A large rose-tree stood near the entrance of the garden. The roses on the tree were white. Three gardeners were busy painting the roses red. Alice thought this was very strange. She went closer to watch them.
The gardeners were named Two, Five, and Seven. They were shaped like playing cards. Five accidentally splashed paint on Seven. They started to argue with each other. Alice asked them, "Why are you painting these roses?"
Two looked at Alice and spoke in a quiet voice. "This tree should have red roses," Two said. "We planted a white rose-tree by mistake." Two said the Queen of Hearts would be very angry. "She will cut off our heads if she finds out," Two explained.
Suddenly, Five shouted, "The Queen! The Queen!" The three gardeners quickly lay down on their faces. Alice heard the sound of many people walking. A grand procession (a group of people moving together in a line for a special event) arrived.
There were soldiers, courtiers, and royal children. They were all shaped like playing cards. Alice saw the White Rabbit in the crowd. The White Rabbit was talking fast and he looked nervous. Finally, the King of Hearts and the Queen of Hearts appeared.
The Queen of Hearts stopped and looked at Alice. "Who is this?" the Queen of Hearts asked. Alice was polite and told the Queen of Hearts her name. Alice thought, "They are only a pack of cards. I am not afraid."
The Queen of Hearts saw the three gardeners on the ground. She asked Alice who they were. "I do not know," Alice said bravely. The Queen of Hearts became very angry. Her face became red. "Off with her head!" the Queen of Hearts screamed.
"Nonsense!" Alice shouted loudly. The Queen of Hearts was silent. The King of Hearts touched the arm of the Queen of Hearts. "She is only a child," the King of Hearts said softly. The Queen of Hearts ignored the King of Hearts. She ordered the gardeners to stand up.
The Queen of Hearts saw the painted roses. She ordered the soldiers to cut off the heads of the gardeners. The gardeners ran to Alice for help. Alice hid the gardeners in a large flower-pot. The soldiers could not find them, so the soldiers walked away.
The Queen of Hearts asked Alice to play croquet. Alice joined the group. She walked next to the White Rabbit. The White Rabbit was very quiet and afraid. The White Rabbit whispered to Alice. He said the Duchess was in prison.
"Why is the Duchess in prison?" Alice asked. The White Rabbit told Alice a secret. "The Duchess boxed the ears of the Queen of Hearts," he said. Alice wanted to laugh, but she stayed quiet. The Queen of Hearts shouted, "Get to your places!" and the game began.
The croquet-ground was very strange. The balls were live hedgehogs. The mallets (long wooden hammers used to hit the balls) were live flamingoes. The soldiers stood on their hands and feet to make the arches.
Alice had a lot of trouble with her flamingo. She held the bird under her arm. When Alice wanted to hit the hedgehog, the flamingo turned its head. The flamingo looked at Alice with a confused face. Alice started to laugh.
The game was very difficult. The hedgehogs unrolled and crawled away. The soldiers stood up and walked to different places. Everyone played at the same time and everyone argued. The Queen of Hearts was very angry and screamed, "Off with his head!" many times.
Alice looked for a way to escape. Suddenly, a grin appeared in the air. It was the Cheshire Cat. Alice was happy to have a friend to talk to. Slowly, the eyes and ears of the Cheshire Cat appeared. Alice told the Cheshire Cat about the strange game.
The King of Hearts came to Alice. He saw the head of the Cheshire Cat and he did not like it. The King of Hearts told the Queen of Hearts to remove the Cheshire Cat. The Queen of Hearts did not look at the Cheshire Cat. She just shouted, "Off with his head!"
The executioner (the person whose job is to kill people who are sentenced to death) came. He argued with the King of Hearts and the Queen of Hearts. The executioner said he could not cut off a head without a body. The King of Hearts said everything with a head can be beheaded.
The Queen of Hearts was very angry. She said she would kill everyone if they did not hurry. Alice said, "The Cheshire Cat belongs to the Duchess. Ask the Duchess." The Queen of Hearts sent the executioner to fetch the Duchess from prison.
The head of the Cheshire Cat began to fade away. When the executioner came back with the Duchess, the Cheshire Cat was gone. The King of Hearts and the executioner looked for the Cheshire Cat everywhere. The other people went back to the game.