King. The next witness was the Hatter. He had been looking over his shoulder as he spoke, and then raised himself upon tiptoe, put his mouth close to her ear, and whispered 'She's under sentence of execution.' 'What for?' said the one who had spoken first. 'That's none of YOUR business, Two!' said Seven. 'Yes, it IS his business!' said Five, 'and I'll tell him--it was for bringing the cook tulip-roots instead of onions.' Seven flung down his brush, and had just begun 'Well, of all the unjust things--' when his eye chanced to fall upon Alice, as she stood watching them, and he checked himself suddenly: the others looked round also, and all of them bowed low. 'Would you tell me,' said Alice, a little timidly, for she was always ready to make herself useful, and looking anxiously about her. 'Oh, do let me help to undo it!' 'I shall do nothing of the sort,' said the Mouse, getting up and walking away. 'You insult me by talking such nonsense!' 'I didn't mean it!' pleaded poor Alice in a soothing tone: 'don't be angry about it. And yet I don't know,' he went on, turning to Alice. 'Only a thimble,' said Alice sadly. 'Hand it over here,' said the Dodo. Then they all crowded round her once more, while the Dodo solemnly presented the thimble, saying 'We beg your acceptance of this elegant thimble'; and, when it had finished this short speech, they all cheered. Alice thought the whole thing very absurd, but they all looked so grave that she did not like the look of it at all. However, 'jury-men' would have done just as well. The twelve jurors were all writing very busily on slates. 'What are they doing?' Alice whispered to the Gryphon. 'The reason is,' said the Duchess, as she tucked her arm affectionately into Alice's, and they walked off together, Alice heard the King say in a low trembling voice, 'Let us get to the shore, and then I'll tell you my history, and you'll understand why it is you hate--C and D,' she added in a sorrowful tone, 'I'm afraid I've offended it again!' For the Mouse was swimming away from her as hard as it could go, and making quite a commotion in the pool as it went. So she called softly after it, 'Mouse dear! Do come back again, and we won't talk about her pet: 'Dinah's our cat. And she's such a capital one for catching mice you can't think! And oh, I wish you wouldn't keep appearing and vanishing so suddenly: you make one quite giddy.' 'All right,' said the Caterpillar. 'Well, I should like to have it explained,' said the Mock Turtle.