Alice had never been in a court of justice before, but she had read about them in books, and she was quite pleased to find that she knew the name of nearly everything there.

Alice had never been in a court of justice before, but she had read  about them in books, and she was quite pleased to find that she knew  the name of nearly everything there. 'That's the judge,' she said to  herself, 'because of his great wig.' The judge, by the way, was the King; and as he wore his crown over the  wig, (look at the frontispiece if you want to see how he did it,) he did  not look at all comfortable, and it was certainly not becoming. 'And that's the jury-box,' thought Alice, 'and those twelve creatures,'  (she was obliged to say 'creatures,' you see, because some of them were  animals, and some were birds,) 'I suppose they are the jurors.' She said  this last word two or three times over to herself, being rather proud of  it: for she thought, and rightly too, that very few little girls of her  age knew the meaning of it at all. However, 'jury-men' would have done  just as well. The twelve jurors were all writing very busily on slates. 'What are they  doing?' Alice whispered to the Gryphon. 'They can't have anything to put  down yet, before the trial's begun.' 'They're putting down their names,' the Gryphon whispered in reply, 'for  fear they should forget them before the end of the trial.' 'Stupid things!' Alice began in a loud, indignant voice, but she stopped  hastily, for the White Rabbit cried out, 'Silence in the court!' and the  King put on his spectacles and looked anxiously round, to make out who  was talking. Alice could see, as well as if she were looking over their shoulders,  that all the jurors were writing down 'stupid things!' on their slates,  and she could even make out that one of them didn't know how to spell  'stupid,' and that he had to ask his neighbour to tell him. 'A nice  muddle their slates'll be in before the trial's over!' thought Alice. One of the jurors had a pencil that squeaked. This of course, Alice  could not stand, and she went round the court and got behind him, and  very soon found an opportunity of taking it away. She did it so quickly  that the poor little juror (it was Bill, the Lizard) could not make out  at all what had become of it; so, after hunting all about for it, he was  obliged to write with one finger for the rest of the day; and this was  of very little use, as it left no mark on the slate. 'Herald, read the accusation!' said the King. On this the White Rabbit blew three blasts on the trumpet, and then  unrolled the parchment scroll, and read as follows:— 'The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts, All on a summer day: The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts, And took them quite away!' 'Consider your verdict,' the King said to the jury. 'Not yet, not yet!' the Rabbit hastily interrupted. 'There's a great  deal to come before that!' 'Call the first witness,' said the King; and the White Rabbit blew three  blasts on the trumpet, and called out, 'First witness!' The first witness was the Hatter. He came in with a teacup in one  hand and a piece of bread-and-butter in the other. 'I beg pardon, your  Majesty,' he began, 'for bringing these in: but I hadn't quite finished  my tea when I was sent for.' 'You ought to have finished,' said