Alice's Evidence

`Here!' cried Alice, quite forgetting in the flurry of the moment how large she had grown in the last few minutes, and she jumped up in such a hurry that she tipped over the jury-box with the edge of her skirt, upsetting all the jurymen on to the heads of the crowd below, and there they lay sprawling¹ about, reminding her very much of a globe of goldfish she had accidentally upset the week before.

`Oh, I BEG your pardon!' she exclaimed in a tone of great dismay, and began picking them up again as quickly as she could, for the accident of the goldfish kept running in her head, and she had a vague sort of idea that they must be collected at once and put back into the jury-box, or they would die.

`The trial cannot proceed,' said the King in a very grave voice, `until all the jurymen are back in their proper places-- ALL,' he repeated with great emphasis, looking hard at Alice as he said do.

Alice looked at the jury-box, and saw that, in her haste, she had put the Lizard² in head downwards³, and the poor little thing was waving its tail about in a melancholy⁴ way, being quite unable to move. She soon got it out again, and put it right; `not that it signifies much,' she said to herself; `I should think it would be QUITE as much use in the trial one way up as the other.'

As soon as the jury had a little recovered fro m the shock of being upset, and their slates⁶ and pencils had been found and handed back to them, they set to work very diligently⁷ to write out a history of the accident, all except the Lizard, who seemed too much overcome to do anything but sit with its mouth open, gazing up into the roof of the court.

`What do you know about this business?' the King said to Alice.

`Nothing,' said Alice.

`Nothing WHATEVER?' persisted the King.

`Nothing whatever,' said Alice.

`That's very important,' the King said, turning to the jury. They were just beginning to write this down on their slates, when the White Rabbit interrupted: `UNimportant, your Majesty⁸ means, of course,' he said in a very respectful tone, but frowning and making faces at him as he spoke⁹.

`UNimportant, of course, I meant,' the King hastily said, and went on to himself in an undertone, `important--unimportant-- unimportant--important--' as if he were trying which word sounded best.

Some of the jury wrote it down `important,' and some `unimportant.' Alice could see this, as she was near enough to look over their slates; `but it doesn't matter a bit,' she thought to herself.

At this moment the King, who had been for some time busily writing in his note-book, cackled out `Silence!' and read out from his book, `Rule Forty-two. ALL PERSONS MORE THAN A MILE HIGH TO LEAVE THE COURT.'

Everybody looked at Alice.

`I'M not a mile high,' said Alice.

`You are,' said the King.

`Nearly two miles high,' added the Queen.

`Well, I shan't go, at any rate,' said Alice: `besides, that's not a regular rule: you invented it just now.'

`It's the oldest rule in the book,' said the King.

`Then it ought to be Number One,' said Alice.

The King turned pale, and shut his note-book hastily. `Consider your verdict,' he said to the jury, in a low, trembling voice.

`There's more evidence to come yet, please your Majesty,' saidthe White Rabbit, jumping up in a great hurry; `this paper has just been picked up.'

`What's in it?' said the Queen.

`I haven't opened it yet,' said the White Rabbit, `but it seems to be a letter, written by the prisoner to--to somebody.'

`It must have been that,' said the King, `unless it was written to nobody, which isn't usual, you know.'

`Who is it directed to?' said one of the jurymen.

`It isn't directed at all,' said the White Rabbit; `in fact, there's nothing written on the OUTSIDE.' He unfolded the paper as he spoke, and added `It isn't a letter, after all: it's a set of verses.'

`Are they in the prisoner's handwriting?' asked another of they jurymen.

`No, they're not,' said the White Rabbit, `and that's the queerest thing about it.' (The jury all looked puzzled.)

`He must have imitated somebody else's hand,' said the King. (The jury all brightened up again.)

`Please your Majesty,' said the Knave<sup>10</sup>, `I didn't write it, and they can't prove I did: there's no name signed at the end.'

`If you didn't sign it,' said the King, `that only makes the matter worse. You MUST have meant some mischief¹¹, or else you'd have signed your name like an honest man.'

There was a general clapping of hands at this: it was the first really clever thing the King had said that day.

`That PROVES his guilt,' said the Queen.

`It proves nothing of the sort!' said Alice. `Why, you don't even know what they're about!'

`Read them,' said the King.

The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. `Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?' he asked.

`Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, `and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'

These were the verses the White Rabbit read:--

`They told me you had been to her, And mentioned me to him: She gave me a good character, But said I could not swim.

He sent them word I had not gone (We know it to be true): If she should push the matter on, What would become of you?

I gave her one, they gave him two, You gave us three or more; They all returned from him to you, Though they were mine before.

If I or she should chance to be Involved in this affair, He trusts to you to set them free, Exactly as we were.

My notion was that you had been (Before she had this fit) An obstacle that came between Him, and ourselves, and it.

Don't let him know she liked them best, For this must ever be A secret, kept from all the rest, Between yourself and me.'

`That's the most important piece of evidence we've heard yet,' said the King, rubbing his hands; `so now let the jury--'

`If any one of them can explain it,' said Alice, (she had grown so large in the last few minutes that she wasn't a bit afraid of interrupting him,) `I'll give him sixpence. _I_ don't believe there's an atom of meaning in it.'

The jury all wrote down on their slates, `SHE doesn't believe there's an atom of meaning in it,' but none of them attempted to explain the paper.

`If there's no meaning in it,' said the King, `that saves a world of trouble, you know, as we needn't try to find any. And yet I don't know,' he went on, spreading out the verses on his knee, and looking at them with one eye; `I seem to see some meaning in them, after all. "--SAID I COULD NOT SWIM--" you can't swim, can you?' he added, turning to the Knave.

The Knave shook his head sadly. `Do I look like it?' he said. (Which he certainly did NOT, being made entirely¹² of cardboard.)

`All right, so far,' said the King, and he went on muttering over the verses to himself: `"WE KNOW IT TO BE TRUE--" that's the jury, of course-- "I GAVE HER ONE, THEY GAVE HIM TWO--" why, that must be what he did with the tarts¹³, you know--'

`But, it goes on "THEY ALL RETURNED FROM HIM TO YOU,"' said Alice.

`Why, there they are!' said the King triumphantly<sup>14</sup>, pointing to the tarts on the table. `Nothing can be clearer than THAT. Then again--"BEFORE SHE HAD THIS FIT--" you never had fits, my dear, I think?' he said to the Queen.

`Never!' said the Queen furiously, throwing an inkstand at the Lizard as she spoke. (The unfortunate little Bill had left off writing on his slate⁵ with one finger, as he found it made no mark; but he now hastily began again, using the ink, that was trickling¹⁵ down his face, as long as it lasted.)

`Then the words don't FIT you,' said the King, looking round the court with a smile. There was a dead silence.

`It's a pun!' the King added in an offended tone, and everybody laughed, `Let the jury consider their verdict,' the King said, for about the twentieth time that day.

`No, no!' said the Queen. `Sentence first--verdict afterwards.'

`Stuff and nonsense!' said Alice loudly. `The idea of having the sentence first!'

`Hold your tongue!' said the Queen, turning purple.

`I won't!' said Alice.

`Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved.

`Who cares for you?' said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) `You're nothing but a pack of cards!'

At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face.

`Wake up, Alice dear!' said her sister; `Why, what a long sleep you've had!'

`Oh, I've had such a curious dream!' said Alice, and she told her sister, as well as she could remember them, all these strange Adventures of hers that you have just been reading about; and when she had finished, her sister kissed her, and said, `It WAS a curious dream, dear, certainly: but now run in to your tea; it's getting late.' So Alice got up and ran off, thinking while she ran, as well she might, what a wonderful dream it had been.

But her sister sat still just as she left her, leaning her head on her hand, watching the setting sun, and thinking of little Alice and all her wonderful Adventures, till she too began dreaming after a fashion, and this was her dream:--

First, she dreamed of little Alice herself, and once again the tiny hands were clasped upon her knee, and the bright eager eyes were looking up into hers--she could hear the very tones of her voice, and see that queer little toss of her head to keep back the wandering hair that WOULD always get into her eyes--and still as she listened, or seemed to listen, the whole place around her became alive the strange creatures of her little sister's dream.

The long grass rustled¹⁶ at her feet as the White Rabbit hurried by--the frightened Mouse splashed his way through the neighbouring pool--she could hear the rattle¹⁷ of the teacups as the March Hare and his friends shared their never-ending meal, and the shrill¹⁸ voice of the Queen ordering off her unfortunate guests to execution--once more the pig-baby was sneezing on the Duchess's knee, while plates and dishes crashed around it--once more the shriek¹⁹ of the Gryphon, the squeaking²⁰ of the Lizard's slate-pencil, and the choking of the suppressed guinea-pigs, filled the air, mixed up with the distant sobs²¹ of the miserable²² Mock Turtle.

So she sat on, with closed eyes, and half believed herself in Wonderland, though she knew she had but to open them again, and all would change to dull reality--the grass would be only rustling²³ in the wind, and the pool rippling²⁴ to the waving of the reeds--the rattling²⁵ teacups would change to tinkling²⁶ sheep- bells, and the Queen's shrill cries to the voice of the shepherd boy--and the sneeze of the baby, the shriek of the Gryphon, and all thy other queer noises, would change (she knew) to the confused clamour of the busy farm-yard--while the lowing of the cattle in the distance would take the place of the Mock Turtle's heavy sobs.

Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood: and how she would gather about her other little children, and make THEIR eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago: and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days.

爱丽丝的证明 

“在这儿！”爱丽丝喊道，她完全忘了在刚才的混乱时刻，她已经长得很大了。她过于急促地站起来，竟弄得裙边掀动了陪审员席，把陪审员们翻倒在下面听众的头上，害得他们在人头上爬来爬去，这情景使爱丽丝想起一星期前她偶然打翻金鱼缸的事。

“啊，请大家原谅！”爱丽丝极其尴尬地说，一面尽快地把陪审员们扶回原位，因为对金鱼缸的事情的回忆还在她头脑回旋，使她隐约地意识到如果不立即把陪审员放回席位上，它们会死去的，

这时，国王庄重地宣称：“审讯暂停，直至全体陪审员返回原位。”他说得那么使劲儿，眼睛严厉地盯着爱丽丝。

爱丽丝看着陪审员席，发现由于自己的疏忽，竟将壁虎头朝下放上了。那个可怜的小东西无力动弹，只是滑稽地摇摆着尾巴。爱丽丝立即把它拾起来放正。爱丽丝想，“如果没有重大变故，壁虎还会同其它陪审员一样，发挥重大作用的。”

等到陪审员们镇定下来，纸板和铅笔也都找到了以后，它们立即勤奋地工作起来了。首先是记下刚才事故的历史。只有壁虎除外，它已经精疲力尽，不能干任何事情了，只是张着嘴坐着，两眼无力地望着法庭的屋顶。

国王开口了：“你对这个案子知道些什么？”
“什么也不知道。”爱丽丝回答。
“任何事也不知道？”国王再问。
“任何事也不知道。”爱丽丝答。
“这点很重要。”国王对陪审员们说。

陪审员们正在把这些问答记在纸板上，白兔忽然插嘴说：“陛下的意思当然是不重要。”它用十分尊敬的口气，同时对国王挤眉弄眼的。

国王赶快把话接过来：“当然，我的意思是不重要。”接着又低声亩语，“重要……不重要……不重要……重要”——好像在反复推敲词句。

有些陪审员记下了“重要”，有些写了“不重要”。爱丽丝离陪审员们很近，它们在纸板上记的字她都看得一清二楚。心想：“反正怎么写都没关系。”

国王一直忙着在记事本上写什么？这时他高声喊道：“保持肃静！”然后他看着本子宣读：“第四十二条，所有身高一英里以上者退出法庭。”

大家都望着爱丽丝。

“我不到一英里高。”爱丽丝说，
“将近两英里了。”王后插话说。
“你够了。”国王又说，
“不管怎么说，我反正不走，”爱丽丝说，“再说，那根本不是一条正式规定，是你在这儿临时发明出来的。”
“这是书里最老的一条规定。”国王说。
“那么这应该是第一条呀。”爱丽丝说。

国王脸色苍白，急忙合上了本子，他以发抖的声调低声对陪审美说：“请考虑评审意见。”
“陛下，好了，又发现新的证据了。”白兔急忙跳起来说，“这是才拾到的一张纸。”
“里面说什么？”王后问。

白兔回答：“我还没打开来呢？但是看来是一封信，是那个罪犯写给……给一个什么人的。”
“肯定是这样，”国王说，“除非它不是写给任何人的，而这不合情理。”
“信写给谁的？”一个陪审员问。
“它不是写给谁的，事实上，外面什么也没写，”白兔一面说，一面打开摺叠的纸，又说，“根本不是信，而是一首诗。”
“是那罪犯的笔迹吗？”另一个陪审员问。
“不是的，这真是奇怪的事。”白兔说。这时陪审员全都感到莫名其妙。
“一定是他模仿了别人的笔迹。”国王这么一说，陪审员全都醒悟过来了。

这时，武士开口了：“陛下，这不是我写的，他们也不能证实是我写的。末尾并没有签名。”
“如果你没有签名，”国玉说，“只能说明情节更恶劣。这意味着你的狡猾，否则你就应该像一个诚实的人那样，签上你的名字。”

对此，出现了一片掌声。这真是那天国王所讲的第一句聪明话。

“那就证明了他犯罪。”王后说。
爱丽丝却说：“这证明不了什么！啊，你们甚至不知道这首诗写的是什么呀！”
“快读一读！”国王命令道。

白兔戴上了眼镜，问道，“我该从哪儿开始呢？陛下。”
“从开始的地方开始吧，一直读到末尾，然后停止。”国王郑重地说。
下面就是白兔所读的诗句：
“他们说你先是对她，
后又对他谈到了我。
她给我良好的赞誉，
但却说我不会游水。

“他捎话说我没有前往，
我们知道这并非撒谎。
假如她竟然把事情推进，
你又当处于何种景况？

我给她一个，他们给他一双，
你给我们三个或者两双，
它们都从他那里归于你方，
反正从前都是我的，一样一样。

“假如我或她竟然会
掉进这个是非漩涡，
他请你解除他的冤枉，
就如我们早先的期望。

“我的想法就是你的那样，
也就是她有过的诗章，
你在他和我们之间，
早已成了难越的屏障。

“切勿告诉他：她最喜欢他们，
这必须永远是个秘密。
也切勿告诉其他人，
只在你我之间。”


“这是我们听到的最重要的证据了，”国王擦着手说，“现在请陪审员……”
“如果有谁能解释这些诗，我愿意给他六十便士，我认为这些诗没有任何意义。”爱丽丝这么说。（就在刚才的那一瞬间，她已经长得十分巨大，所以她一点也不怕打断国王的话。）

陪审员都在纸板上写下：“她相信这些诗没有任何意义。”但是他们中没有一个试图解释一下这些诗。

“如果诗里没有任何意义，”国王说，“那就免除了许多麻烦。你知道，我们并不要找出什么意义，而且我也不懂什么意义。”国王说着，把这些诗摊开在膝上，用一只眼睛看着说，“我终于明白了其中的一些意义——‘说我不会游水’一—就是说你不会游水，是吗，”国王对着武士说。
武士伤心地摇摇头说：“我像会游水的吗？”（他肯定不会游水的，因为他全部是由硬纸片做成的。）
“现在全对了，”国王说，一面又继续嘟嚷着这些诗句：“我们知道这并非撒谎’——这当然是指陪审员的——‘我给她一个，他们给他一双’——看，这肯定是指偷的馅饼了，是吗？……”
“但后面说‘它们都从他那里归于你方。’”爱丽丝说。
“是啊，它们都在，没有比这更清楚的了。”国王手指着桌上的馅饼，得意地说，“那么再看：‘也就是她有过的诗章，’亲爱的，我想你没有过诗章吧？”他对王后说。
“从来没有！”王后狂怒着说，并把桌上的墨水缸扔到了壁虎比尔的身上。那个不幸的比尔已经不再用手指在纸板上写字了，因为他发现这样是写不出宇来的。但是现在他又急忙蘸着脸上的墨水写了。
“这话没有湿胀（‘诗章’的谐音一—译者注）你吧！”国王带着微笑环视着法庭说。但是法庭上一片寂静。

“这算一句俏皮话吧！”国王发怒了，而大家却笑了起来。“让陪审员考虑评审意见。”国王这天人约是第二十次说这话了。

“不，不，”王后说，“应该先判决，后评审。”
“愚蠢的废话，竟然先判决！”爱丽丝大声说。
“住嘴！”王后气得脸色都发紫了。
“我偏不！”艾丽丝毫不示弱地回答。
“砍掉她的头！”王后声嘶力竭地喊道。但是没有一个人动一动。
“谁理你呢？”爱丽丝说，这时她已经恢复到本来的身材了，“你们只不过是一副纸牌！”

这时，整副纸牌上升到空中，然后又飞落在她身上，她发出一小声尖叫，既惊又怒，她正在把这些纸牌扬去，却发觉自己躺在河岸边，头还枕在姐姐的腿上，而姐姐正在轻轻地拿掉落在她脸上的枯叶。

“醒醒吧，亲爱的爱丽丝，”她姐姐说，“看，你睡了多久啦！”
“啊，我做了个多奇怪的梦啊！”爱丽丝尽她所记忆的，把那些奇怪的经历，告诉了姐姐。也就是你刚才读过的那些。当她说完了，姐姐吻了她一下说：“这真是奇怪的梦，亲爱的，但是现在快去喝茶吧，天已经不早了。”于是爱丽丝站起来走了，一面走，一面还费劲地想，她做了个多奇妙的梦呀！爱丽丝走后，她姐姐仍静坐在那里，头向前支在一只手上，望着西下的夕阳，想着小爱丽丝和她梦中的奇幻经历，然后自己进人了梦乡。下面就是她的梦。

开始，她梦见了小爱丽丝本人，又一次双手抱住了膝盖，用明亮而热切的眼光仰视着她。她听到小爱丽丝的声音，看到了她的头微微一摆，把蓬乱的头发摆顺了些，这是她常常见到的情景。当她听着、听着爱丽丝说的话时，周围的环境随着她小妹妹梦中的那些奇异动物的降临而活跃起来了。

白兔跳来蹦去，弄得她脚下的洞草沙沙作响，受惊的老鼠在邻近的洞穴间穿来穿去，不时扬起一股尘土。她还听到三月兔同它的朋友们共享着没完没了的美餐时碰击茶杯的声音，以及王后命令处决她的不幸客人的尖叫声。同时也听到猪孩子在公爵夫人腿上打喷嚏，以及盘碗的摔碎声。甚至听到鹰头狮的尖叫，壁虎写字时的沙沙声，被制裁的豚鼠的挣扎声等等。这种种声音充满了空间，还混杂着远处传来的素甲鱼那悲哀的抽泣声。

于是她将身子坐正，闭着眼睛，半信半疑自己真的到了奇境世界。尽管她知道只是重温一个旧梦，而一切都仍会返回现实：蒿草只是迎风作响，池水的波纹摆动了芦苇。茶杯的碰击声实际是羊颈上的铃铛声，王后的尖叫起源于牧童的吃喝。猪孩子的喷嚏声，鹰头狮的尖叫声和各种奇声怪音，原来只是农村中繁忙季节的各种喧闹声。而远处耕牛的低吟，在梦中变成素甲鱼的哀泣。

最后，她想像了这样的情景：她的这位小妹妹，以后将成为一位妇女。而她将会毕生保留着童年时的纯洁珍爱之心。她还会逗引孩童们，用许多奇异的故事，或许就是许久以前的这个梦游奇境，使得他们眼睛变得更加明亮热切。她也将共享儿童们纯洁的烦恼，因为这些烦恼就存在于她自己的童年，以及那愉快的夏日回忆之中。

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