SCENE ONE

_ALICE'S home. LEWIS CARROLL is discovered, playing chess. Golden-haired ALICE, in a little blue dress, a black kitten in her arms, stands watching him._

ALICE

That's a funny game, uncle. What did you do then?

CARROLL

A red pawn took a white pawn; this way. You see, Alice, the chessboard is divided into sixty-four squares, red and white, and the white army tries to win and the red army tries to win. It's like a battle!

ALICE

With soldiers?

CARROLL

Yes, here are the Kings and Queens they are fighting for. That's the Red Queen and here's the White Queen.

ALICE

How funny they look!

CARROLL

See the crowns on their heads, and look at their big feet.

ALICE

It's a foot apiece, that's what it is! Do they hump along like this?

CARROLL

Here! You're spoiling the game. I must keep them all in their right squares.

ALICE

I want to be a queen!

CARROLL

Here _you_ are [_he points to a small white pawn_] here _you_ are in your little stiff skirt!

ALICE

How do you do, Alice!

CARROLL

And now you are going to move here.

ALICE

Let me move myself.

CARROLL

When you have traveled all along the board this way and haven't been taken by the enemy you may be a queen.

ALICE

Why do people always play with kings and queens? Mother has them in her playing cards too. Look!

[_ALICE goes to the mantel and takes a pack of playing cards from the ledge._]

Here's the King of Hearts and here's his wife; she's the Queen of Hearts--isn't she cross-looking? wants to bite one's head off.

[_CARROLL moves a pawn._]

You're playing against yourself, aren't you?

CARROLL

That's one way of keeping in practice, Alice; I have friends in the university who want to beat me.

ALICE

But if you play against yourself I should think you'd want to cheat!

CARROLL

Does a nice little girl like you cheat when she plays against herself?

ALICE

Oh! I _never_ do! I'd scold myself hard. I always pretend I'm _two_ people too. It's lots of fun, isn't it? Sometimes when I'm all alone I walk up to the looking glass and talk to the other Alice. She's so silly, that Alice; she can't do anything by herself. She just mocks me all the time. When I laugh, she laughs, when I point my finger at her, she points her finger at me, and when I stick my tongue out at her she sticks her tongue out at me! Kitty has a twin too, haven't you darling?

[_ALICE goes to the mirror to show Kitty her twin._]

CARROLL

I'll have to write a book some day about Alice--Alice in wonderland, "Child of the pure unclouded brow and dreaming eyes of wonder!" or, Alice through the looking glass!

ALICE

Don't you wish sometimes you could go into looking-glass house? See!

[_ALICE stands on an armchair and looks into the mirror._]

There's the room you can see through the glass; it's just the same as our living-room here, only the things go the other way. I can see all of it--all but the bit just behind the fireplace. Oh! I do wish I could see that bit! I want so much to know if they've a fire there. You never _can_ tell, you know, unless our fire smokes. Then smoke comes up in that room too--but that may be just to make it look as if they had a fire--just to pretend they had. The books are something like our books, only the words go the wrong way. Won't there ever be any way of our getting through, uncle?

CARROLL

Do you think Kitty would find looking-glass milk digestible?

ALICE

It doesn't sound awful good, does it; but I might leave her at home. She's been into an awful lot of mischief today. She found sister's knitting and chased the ball all over the garden where sister was playing croquet with the neighbors. And I ran and ran after the naughty little thing until I was all out of breath and so tired! I am tired.

[_She yawns and makes herself comfortable in the armchair._]

CARROLL

[_Replaces the playing cards on the mantel and consults his watch._]

Take a nap. Yes, you have time before tea.

ALICE

[_Half asleep._]

We're going to have mock turtle soup for supper! I heard mamma tell the cook not to pepper it too much.

CARROLL

What a funny little rabbit it is, nibbling all the time!

[_He leans gently over the back of her chair, and seeing that she is going to sleep puts out the lamp light and leaves the room. A red glow from the fireplace illumines ALICE._]

[_Dream music. A bluish light reveals the RED CHESS QUEEN and the WHITE CHESS QUEEN in the mirror._]

RED QUEEN

[_Points to ALICE and says in a mysterious voice._]

There she is, let's call her over.

WHITE QUEEN

Do you think she'll come?

RED QUEEN

I'll call softly, Alice!

WHITE QUEEN

Hist, Alice.

RED QUEEN

Alice!

WHITE QUEEN

Hush--if she wakes and catches us--

BOTH QUEENS

Alice, come through into looking-glass house!

[_Their hands beckon her._]

ALICE

[_Rises, and talks sleepily. The Queens disappear. ALICE climbs from the arm of the chair to the back of another and so on up to the mantel ledge, where she picks her way daintily between the vases._]

I--don't--know--how--I--can--get--through. I've tried--before--but the glass was hard--and I was afraid of cutting--my fingers--

[_She feels the glass and is amazed to find it like gauze._]

Why, it's soft like gauze; it's turning into a sort of mist; why, it's easy to get through! _Why--why_--I'm going _through_!

[_She disappears._]