Once I was a real turtle

Forrige post var illustrert med John Tenniels fremstilling av situasjonen. Tenniel er den originale Alice-illustratøren, men Dronten foretrekker, her som ellers, Arthur Rackhams illustrasjoner.

Over ser vi Rackhams variant – og en variant må det sannelig sies å være. Det er liten tvil om at han må ha hatt Tenniels illustrasjoner for hånden. Men om det er en variant, er det også en berikelse. Som med alt Rackham tok i.

Really you are very dull!

`Once,' said the Mock Turtle at last, with a deep sigh, `I was a real Turtle.'

These words were followed by a very long silence, broken only by an occasional exclamation of `Hjckrrh!' from the Gryphon, and the constant heavy sobbing of the Mock Turtle. Alice was very nearly getting up and saying, `Thank you, sir, for your interesting story,' but she could not help thinking there must be more to come, so she sat still and said nothing.

`When we were little,' the Mock Turtle went on at last, more calmly, though still sobbing a little now and then, `we went to school in the sea. The master was an old Turtle – we used to call him Tortoise –'

`Why did you call him Tortoise, if he wasn't one?' Alice asked.

`We called him Tortoise because he taught us,' said the Mock Turtle angrily: `really you are very dull!'