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Alice’s Evidence
‘ThenitoughttobeNumberOne,’saidAlice.
TheKingturnedpale,andshuthisnote-bookhastily. ‘Consideryourverdict,’hesaidtothejury,inalow,tremblingvoice.
‘There’smoreevidencetocomeyet,pleaseyourMajesty,’saidtheWhiteRabbit,jumpingupinagreathurry; ‘thispaperhasjustbeenpickedup.’
‘What’sinit? ’saidtheQueen.
‘Ihaven’topenedityet,’saidtheWhiteRabbit,‘butitseemstobealetter,writtenbytheprisonerto—tosomebody.’
‘Itmusthavebeenthat,’saidtheKing,‘unlessitwaswrittentonobody,whichisn’tusual,youknow.’
‘Whoisitdirectedto? ’saidoneofthejurymen.
‘Itisn’tdirectedatall,’saidtheWhiteRabbit; ‘infact,there’snothingwrittenontheoutside. ’Heunfoldedthepaperashespoke,andadded ‘Itisn’taletter,afterall: it’sasetofverses.’
‘Aretheyintheprisoner’shandwriting? ’askedanotherofthejurymen.
‘No,they’renot,’saidtheWhiteRabbit,‘andthat’sthequeerestthingaboutit. ’(Thejuryalllookedpuzzled.)
‘Hemusthaveimitatedsomebodyelse’shand,’saidtheKing. (Thejuryallbrightenedupagain.)
‘PleaseyourMajesty,’saidtheKnave,‘Ididn’twriteit,andtheycan’tproveIdid: there’snonamesignedattheend.’