One thing was certain,
           that the WHITE kitten
            had had nothing
              to do with it:-
        -it was
               the black kitten's fault entirely.

    For the white kitten
        had been having its face
               washed by the old cat
                   for the last
                 quarter of an hour
         (and bearing it pretty well,
           considering);
          so you see
             that it COULDN'T
                  have had any hand
                       in the mischief.

    The way Dinah
         washed her children's faces
        was this:
            first she held
               the poor thing down
                   by its ear
                       with one paw,
           and then
               with the other paw
             she rubbed its face
                   all over,
         the wrong way,
           beginning at the nose:
         and just now,
           as I said,
         she was hard
               at work
             on the white kitten,
           which was
              lying quite still and
                  trying to purr
          --no doubt feeling
             that it
                was all
                      meant for its good.

    But the black kitten
        had been
              finished with earlier
                   in the afternoon,
           and so,
         while Alice was sitting
             curled up
                   in a corner
                       of the great arm-chair,
           half talking
               to herself and half asleep,
         the kitten
            had been having
                   a grand game
                 of romps
                   with the ball
                       of worsted Alice
                had been
                      trying to wind up,
           and had been rolling it
               up and down
             till it
                had all come undone again;
        and there it was,
           spread over the hearth-rug,
         all knots and tangles,
           with the kitten
              running after its own
                   tail in the middle.

    'Oh,
           you wicked little thing!'

    cried Alice,
           catching up the kitten,
         and giving it
               a little kiss
              to make it understand
             that it was in disgrace.

    'Really,
           Dinah ought
              to have
                  taught you better manners!

    You OUGHT,
           Dinah,
         you know you ought!'

    she added,
           looking reproachfully
               at the old cat,
         and speaking in as
              cross a voice as
             she could manage
          --and then
             she scrambled back
                   into the arm-chair,
           taking the kitten
               and the worsted
             with her,
         and began
              winding up the ball again.

    But she
        didn't get on very fast,
           as she
            was talking all the time,
         sometimes to the kitten,
           and sometimes to herself.

    Kitty sat very demurely
           on her knee,
         pretending to watch the progress
               of the winding,
         and now and then putting
               out one paw and gently
              touching the ball,
           as if it
            would be glad to help,
         if it might.

    'Do you know
         what to-morrow is,
           Kitty?'

    Alice began.

    'You'd have guessed
         if you'd
            been up
                   in the window with me
          --only Dinah
            was making you tidy,
           so you couldn't.

    I was
          watching the boys
              getting in sticks
                   for the bonfire
          --and it
              wants plenty of sticks,
           Kitty!

    Only it got so cold,
           and it snowed so,
         they had to leave off.

    Never mind,
           Kitty,
         we'll go
              and see the bonfire to-morrow.'

    Here Alice
          wound two
              or three turns
                   of the worsted round
                       the kitten's neck,
           just to see
             how it would look:
         this led to a scramble,
           in which the ball
              rolled down upon the floor,
         and yards
               and yards of it got
             unwound again.

    'Do you know,
           I was so angry,
         Kitty,'
            Alice went on as
              soon as
             they were comfortably settled again,
               'when I saw
                   all the mischief you
                had been doing,
             I was very nearly
                  opening the window,
               and putting you
                   out into the snow!

    And you'd have deserved it,
           you little mischievous darling!

    What have you
        got to say for yourself?

    Now don't interrupt me!'

    she went on,