hurting his feelings.

`Do I look very pale?' said Tweedledum, coming up to have hishelmet tied on. (He

`Well -- yes -- a

`I'm very brave generally,' he went on in a low voice: `onlyto-day I happen to have a headache.'

`And

`Then you'd better not fight to-day,' said Alice, thinking it agood opportunity to make peace.

`We

Tweedledee looked at his watch, and said `Half-past four.'

`Let's fight till six, and then have dinner,' said Tweedledum.

`Very well,' the other said, rather sadly: `and

`And

Alice laughed. `You must hit the

Tweedledum looked round him with a satisfied smile. I don'tsuppose,' he said, `there'll be a tree left standing, for ever sofar round, by the time we've finished!'

`And all about a rattle!' said Alice, still hoping to make thema

`I shouldn't have minded it so much,' said Tweedledum, `if ithadn't been a new one.'

`I wish the monstrous crow would come!' though Alice.

`There's only one sword, you know,' Tweedledum said to hisbrother: `but you can have the umbrella -- it's quite as sharp.Only we must begin quick. It's getting as dark as it can.'

`And darker.' said Tweedledee.

It was getting dark so suddenly that Alice thought there mustbe a thunderstorm coming on. `What a thick black cloud that is!'she said. `And how fast it comes! Why, I do believe it's gotwings!'

`It's the crow!' Tweedledum cried out in a shrill voice ofalarm: and the two brothers took to their heels and were out ofsight in a moment.

Alice ran a little way into the wood, and stopped under a largetree. `It can never get at me