The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice. It looked good- natured, she thought: still it had VERY long claws and a great many teeth, so she felt that it ought to be treated with respect. 

`Cheshire Puss,' she began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name: however, it only grinned a little wider. `Come, it's pleased so far,' thought Alice, and she went on. `Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?' 

`That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.

`I don't much care where--' said Alice. 

`Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat. 

`--so long as I get SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation. 

`Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, `if you only walk long enough.'

Alice felt that this could not be denied, so she tried another question. `What sort of people live about here?' 

`In THAT direction,' the Cat said, waving its right paw round, `lives a Hatter: and in THAT direction,' waving the other paw, `lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad.' 

`But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked. 

`Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: `we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.' 

`How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice. 

`You must be,' said the Cat, `or you wouldn't have come here.' 

Alice didn't think that proved it at all; however, she went on `And how do you know that you're mad?' 

`To begin with,' said the Cat, `a dog's not mad. You grant that?' 

`I suppose so,' said Alice. 

`Well, then,' the Cat went on, `you see, a dog growls when it's angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad.' 

`I call it purring, not growling,' said Alice. 

`Call it what you like,' said the Cat. `Do you play croquet with the Queen to-day?' 

`I should like it very much,' said Alice, `but I haven't been invited yet.' 

`You'll see me there,' said the Cat, and vanished.