Алиса в стране чудес / Alice in Wonderland

Chapter III

A Caucus-Race[20 - A Caucus-Race – Бег по кругу] and a Long Tale

The Mouse said, “Sit down, all of you, and listen to me!” They all sat down at once, in a large ring, with the Mouse in the middle.

“Ahem![21 - Ahem! —Кхе-кхе!]” said the Mouse, “are you all ready? Silence, if you please!”

And it began to talk about William the Conqueror[22 - William the Conqueror – Вильгельм Завоеватель (король Англии с 1066 г.

“Ugh!” said the Lory[23 - Lory – Попугайчик], with a shiver.

“I beg your pardon!” said the Mouse, frowning, but very politely: “Did you speak?”

“Not I!” said the Lory hastily.

“I proceed,” said the Mouse. “Edwin and Morcar, the earls of Mercia and Northumbria[24 - Edwin and Morcar, the earls of Mercia and Northumbria – Эдвин, граф Мерсии, и Моркар, граф Нуртумбрии], found it—”

“Found WHAT?” said the Duck.

“Found IT,” the Mouse replied: “of course you know what �it’ means.”

“I know what �it’ means well enough, when I find a thing,” said the Duck, “it’s generally a frog or a worm. The question is, what did those gentlemen find?”

The Mouse did not notice this question. “How are you, my dear?” it asked Alice.

“I’m wet,” said Alice.

How to get dry? They had a long talk about this, but it was hard to tell what was best.

“I think,” said the Dodo[25 - Dodo – Додо], “that the best thing to become dry is a Caucus-race.”

“What is a Caucus-race?” said Alice.

“Oh,” said the Dodo, “the best way to explain it is to do it.”

First it painted a circle, and then everybody began to run. Soon they were quite dry again, and the Dodo said “The race is over!”

The birds and animals began to ask, “But who is the winner?”

Dodo said, “Everybody is a winner, and will have prizes.

“But who will give the prizes?” they asked.

“She, of course,” said the Dodo, and pointed to Alice with the long claw. And everybody at once crowded round her and cried, “A prize, a prize!”

Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair she put her hand in her pocket, and pulled out a box of comfits, and handed them round as prizes.