Алиса в Стране чудес / Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Алиса в Зазеркалье / Through the Looking-glass, and What Alice Found There

[137 - Birds of a feather flock together – досл.: Птицы собираются по окрасу. (русск. аналог: Рыбак рыбака видит издалека)]’”

“But mustard isn’t a bird,” Alice remarked.

“Right, as usual,” said the Duchess.

“It’s a mineral, I THINK,” said Alice.

“Of course it is,” said the Duchess, who agreed to everything that Alice said; “there’s a large mustard-mine near here. And the moral of that is – ”

“Oh, I know!” exclaimed Alice, who wasn’t listening, “it’s a vegetable.

“I quite agree with you,” said the Duchess; “and the moral of that is – ”

But here, to Alice’s great surprise, the Duchess suddenly stopped talking and her arm began to tremble. Alice looked up and saw the Queen who was standing in front of them and frowning like a thunderstorm.

“A fine day, your Majesty!” the Duchess began in a low, weak voice.

“Now, you may choose,” shouted the Queen; “either you or your head must be off,[138 - either you or your head must be off – или тебя, или твоей головы здесь не будет] and immediately! Take your choice!”

The Duchess took her choice, and in a moment she was gone.[139 - she was gone – ее уже не было]

“Let’s go on with the game,” the Queen said to Alice; Alice was too frightened to say a word, so she slowly followed her back to the croquet-ground.

Without the Queen the other guests were having a rest: however, when they saw her, they hurried back to the game, because the delay could cost them their lives.

The game continued but as the Queen often shouted her favourite: “Off with his head!” or “Off with her head!” very soon all the players, except the King, the Queen, and Alice, were under arrest.

Then the Queen said to Alice, “Have you seen the Mock Turtle[140 - Mock Turtle – «ненастоящая» черепаха] yet?”

“No,” said Alice.

“It’s the thing what Mock Turtle Soup[141 - Mock turtle soup – суп «под черепаху» (варится из телячьей головы и по вкусу напоминает черепаховый)] is made from,” said the Queen.

“I never saw one, or heard of one,” said Alice.