The King and Queen of Hearts sat on their throne when Alice and the Gryphon arrived. A large crowd was there. There were many small birds, animals, and the whole pack of cards. The Knave of Hearts stood in the middle of the court. He was in chains and two soldiers guarded him.
The White Rabbit stood near the King. The White Rabbit held a trumpet (a loud metal musical instrument) and a parchment (a scroll made of old paper). In the middle of the court was a table with a large plate of tarts (small, sweet cakes with fruit inside). Alice was very hungry and she wanted to eat them.
Alice looked at the King. He was the judge. He wore a large white wig (artificial hair) and his crown was on top of it. Alice also saw the jury (a group of twelve creatures who decide if someone is guilty). The twelve members of the jury were writing on slates.
"What are they writing?" Alice whispered to the Gryphon. "The trial has not started yet." The Gryphon whispered back, "They are writing their names. They are afraid they will forget them." Alice thought the jury members were very stupid.
One of the jurors was Bill the Lizard. His pencil made a loud, squeaking noise. Alice did not like the sound. She went behind Bill and took the pencil away. Poor Bill had to write with his finger for the rest of the day. But his finger did not leave a mark on the slate.
"Read the accusation!" the King shouted. The White Rabbit blew the trumpet three times. He unrolled the parchment and read a poem. The poem said that the Queen made some tarts, and the Knave of Hearts stole them.
"Decide on the verdict!" the King said to the jury. The White Rabbit jumped up. "Not yet, your Majesty!" the White Rabbit said. "We must hear the witnesses first." The King agreed and told the White Rabbit to call the first witness.
The first witness was the Hatter. He came in with a teacup and a piece of bread. "I am sorry, your Majesty," the Hatter said. "I did not finish my tea when you called me." The King told the Hatter to take off his hat.
"It is not my hat," the Hatter said. "I sell hats, so I have none of my own." The King thought the hat was stolen. The jury wrote this down. The Queen of Hearts looked at the Hatter through her spectacles. The Hatter felt very nervous and he shook with fear.
Suddenly, Alice felt a very strange feeling. She was growing larger again! The Dormouse was sitting next to Alice. "Stop pushing me," the Dormouse said. "I cannot breathe." Alice said, "I am growing. I cannot help it." The Dormouse was angry and moved to the other side of the court.
The Queen looked at the Hatter and he became even more afraid. He was so nervous that he bit his teacup instead of his bread. The King shouted, "Tell your story or I will have you executed!" The Hatter tried to speak, but his story about tea and the March Hare was very confusing.
Two guinea-pigs in the court cheered. The officers suppressed (stopped someone from making noise by force) them immediately. They put the guinea-pigs into a large bag and sat on them. Alice thought, "I finally understand what that word means!"
The King told the Hatter to leave the court. The Hatter ran away quickly without his shoes. Then the White Rabbit called the next witness. It was the Duchess’s cook. She carried a box of pepper in her hand.
Everyone near the door began to sneeze. The King asked the cook, "What are tarts made of?" The cook said, "Pepper." Suddenly, the Dormouse spoke in his sleep. "Treacle," the Dormouse said. The Queen of Hearts screamed, "Behead that Dormouse! Turn him out of court!"
The court was in confusion for a few minutes while the officers took the Dormouse away. When the court was quiet again, the cook was gone. The King was relieved. He told the White Rabbit to call the next witness.
Alice watched the White Rabbit as he looked at his list. She was curious about the next witness. The White Rabbit blew his trumpet and shouted a name with his small, loud voice. "Alice!" the White Rabbit cried.