Dialogue following No. 10

ALICE. Thank you! It’s a very interesting dance; and I do so like that curious song about the whiting.

MOCK. Oh, as to the whiting - you’ve seen them of course?

ALICE. Yes, I’ve often seen them at dinn–

MOCK. I don’t know where Dinn may be, but if you’ve seen them so often of course you know what they’re like.

ALICE. I believe so, they have their tails in their mouths, and they’re all over crumbs.

MOCK. You’re wrong about the crumbs, crumbs would all wash off in the sea, but they have their tails in their mouths.

GRYPHON. The reason is 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 couldn’t get them out again.

ALICE. Thank you, it’s very interesting. I never knew so much about a whiting before.

GRYPHON. Do you know why it’s called a whiting?

ALICE. I never thought about it.

GRYPHON. It does the boots and shoes. (solemnly)

ALICE. Does the boots and shoes?

GRYPHON. Why, what are your shoes done with - I mean what makes them so shiny?

ALICE. They’re done with blacking, I believe.

GRYPHON. Boots and shoes under the sea are done with whiting. Now you know.

ALICE. And what are they made of?

GRYPHON. Soles and eels, of course, any shrimp could have told you that.

ALICE. If I’d been the whiting, I’d have said to the porpoise, keep back please, we don’t want you with us.

MOCK. They were obliged to have him with them. No fish would go anywhere without a porpoise.

ALICE. Wouldn’t it reaally?

MOCK. Of course not. Why if a fish came to me, and told me he was going on a journey - I should say, with what porpoise?

ALICE. Don’t you mean “purpose”?

MOCK. I mean what I say. Now let’s hear some of your adventures.

ALICE. The queerest thing that happened to me to-day was singing “You are old, Father William” to the caterpillar, and all the words came different.

MOCK. That’s very curious.

GRYPHON. It’s about as curious as it can be.

MOCK. The words all came different. I should like to hear her try and sing something now.

GRYPHON. Stand up and sing “Tis the voice of the sluggard”.