Alice followed the Queen back to the croquet game. The players were taking a break and resting in the shade. As soon as they spotted the Queen, they leaped to their feet.
"Why were you lying down, you lazy things?" the Queen demanded. "Start playing again at once. I'm warning you: A moment's delay will cost you your life!"
The players quickly followed the Queen's orders, but she still wasn't happy. She kept shouting, "Off with his head! Off with her head!"
Every time the Queen shouted, a soldier took someone to prison.
"The prison must be filling up," Alice thought. "And we're losing wickets again too."
The soldiers had to stop being the wickets to follow the Queen's orders. Soon there were no wickets, and all the players were in jail. That is, all the players except the King, the Queen, and Alice.
"There's nobody left for her to punish except the King and me!" Alice thought.
But the Queen had finished sentencing people to death. Out of breath, she turned to Alice. "Have you seen the Mock Turtle today?" the Queen asked.
"I've never seen one in my life," Alice said.
"Come with me," the Queen said. "We'll find him, and he'll tell you his story."
As they walked away, Alice heard the King talking to himself.
"I'm going to the prison to pardon everyone," he said.
"Well, that's good," Alice thought.
Alice and the Queen soon saw a strange winged creature sleeping in the sun. The animal had the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion.
"Oh, that's a gryphon!" Alice exclaimed. "I never thought I'd see one in real life."
The creature moved but didn't wake up. The Queen took care of that.
"Get up right now!" the Queen bellowed. "Take this young lady to see the Mock Turtle and hear his story. I must go and check on my prisoners."
As the Queen walked away, the Gryphon sat up and rubbed his eyes. He watched the Queen until she was out of sight. Alice was a little afraid of this odd animal. "But I guess I'm safer with him than with the Queen," she thought.
"The Queen is always so amusing," the Gryphon said as he got to his feet. "The Executioner never cuts off anyone's head, you know. It's all in her imagination. Let's go."
Alice was glad that no one was ever put to death. But she was annoyed that yet another creature was telling her what to do. They had not walked far before they spotted the Mock Turtle, sitting on a rock. As they approached, Alice could hear him sighing and sobbing.
"What's wrong with him?" Alice whispered.
"Nothing," the Gryphon said. "His problems are all in his imagination."
The Mock Turtle looked at them with eyes full of tears.
"This young lady wants to know your story," the Gryphon said.
The Mock Turtle nodded. "Sit down, and don't say a word until I've finished."
So Alice and the Gryphon sat down. They waited and waited for the Mock Turtle to speak. "If he's ever going to finish, he needs to begin," Alice thought.
At last the Mock Turtle started his story, which was mostly about his lessons at school. Once he began, he went on and on.
"That's enough about lessons," the Gryphon finally interrupted in a firm voice. "Tell Alice about the lobster dance."