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“And now to the garden!” and Alice ran fast to the little door but, alas! The little door was locked again and the golden key was still on the glass table. “And I am so small now!”

As she said these words her foot slipped and in another moment, splash! She was in salt water. Her first idea was about the sea. However she soon understood that she was in the pool of her own tears.

“I am so sorry I cried so much! I will be drowned in my own tears! That WILL be strange! However everything is strange today!”

Just then she heard something splashing about in the pool and swam nearer to see what it was. At first she thought it was a walrus or a hippo but then she remembered how small she was now and understood that it was only a mouse.

“Shall I speak to this mouse?” thought Alice. “I believe it can talk. I think I will try.” So she began: “O Mouse, do you know the way out of this pool? I am very tired of swimming here!” But the mouse said nothing.

“Perhaps it doesn’t understand English,” thought Alice; “Maybe it’s a French mouse.” So she began again this time with the first sentence in her French lesson-book: “Où est ma chatte?” The Mouse jumped up out of the water in horror. “Oh, I beg your pardon!” cried Alice, “I forgot you didn’t like cats.”

“Not like cats!” cried the Mouse. “Would YOU like cats if you were me?”

“Well, perhaps not,” said Alice; “don’t be angry about it. But I would like you to see our cat Dinah. I think you would start liking cats if you could see her. She is such a nice quiet thing.”

“No! Our family always HATED cats: nasty things! I don’t want to hear this name again!” the Mouse was trembling down to the end of its tail.

“I am sorry!” said Alice in a great hurry to change the subject of conversation. “Are you… are you fond… of… of dogs?” The Mouse didn’t answer so Alice continued speaking about dogs. But the Mouse was swimming away from her.

“Mouse dear! Come back again and we won’t talk about cats or dogs if you don’t like them!” Alice called softly. When the Mouse heard this it turned round and swam slowly back to her. “Let us get to the shore and I’ll tell you my story and you’ll understand why I hate cats and dogs,” it said.

It was high time to go because more and more animals were swimming in the pool: there were a Duck and a Dodo, a Lory and an Eaglet and several other creatures. Alice swam to the shore and everybody swam after her.

Chapter 3. A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale

The group looked very strange: the birds and the animals were all wet, angry and unhappy. The first question of course was how to get dry again: they discussed it and at last the Mouse said: “Sit down, all of you, and listen to me! I’ll soon make you dry enough!” They all sat down at once, in a large ring with the Mouse in the middle.

“Are you all ready?” asked the mouse with an important look, “This is the driest thing I know. Silence, please!” and the Mouse began speaking about the history of England. After some time it asked turning to Alice: “How are you now, my dear?”