The Mock Turtle sighed deeply and wiped his eyes with his flippers. He looked at Alice and tried to speak. But he started sobbing instead.
"Don't worry," the Gryphon said to Alice. "He's always like this."
The Mock Turtle soon recovered and began to explain the lobster dance. "You probably haven't ever lived under the sea."
"No, I haven't," Alice said.
"And perhaps you've never been introduced to a lobster."
Alice started to say that she had eaten a lobster but stopped.
"So you don't know how delightful a lobster dance is," the Mock Turtle said.
Alice shook her head. "No, I don't."
The Gryphon joined the conversation. "First, you stand in a line along the seashore."
"Two lines," the Mock Turtle corrected him. "Then, after you've cleared all the jellyfish out of the way—"
"That usually takes some time," the Gryphon interrupted.
"You take two steps forward—"
"With a lobster as a partner," the Gryphon said.
"Of course," the Mock Turtle said. "You step forward twice, face your partner, and—"
"Change lobsters," the Gryphon said. "Then you throw the lobsters—"
"As far out to sea as you can," the Mock Turtle said.
"And swim after them," the Gryphon said.
"Then do a somersault in the sea!" The Mock Turtle danced wildly about.
"And change lobsters again!" the Gryphon yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Go back to land again," the Mock Turtle said. "And the first part of the dance is over."
Both creatures had been jumping around while they described the dance. Now they sat down and looked at Alice.
She wasn't sure how to react. "It must be a very pretty dance," she finally said.
"Would you like to see some of it?" the Mock Turtle asked.
"Oh yes!"
"We can do the first part without lobsters," the Mock Turtle said to the Gryphon. "Do you want to sing?"
"You should sing because I've forgotten the words," the Gryphon replied.
So the Mock Turtle sang about a snail doing the lobster dance. The two creatures began to dance around Alice, sometimes stepping on her feet by mistake. When they finished dancing, Alice clapped.
"Now we want to hear about some of your adventures," the Gryphon said. He and the Mock Turtle sat on either side of Alice.
"Well, if you're sure you want to hear my story . . . First, I chased the White Rabbit and fell down the rabbit hole," she began. By the time she told them about meeting the Caterpillar, they looked bored.
"That's enough of your story," the Gryphon said.
"But I'm not at the end!" Alice said. Once again she thought how rude everyone was.
"Let's try more of the lobster dance," the Gryphon said. He turned to Alice. "Or would you like the Mock Turtle to sing another song?"
"Another song, please," Alice replied so quickly that the Gryphon frowned.
"Well." He sniffed. "That's not what I'd have chosen. But if that's what you want . . . " The Gryphon looked at the Mock Turtle. "Sing 'Turtle Soup' for her, old fellow."
The Mock Turtle sighed and began to sing a song in a voice choked with sobs. He was interrupted by a voice calling, "The trial's beginning!"
"Come on!" the Gryphon cried. Without waiting for the Mock Turtle, he grabbed Alice by the hand and ran off.
"Whose trial is it?" Alice asked.
But the Gryphon only repeated, "Come on!" and ran faster.