📖 Chapter 6: Pig and Pepper
Alice walked through the wood, carrying the mushroom pieces carefully. Soon she came to a small house. Smoke rose from the chimney, and loud sneezes echoed inside. Curious, Alice went up to the door and knocked.
A fish-shaped footman in a livery (servant’s uniform) opened the door. He was giving a letter to a frog-shaped footman. “For the Duchess,” said the Fish. “From the Queen.”
The Frog bowed and carried the letter inside. Alice followed and found herself in a hot, smoky kitchen. Pepper filled the air so thickly that she sneezed at once.
In the middle of the kitchen sat the Duchess, holding a screaming baby. A cook was at the stove, throwing pepper everywhere and banging pots and pans.
Alice tried to be polite. “What a beautiful child!” she said, though the baby was wrinkled and red-faced.
The Duchess snapped, “Nonsense! If people only minded their own business, the world would go round a deal faster.”
“It would not,” said Alice boldly. “It would go slower.”
The Duchess glared, but then laughed. “You’re quite right, my dear. Have some more pepper!”
The baby screamed louder, sneezing and snorting. At last the Duchess thrust it into Alice’s arms. “Here, you may nurse it if you like. I must go to play croquet with the Queen.”
Alice rocked the baby and carried it outside. But as soon as she looked closely, she realized it was no ordinary child. Its nose turned into a snout, its body stretched, and it began grunting like a pig!
“Oh dear!” cried Alice. “If it grows up, it will surely be a nasty pig.” She set the strange creature down, and it ran happily into the forest, squealing.
Feeling relieved, Alice turned back and saw a grin appear in the air. Slowly, the rest of a Cheshire Cat appeared—first the head, then the body, then the long tail.
The Cat smiled broadly. “How do you do?”
Alice was startled. “I don’t much like animals that appear and disappear suddenly,” she said.
The Cat purred, “Everyone here is mad. I’m mad. You’re mad.”
“How do you know I’m mad?” asked Alice.
“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t be here.”
Alice couldn’t argue with that. “Will you tell me, please, which way I should go?”
“That depends on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t care much where,” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
Alice sighed. “But I’d like to meet some people.”
The Cat’s grin grew wider. “You will. In that direction lives the Mad Hatter. In the other lives the March Hare. Visit either you like—both are mad.”
Before Alice could ask more, the Cat slowly faded away until only its grin remained.
Alice shook her head. “Well! I’ve never seen a cat without a body before. But it makes me curious to meet these mad people.”
And with that, she set off toward the March Hare’s house.
📘 Glossary
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Footman – a servant in old-fashioned clothes
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Livery – a uniform worn by servants
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Sneezes – sudden bursts of air from the nose
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Nonsense – silly or foolish talk
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Glared – looked angrily
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Thrust – pushed roughly or suddenly
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Snout – the long nose of a pig
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Grunting – making short, deep pig-like sounds
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Purred – the soft vibrating sound cats make when happy
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Faded – slowly disappeared
❓ Comprehension Questions
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Who delivered a letter to the Duchess’s house?
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What filled the kitchen and made Alice sneeze?
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How did the Duchess treat her baby?
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Why did Alice set the baby down?
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What did the baby turn into?
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Who appeared in the forest after the baby left?
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What strange ability did the Cheshire Cat have?
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What did the Cat say about everyone in Wonderland?
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Who did the Cat tell Alice she could visit?
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What remained after the Cat disappeared?
✅ Answers
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A Fish-Footman.
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Pepper.
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She handed it roughly to Alice and went to play croquet.
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Because it was turning into a pig.
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A pig.
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The Cheshire Cat.
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He could appear and disappear at will.
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That everyone there was mad.
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The Mad Hatter and the March Hare.
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Only the Cat’s grin.
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