Chapter 7
The Duchess was still singing a lullaby. The following were the verses of the lullaby—
“Speak roughly to your little boy,
And beat him when he sneezes.
He only does it to annoy,
Because he knows it teases.”
The chef and the baby who had got up from her sleep were appreciating the above verses recited by the Duchess. They said in chorus, “Wow! Excellent! Superb! You are singing the verses quite well.”
As the Duchess began to sing the second stanza of the poem, she shook the baby furiously up and down. The baby was crying and weeping so much that the voice of the Duchess singing the poem was completely drowned. Alice was relishing the verses.
All of a sudden, the Duchess without thinking anything flung the baby at Alice, who was caught unawares. Alice was in a state of shock. Had Alice not reacted on time the baby would have fallen down on the ground.
The Duchess said to Alice, “Hey, what are you doing there? Why don’t you do something? Take care of this baby a little bit. I have to go and get ready to play croquet with the Queen. I can’t delay any further. Do take care of the baby till I come back.”
Saying these words the Duchess went into the room to get ready. Alice had no alternative but to nurse the baby. She fondled it with great love and care. After some time the Duchess hurried out of the room. Seeing the Duchess the chef flung a frying pan at her but it nearly missed her. After the Duchess had gone out, Alice girded up her loin to take utmost care of the baby. But the baby was like a starfish. Its shape was somewhat strange. Its arms and legs spread out in every direction. Alice found it difficult to hold the baby in her arms. The baby snorted like a steam engine and kept doubling itself up and straightening out again. Such change in shape off and on disturbed Alice a lot.
At last Alice wisted the baby up into a kind of a knot. Then she held its right ear and left foot to prevent it from undoing itself. Alice said to herself, ‘This is the right way to hold this baby which is a real menace to me. I had better take it along with me. If I leave if here they would surely put it to death.’
Hearing the words of Alice the baby grunted loudly. “Dear baby! Don’t do like this. It does not behove you. Be quiet,” said Alice to the baby. But the baby kept on grunting time and again.
Now Alice understood that there was something wrong with the baby. Alice looked carefully at its snout and beady eyes. Alice found that the baby repelled every time she went near it. The baby seemed in deplorable condition when it cried and grunted. The baby did not stop grunting.
It grunted so loudly that Alice was badly shaken.
She went close to the baby and looked at it carefully from head to toe. To her utter amazement, Alice found that the baby was actually the young one of a pig. In the next moment, Alice put the baby down on the ground and let it go away into the dense woods. She said to herself, ‘How nice this pig is! Had it grown up it would have turned into a beautiful child. But a pig is a pig. How can it be a child? It is a really handsome pig.’
As Alice turned away to go from there she noticed the Cheshire cat which was sitting on the bough of an apple tree a few yards away. But Alice did not like the Cheshire cat. So she made way for the house.
Seeing Alice the cat smiled a little bit and looked good natured despite its long claws and sharp biting teeth. The cat wanted to talk to Alice. It wagged its tail as Alice approached it. Thereupon Alice said to the cat, “Hey Cheshire pussy cat! How are you? Your duchess is away, so you will be happy and excited.”
Hearing the words of Alice the cat did nothing but to smile at Alice. Now Alice became somewhat bolder. Her timidity had disappeared; she said to the cat, “Dear pussy cat, would like tell to me the way from here? I have lost my way. I have no idea of my house. Please guide me. I shall be thankful to you for this kind act of yours.”
The cat replied happily, “Dear, where do you want to go? Only then can I show you the way.”
Alice was desperate to reach anywhere. So she said to the cat, “It does not matter where I want to go. You show me the correct way.”
Thereupon the Cheshire cat retorted, “What is the use of showing you the way when you are not sure where you want to go? Go wherever you wish.”
Alice said, “As long as I am safe and sound. So, show me the way, where I can feel myself safe and happy.”
Thinking for a while the Cheshire waved its right paw around. Then it closed its eyes for a few minutes. After some minutes it opened its eyes and said to Alice, “Dear friend! yonder there, a Hatter lives. He is a complete fool.”
Before Alice could ask anything the cat waved its left paw around. Then it said, “Over there lived a March Hare. It is a complete idiot box as well. Now it is up to you. You can visit either of them. So, make up your mind and do what you deem fit and suitable. I kave told you both the options.”
Hearing the words of the cat, Alice said, “But I don’t want to mingle with the crazy people. What is the point in going there?”
The cat retorted, “What do you think of yourself? Even you and I are mad. Sorry, I can’t help you in this matter.”
But Alice didn’t see eye to eye with the cat. She observed,
“How dare you tell me that I am mad? You seem to be mad, not me. Hold your tongue.”
Hearing the words the cat went mad in rage. A heated argument ensued between the two. After some time the cat stated, “Listen dear! Let’s do away with this argument. Tell me one thing. Would you like to play croquet with the Queen today? If you say ‘yes’ to me, then I shall make an arrangement for this.”
Hearing the words of the cat Alice replied at once, “Who wouldn’t like to play with the Queen? I am very much ready to join the Queen and play croquet. But there is one problem; I have not been given an invitation-card. Then how can I go there?”
The cat thought for a while and stated, “It is not a big problem. I shall meet you there.”
Saying these words the cat disappeared from there in a trice. But Alice was not in a state of shock this time. She had became used to such queer happenings which had been taking place for quite some time. Hardly Alice had turned away when the cat reappeared there from nowhere.
Seeing the cat Alice got confused and thought why the cat had come there again. The cat said to Alice, “Dear! I forgot to ask you one thing. Tell me what you did to the baby.”
Alice thought for a while and stated that the baby had turned into a pig. That was why she could not be able to do anything to the baby. Hearing of the words the cat again disappeared. Alice had no alternative but to head for the March Hare’s house, as directed by the cat.
On her way, she said to herself, ‘I should go and see the March Hare. It would be very interesting. What is the use of meeting Hatter? I have already met him before. The month of May is going on. If I am not mistaken, he will not be so mad as he is supposed to be in the month of March I had better go to the March Hare instead of going to the Hatter.’
Thinking so Alice hurried to the place of the March Hare. Under a shady tree Alice took some rest. When she got up after some time, she looked up. What she saw confounded her a lot. The Cheshire cat was resting on the branch of tree.
Seeing the cat Alice said, “What are you doing here? You told me that you would meet me at the Queen’s place.” Without answering to Alice’s question the cat asked, “What did you say—pig or fig?” Alice failed to make out. But she hurriedly replied, “Pig.” She requested the cat not to appear and disappear out of nowhere time and again. It would make her feel giddy.
The cat saw eye to eye with Alice on this count. When If disappeared next time, it did it slowly. Alice felt very happy seeing the cat disappear. Alice resumed her journey. Hardly had she gone a little far when she came across a house. The house belonged to the March Hare. It had been built in an unusual manner.
Alice was taken by surprise when Alice looked at the chimneys. She could not believe her eyes. The chimneys had the shape like that of ears. The roof of the house was tattered with fur. In fact, the house was quite big in size. It was like a sprawling bungalow. Alice was required to grow taller before entering it. She remembered that she had a bit of mushroom left in her left hand. She at once ate it up.
Lo and behold! Alice grew taller by two feet. Now she felt very happy as she could wander anywhere inside the big house. Reaching the entrance to the house Alice said to herself, ‘Would that I had visited the Hatter first! It would be fun and frolic. Considering the big house it is expected that the March Hare would be raging mad.’ But now, Alice had no alternative but to enter the house.
She prayed to the Almighty God and stepped in with religious hymns on her lips.
