5 To thee I'll return, overburdened with care; The heart's dearest solace will smile on me there; No more from that cottage again will I roam; Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. Home! home! sweet, sweet home! There's no place like home! there's no place like The author of this well-known poem was an American, who died in 1800. His own life ended in wandering and poverty. A MAD TEA-PARTY There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, 5 and talking over its head. Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse," thought Alice; " only as it's asleep I suppose it doesn't mind.” The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it. 10 "No room! No room!" they cried out when they saw Alice coming. "There's plenty of room! said Alice, indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table. "Have some wine," the March Hare said, in an encouraging tone. Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. "I don't see any wine," she remarked. "There isn't any," said the March Hare. 15 20 "Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it," said Alice, angrily. "It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited," said the March Hare. "I didn't know it was your table," said Alice ; 5 "it's laid for a great many more than three." 66 You should learn not to make personal remarks," Alice said with some severity; "it's very rude." The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hear-10 ing this; but all he said was, "Why is a raven like a writing-desk?" Come, we shall have some fun now!" thought Alice. "I'm glad they've begun asking riddles I believe I can guess that," she added aloud. 15 "Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?" said the March Hare. "I do," Alice hastily replied; "at least least I mean what I say at that's the same thing, you know." 5 66 "Not the same thing a bit!" said the Hatter. 'Why, you might just as well say that I see what I eat' is the same thing as I eat what I see'!" "You might just as well say," added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking in his sleep, "that I breathe when I sleep' is the same thing as I sleep when I breathe'!" "It is the same thing with you," said the Hat10 ter, and here the conversation dropped, and the party sat silent for a minute, while Alice thought over all she could remember about ravens and writing-desks, which wasn't much. 66 Have you guessed the riddle yet?" the Hatter 15 said, turning to Alice again. 20 66 No, I give it up," Alice replied. the answer?" "What's "I haven't the slightest idea," said the Hatter. "Nor I," said the March Hare. Alice sighed wearily. "I think you might do something better with the time," she said, "than wasting it in asking riddles that have no answers." |