Lewis Carroll: Through the Looking Glass

CHAPTER 2: The Garden of Live Flowers (continued)

There was silence in a moment, and several of the pink daisies turned white.

`That's right!' said the Tiger-lily. `The daisies are worst of all. When one speaks, they all begin together, and it's enough to make one wither to hear the way they go on!'

`How is it you can all talk so nicely?' Alice said, hoping to get it into a better temper by a compliment. `I've been in many gardens before, but none of the flowers could talk.'

`Put your hand down, and feel the ground,' said the Tiger-lily. `Then you'll know why.

Alice did so. `It's very hard,' she said, `but I don't see what that has to do with it.'

`In most gardens,' the Tiger-lily said, `they make the beds too soft--so that the flowers are always asleep.'

This sounded a very good reason, and Alice was quite pleased to know it. `I never thought of that before!' she said.

`It's MY opinion that you never think AT ALL,' the Rose said in a rather severe tone.

`I never saw anybody that looked stupider,' a Violet said, so suddenly, that Alice quite jumped; for it hadn't spoken before.

`Hold YOUR tongue!' cried the Tiger-lily. `As if YOU ever saw anybody! You keep your head under the leaves, and snore away there, till you know no more what's going on in the world, than if you were a bud!'

`Are there any more people in the garden besides me?' Alice said, not choosing to notice the Rose's last remark.

`There's one other flower in the garden that can move about like you,' said the Rose. `I wonder how you do it--' (`You're always wondering,' said the Tiger-lily), `but she's more bushy than you are.'