“But who is to give the prizes?” quite a chorus of voices asked.
“Why, she, of course,” said the Dodo, pointing to Alice with one finger; and the whole party at once |сразу же| crowded round her, calling out in a confused way |наперебой|, “Prizes! Prizes!”
Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair |в отчаянии| she put her hand in her pocket, and pulled out a box of comfits |конфетами|, (luckily the salt water had not got into it), and handed them round as prizes. There was exactly one a-piece, all round.
“But she must have a prize herself, you know,” said the Mouse.
“Of course,” the Dodo replied very gravely |серьезно|. “What else have you got in your pocket?” he went on, turning to Alice.
“Only a thimble |наперсток|,” said Alice sadly.
“Hand it over here,” |Передай сюда| said the Dodo.
Then they all crowded round her once more, while the Dodo solemnly |торжественно| presented the thimble, saying “We beg your acceptance |Мы просим принять| 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 dare to laugh; and, as she could not think of anything to say, she simply bowed |поклонилась|, and took the thimble, looking as solemn as she could.
The next thing was to eat the comfits: this caused some noise and confusion, as the large birds complained that they could not taste theirs, and the small ones choked |поперхнулись| and had to be patted |надо было похлопать| on the back. However, it was over at last, and they sat down again in a ring, and begged the Mouse to tell them something more.
“You promised to tell me your history, you know,” said Alice, “and why it is you hate – C and D |Алиса имеет в видукошекисобак|,” she added in a whisper, half afraid that it would be offended again.
“Mine is a long and a sad tale |история|!” said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing.
“It is a long tail |хвост. Игра слов a tale и a tail|, certainly,” said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail; “but why do you call it sad?” And she kept on puzzling |долго удивлялась| about it while the Mouse was speaking, so that her idea of the tale was something like this:
“Fury |здесь – пушистый| said to a
mouse, That he
met in the
house,
‘Let us
both go to
law |поступим по закону|: I will
prosecute |засужу|
you.– Come,
I’ll take no
Denial |Я не приму «нет» за ответ|; We
must have a
trial: For
really this
morning I’ve
nothing
to do.’
Said the
mouse to the
cur |дворняжке|, ‘Such
a trial,
dear sir,
With
no jury |присяжных|
or judge,
would be
wasting
our
breath.’
‘I’ll be
judge, I’ll
be jury,’
Said
cunning |хитрый|
old Fury:
‘I’ll
try the
whole
cause |Я проведу все делосам|,
and
condemn |приговорю|
you
to
death.’”
“You are not attending |здесь – слушаешь|!” said the Mouse to Alice severely. “What are you thinking of?”
“I beg your pardon,” said Alice very humbly: “you had got to the fifth bend |вы уже дошли допятогоизгиба? Алиса имеет ввиду изгибы хвоста, о которых якобы говорит Мышь|, I think?”
“I had not!” cried the Mouse, sharply and very angrily.
“A knot!” |Опять игра слов. I had not – я недошла – кричитМышь, аАлисаслышит: “I had a knot” – уменябылузел| said Alice, always ready to make herself useful, and looking anxiously about her. “Oh, do let me help to undo it |распутатьего|!”
“I shall do nothing of the sort,” said the Mouse, getting up and walking away. “You
