Chapter 11
The trial opens and Alice is called
English edition
-
1 From high in the roof beams, the packed court of justice waits for the trial
In the text → -
2 Alice has just come into the crowded court of the King and Queen of Hearts.
In the text → -
3 From above, a gold dish of glossy jam tarts sits on white linen in the court
In the text → -
4 Alice looks up at the King of Hearts, bolt upright so his crown stays on his wig
In the text → -
5 Alice sees the jury-box: twelve animals and birds scratching busily at their slates
In the text → -
6 On the spectators' bench, the Gryphon leans close to Alice's ear.
In the text → -
7 The White Rabbit's shrill cry of silence freezes Alice half-risen mid-outburst
In the text → -
8 In the jury-box, a bird-juror's claw hovers over a scribbled slate as a paw taps it
In the text → -
9 Alice has crept behind the jury-box and leans down over the back bench.
In the text → -
10 Bill the Lizard, pencil lost, drags one claw across his slate, which stays blank
In the text → -
11 The White Rabbit blows three blasts on his trumpet to open the trial
In the text → -
12 The White Rabbit, as herald, reads the charge from his parchment
In the text → -
13 The King of Hearts turns to ask the jury for a verdict before any evidence has been heard.
In the text → -
14 The White Rabbit blows three trumpet blasts to call the first witness
In the text → -
15 The Hatter walks up the aisle with teacup and bread-and-butter, apologising to the King
In the text → -
16 In the witness-box the Hatter looks sideways at the March Hare for the date his tea began.
In the text → -
17 The Hatter, March Hare and Dormouse give three different dates for the same tea
In the text → -
18 A juror's paws turn three muddled dates into shillings and pence on a slate
In the text → -
19 The King of Hearts leans off his throne and points at the Hatter's hat.
In the text → -
20 The Queen of Hearts puts on her spectacles and stares coldly at the Hatter
In the text → -
21 The frightened Hatter bites a large crescent out of his teacup, staring at the Queen
In the text → -
22 Halfway through the Hatter's evidence, Alice starts growing again.
In the text → -
23 Growing Alice squashes the indignant Dormouse against the arm of the bench
In the text → -
24 Alice tells the Dormouse not to talk nonsense: he is growing too
In the text → -
25 The offended Dormouse walks away from Alice across the crimson aisle
In the text → -
26 Staring at the Hatter, the Queen sends an officer for the list of singers
In the text → -
27 With the King threatening to execute him, the Hatter stammers about the "twinkling of the tea".
In the text → -
28 The King of Hearts snaps at the trembling Hatter that twinkling begins with a T
In the text → -
29 The Hatter jabs a finger at the March Hare, who throws up both paws in denial
In the text → -
30 The shoeless Hatter looks anxiously across the court for the Dormouse
In the text → -
31 A small bird on the jury raises its claw and asks, "But what did the Dormouse say?"
In the text → -
32 The King threatens the Hatter with execution, and the Hatter freezes at the witness-box.
In the text → -
33 The Hatter drops his teacup and bread-and-butter and kneels in his socks at the witness-box.
In the text → -
34 Court officers push a cheering guinea-pig head first into a canvas bag
In the text → -
35 Alice sits on the front bench and nods to herself.
In the text → -
36 The Hatter kneels on the stone floor of the court and pleads that he cannot "stand down" any lower.
In the text → -
37 Two tied canvas bags of suppressed guinea-pigs sit side by side on the bench
In the text → -
38 The Hatter kneels in his socks among his spilled tea things and asks to finish his tea.
In the text → -
39 The Queen's order to "take his head off outside" comes too late.
In the text → -
40 The Duchess's cook stands in the courtroom doorway holding her pepper-box.
In the text → -
41 The Duchess's cook, clutching her pepper-box, answers the King with one flat word
In the text → -
42 The White Rabbit whispers to the stumped King that he must cross-examine the cook
In the text → -
43 The King of Hearts reluctantly plays the stern judge.
In the text → -
44 The cook says pepper, mostly, as a half-asleep Dormouse behind her mumbles treacle
In the text → -
45 The Queen of Hearts half-rises from the throne and shrieks at the sleepy Dormouse
In the text → -
46 As the Queen shrieks, card-officers hurry the sleeping Dormouse out of court
In the text → -
47 With the Dormouse thrown out and the cook gone, the court goes quiet.
In the text → -
48 Large Alice watches over the tarts as the White Rabbit fumbles with the witness list
In the text → -
49 On tiptoe, the White Rabbit holds the list high and shrieks Alice's name
In the text → -
50 The instant the White Rabbit shrills "Alice!", the watcher becomes the next witness.
In the text →
