The dog in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The dog in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, an illustration by JVL in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Editions, 2009.

The Text:

An enormous puppy was looking down at her with large round

eyes, and feebly stretching out one paw, trying to touch her. 'Poor

little thing!' said Alice, in a coaxing tone, and she tried hard to

whistle to it; but she was terribly frightened all the time at the

thought that it might be hungry, in which case it would be very

likely to eat her up in spite of all her coaxing.

Hardly knowing what she did, she picked up a little bit of stick, and

held it out to the puppy; whereupon the puppy jumped into the air

off all its feet at once, with a yelp of delight, and rushed at the stick,

and made believe to worry it; then Alice dodged behind a great

thistle, to keep herself from being run over; and the moment she

appeared on the other side, the puppy made another rush at the

stick, and tumbled head over heels in its hurry to get hold of it;

then Alice, thinking it was very like having a game of play with a

cart-horse, and expecting every moment to be trampled under its

feet, ran round the thistle again; then the puppy began a series of

short charges at the stick, running a very little way forwards each

time and a long way back, and barking hoarsely all the while, till at

last it sat down a good way off, panting, with its tongue hanging out

of its mouth, and its great eyes half shut.

This seemed to Alice a good opportunity for making her escape; so

she set off at once, and ran till she was quite tired and out of

breath, and till the puppy's bark sounded quite faint in the

distance.