‘Talking of axes,’ said the Duchess, ‘chop off her head!’ 🔊
Alice glanced rather anxiously at the cook, to see if she meant to take
the hint; 🔊 but the cook was busily stirring the soup, and seemed not to
be listening, so she went on again: 🔊 ‘Twenty-four hours, I think; or is
‘Oh, don’t bother me,’ said the Duchess; ‘I never could abide figures!’ 🔊
And with that she began nursing her child again, singing a sort of
lullaby to it as she did so, and giving it a violent shake at the end of
‘Speak roughly to your little boy,
And beat him when he sneezes: 🔊
Because he knows it teases.’ 🔊
(In which the cook and the baby joined):--
While the Duchess sang the second verse of the song, she kept tossing
the baby violently up and down, and the poor little thing howled so,