Alice in Wonderland (61)

Alice in Wonderland (61)

" That's very important, " the king said, turning to jury.

They were just beginning to write this down on their slates, when the White Rabbit interrupted.

" Unimportant, your Majesty means, of course, " he said in a very respectful tone, but frowning and making face at him as he spoke.

" Unimportant, of course, i meant, " the king hastly said.

Some of the jury wrote it down ' important '  and some 'unimportant ' "

Alice could see this, and she thought to herself, " it doesn't matter a bit. "

At this time the king, who had been for some time busily writing in his note-book, called 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, " said the White Rabbit,  jumping up in a great hurry.

(61/65)

Alice in Wonderland (62)

Alice in Wonderland (62)

" 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ーto somebody. "

" It must have been that ! " exclaimed the king.

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

" It isn't directed at all. In fact, there's nothing written on the outside, " he unholded 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 ? "

" 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, " I didin'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, Knave. You must meant some mischief, 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 ! " shouted Alice.
" Why, you don't even know what the verses are about ! "

" Read them, " said the King.

(62/65) 

Alice in Wonderland (63)

Alice in Wonderland (63)

The White Rabbit put on his spectacles.

"Where shall I begin, please your Majesty ? " he asked.

" Begin at the biginning, " the king said, " and go on till you come to the end, then stop. "

These were the verses the White Rabbit read:ー

" 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 come between
   Him, and ourselves, and it.

 Don't let him know she likes 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ー　"

" The verses were so strange, " thought Alice.
" If any one of them can explain it, I'll give him sixpence," said Alice.
※
(もし誰か一人でも、いまの詩を説明できるものなら、六ペンスをあげてもいいわ。)

She had grown so large in the last few minutes that she wasn't a bit afraid of interrupting him.
" I don't believe there's an atom of meaning in it. "

" If there's no meaning in it, " said the king, " that save a world of trouble, you know, as we needn't try to find any.  And yet I don't know," he went on.

He spreads out the verses on his knee, and looked at them with one eye.

" I seem to see some meaning in them, after all,’ーsaid I could swimー’
" 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.

" All right, so far, " said the king, and he went on.

"ーWe　knew it to be trueー, that's the jury, of course. ーI gave her one, they gave him twoー, why, that must be what he did with the tarts, you know. "

" But, it goes on ' ーthey all returned from him to youー,’ " said Alice.

" Why, there they are ! " said the king, pointing to the tarts on the table.



" Nothing can be clearer than that. "

(63/65) 

Alice in Wonderland (64)

Alice in Wonderland (64)

Then the King said to the Queen, " ’ーbefore she had this fitー' you never had fits, my dear, I think ? "

" Never ! " said the Queen furiously, throwing an inkpot at the poor little Lizard Bill as she spoke.

The unfortunate little Bill had writing on his slate with one finger instead of pencil that Alice had taken away from him.
But now he managed to use the ink that was trickling down his face.

" Let the jury consider their verdict, " the king said, for about a twentieth time that day.

" No, no ! " said the Queen, " Sentence firstーverdict afterwards. "

" It's all stuff and nonsense ! " said Alice loudly.
" The idea of having the sentence  first ! If the knave had stolen the tarts he wouldー"

" 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.

" Who cares for you ? " said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.)
" You are 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.

At this moment, she 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 on to 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 those strange Adventures of hers that you have just been reading about.

When she had finished the story, 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, what a wonderful dream it had been.

(64/65)
☆お知らせ☆
Alice in wonderland　は、大体のリ・トールド本がここで終わっているのですが、原作では、最後にアリスの姉のお話が少し残っていますので、それが最終回となります。

The river bank (13)は、これから打ちますので、午後８時半前後となる見込みです。
タイプ人病み上がりのため、なにとぞ、宜しくお願いいたします。

Alice in Wonderland (65 完)

Alice in Wonderland (65)

But her sister sat still just as she left her, learning 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:ー

First, she dreamedof 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 the whole place around her became alive with the strange creatures of her little sister's dream.

The long grass rustled at her feet as the White Rabbit hurried byーthe frightened Mouse splashed his way through the neighbouring poolーshe could hear the rattle of the teacups as March Hare and his friends shared their never-ending meal.

And the shrill 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 shreik of the Gryphon, the squeaking of the Lizard's slate-pencil, and choking of the suppressed guin-pigs, filled the air, mixed up wirh the distant sobs of the miserable 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ーthe grass would be only rustling in the wind, and the rattling teacup would change to tinkling sheep-bells, and all other queer noises would  change (she knew) to the confused clamour of the busy farm-yard.

Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sisiter of hers (※Alice) 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 she pictured to herself how Alices would gather about her 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.

※
(※Alice は付け加えたものです。なお、文のつなぎ表現を部分的に変えています。)
最後に、彼女は、この自分の小さな妹（Alice）が、いずれ大人になって成長するところを、思い描いてみました。大人になっても、子供時代の素朴で愛しい心を持ち続けているさまを。
そして、同じくアリスが、自分の小さな子供らを集めて、彼らが目を輝かせて一途に聞き入る、数々の不思議な話を聞かせているさまを。その中にはずっと昔に夢見た不思議な国の話も含まれていることでしょう。そして、子供らの素朴な悲しみをわかちあい、彼らの素朴な喜びを見出しているところも。
もちろん、アリスが自分自身の子供時代、なにより幸せだった夏の日々を思い出しながらいることを。
（この訳には自信がありませんが、、あうっと、完）
 (65/65 完)