`Yes, that's it,' said the Hatter with a sigh: `it's always tea-time, and we've no time to wash the things between whiles.' 

`Then you keep moving round, I suppose?' said Alice.

`Exactly so,' said the Hatter: `as the things get used up.' 

`But what happens when you come to the beginning again?' Alice ventured to ask. 

`Suppose we change the subject,' the March Hare interrupted, yawning. `I'm getting tired of this. I vote the young lady tells us a story.' 

`I'm afraid I don't know one,' said Alice, rather alarmed at the proposal.

`Then the Dormouse shall!' they both cried. `Wake up, Dormouse!' And they pinched it on both sides at once. 

The Dormouse slowly opened his eyes. `I wasn't asleep,' he said in a hoarse, feeble voice: `I heard every word you fellows were saying.' 

`Tell us a story!' said the March Hare. 

`Yes, please do!' pleaded Alice. 

`And be quick about it,' added the Hatter, `or you'll be asleep again before it's done.' 

`Once upon a time there were three little sisters,' the Dormouse began in a great hurry; `and their names were Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie; and they lived at the bottom of a well--' 

`What did they live on?' said Alice, who always took a great interest in questions of eating and drinking. 

`They lived on treacle,' said the Dormouse, after thinking a minute or two. 

`They couldn't have done that, you know,' Alice gently remarked; `they'd have been ill.' 

`So they were,' said the Dormouse; `VERY ill.' 

Alice tried to fancy to herself what such an extraordinary ways of living would be like, but it puzzled her too much, so she went on: `But why did they live at the bottom of a well?' 

`Take some more tea,' the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

`I've had nothing yet,' Alice replied in an offended tone, `so I can't take more.' 

`You mean you can't take LESS,' said the Hatter: `it's very easy to take MORE than nothing.' 

`Nobody asked YOUR opinion,' said Alice. 

`Who's making personal remarks now?' the Hatter asked triumphantly.

Alice did not quite know what to say to this: so she helped herself to some tea and bread-and-butter, and then turned to the Dormouse, and repeated her question. `Why did they live at the bottom of a well?'