The Mock Turtle sighed deeply, and drew the back of one flapper across his eyes. He looked at Alice, and tried to speak, but for a minute or two sobs choked his voice. "You may not have lived much under the sea—and perhaps you were never even introduced to a lobster—so you can have no idea what a delightful thing a Lobster Quadrille is!"

"Why," said the Gryphon, "you first form into a line along the sea-shore— Two lines! Seals, turtles, salmon, and so on; then, when you've cleared all the jelly-fish out of the way, you advance twice, each with a lobster as a partner, change lobsters, and retire in same order. Then you throw the lobsters as far out to sea as you can, swim after them, turn a somersault in the sea, change lobsters again, back to land again, and that's all the first figure."