Читать книгу Алиса в Стране чудес / Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland онлайн

'Perhaps it doesn't understand English,' thought Alice; 'Maybe it's a French mouse.' So she began again: 'Où est ma chatte?[3]' It was the first sentence in her French lesson-book. The Mouse was in terror.

'Oh, I beg your pardon!' cried Alice hastily. 'I quite forgot you didn't like cats.'

'Didn't like cats!' cried the Mouse, in a shrill, passionate voice. 'I am a mouse, can't you see?'

'Yes, yes,' said Alice: 'don't be angry. But there are good cats, for example, our cat Dinah. She is very clever and beautiful. And she likes to catch mice… – oh, I beg your pardon!' cried Alice again. 'We won't talk about Dinah anymore.'

'We indeed!' cried the Mouse. 'Our family always hated cats: nasty, low, vulgar animals! Don't talk about cats again!'

'I won't!' said Alice. 'Do you-do you-like-dogs?' The Mouse did not answer.

'There is such a nice little dog near our house! A little bright-eyed terrier, you know, with oh, such long curly brown hair! It can do everything-and it belongs to a farmer, you know, and he says it's so useful, it's worth a hundred pounds! He says it kills all the rats and… oh dear!' cried Alice in a sorrowful tone, 'I'm sorry!'

The Mouse was swimming away from her very fast. Alice called softly after it, 'Mouse dear! Come back again, and we won't talk about cats or dogs, if you don't like them!'

When the Mouse heard this, it turned round and swam slowly back to her: its face was quite pale, and it said in a low voice, 'Let us get to the shore, and then I'll tell you my story, and you'll understand why it is I hate cats and dogs.'

The pool was overcrowded with the birds and animals. Everybody swam to the shore.

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!' said the Mouse, 'are you all ready? Silence, if you please!'

And it began to talk about William the Conqueror[4].

'Ugh!' said the Lory, with a shiver.

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