Alice and the Dormouse

Alice first encounters the Dormouse at the Mad Tea-Party, where it sits between the March Hare and the Hatter, fast asleep, and is used by the other two as a cushion, their elbows resting on it as they talk over its head. Alice observes that this arrangement must be very uncomfortable for the Dormouse, but supposes that since it is asleep, it does not mind. The Dormouse's first contribution to the conversation comes when the Hatter and the March Hare are playing with the idea that saying "I breathe when I sleep" is the same as "I sleep when I breathe"; the Dormouse, seemingly talking in its sleep, adds its own variation: "You might just as well say," it added, "that 'I breathe when I sleep' is the same thing as 'I sleep when I breathe'!" The Hatter then points out that with the Dormouse, the two statements are indeed the same thing, and the conversation drops.

The Dormouse's Story and Alice's Interruptions

When the March Hare and the Hatter grow tired of the riddle about the raven and the writing-desk, they demand that the Dormouse tell a story. The Dormouse slowly opens its eyes and claims it was not asleep, having heard every word. It begins a tale about three little sisters named Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie, who lived at the bottom of a well. Alice, who always takes a great interest in questions of eating and drinking, immediately interrupts to ask what they lived on. After thinking for a minute or two, the Dormouse replies, "They lived on treacle." Alice gently remarks that they could not have done that, as they would have been ill, and the Dormouse calmly agrees: "So they were," it said, "very ill." Alice then asks why they lived at the bottom of a well, and the Dormouse, after another pause, explains that it was a treacle-well. Alice begins to argue that there is no such thing, but the Hatter and the March Hare shush her, and the Dormouse sulkily threatens to stop the story. Alice humbly apologizes and begs it to continue. The Dormouse goes on to say that the sisters were learning to draw, and when Alice asks what they drew, it replies, "Treacle," without considering at all this time. The Hatter then interrupts to demand a clean cup, and the whole party moves one place on, leaving Alice worse off than before. Alice cautiously asks where the sisters drew the treacle from, and the Hatter mocks her, but she ignores him and asks the Dormouse if the sisters were in the well. The Dormouse replies, "Of course they were," and then adds, "—well in." This answer confuses Alice so much that she lets the Dormouse continue. The Dormouse, growing very sleepy, explains that the sisters drew everything that begins with an M, such as mouse-traps, the moon, memory, and muchness. When Alice admits she does not think she has ever seen a drawing of a muchness, the Hatter tells her she should not talk. This rudeness is more than Alice can bear, and she gets up in great disgust and walks off. The Dormouse falls asleep instantly, and neither the Hatter nor the March Hare takes any notice of her departure; the last time she sees them, they are trying to put the Dormouse into the teapot.

The Trial and the Dormouse's Complaint

Alice next encounters the Dormouse during the trial of the Knave of Hearts. The Dormouse is sitting next to her in the crowded courtroom. As Alice begins to grow larger again, the Dormouse complains, "I wish you wouldn't squeeze so," it said. "I can hardly breathe." Alice meekly replies that she cannot help it, as she is growing. The Dormouse retorts, "You've no right to grow here," to which Alice more boldly responds that the Dormouse is growing too. The Dormouse insists that it grows at a reasonable pace, "not in that ridiculous fashion," and gets up very sulkily and crosses over to the other side of the court. Later, when the cook is giving evidence and the King asks what tarts are made of, the cook replies "Pepper, mostly," and a sleepy voice behind her says "Treacle." The Queen immediately shrieks out orders to collar, behead, turn out, suppress, and pinch that Dormouse, and for some minutes the whole court is in confusion getting the Dormouse turned out. This is the last direct interaction between Alice and the Dormouse, marking the end of their strained and largely uncomprehending relationship.