Page 11 of 167

It was all very well to say "Drink me," but the wise little Alice

was not going to do that in a hurry. "No, I'll look first," she

said, "and see whether it's marked 'poison' or not"; for she had

read several nice little histories about children who had got

burnt, and eaten up by wild beasts and other unpleasant things,

all because they would not remember the simple rules their

friends had taught them: such as, that a red-hot poker will burn

you if you hold it too long; and that if you cut your finger very

deeply with a knife, it usually bleeds; and she had never

forgotten that, if you drink much from a bottle marked "poison,"

it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later.

However, this bottle was not marked "poison," so Alice ventured

to taste it, and finding it very nice, (it had, in fact, a sort

of mixed flavour of cherry-tart, custard, pine-apple, roast

turkey, toffee, and hot buttered toast,) she very soon finished

it off.

* * * * * * *

* * * * * *

* * * * * * *