Mopsa replied that she thought that did not signify, and then she and Jack began to play at jumping from the boat on to the bank, and back again; and afterwards, as not a single fairy could be seen, they had breakfast with the apple-woman.
“Where is the Queen?” asked Jack.
The apple-woman answered, “It’s not the fashion to ask questions in Fairyland.”
“That’s a pity,” said Jack, “for there are several things that I particularly want to know about this country. Mayn’t I even ask how big it is?”
“How big?” said Mopsa—little Mopsa looking as wise as possible. “Why, the same size as your world, of course.”
Jack laughed. “It’s the same world that you call yours,” continued Mopsa; “and when I’m a little older, I’ll explain it all to you.”
“If it’s our world,” said Jack, “why are none of us in it, excepting me and the apple-woman?”
“That’s because you’ve got something in your world that you call Time,” said Mopsa; “so you talk about NOW, and you talk about THEN.”
“And don’t you?” asked Jack.
“I do if I want to make you understand,” said Mopsa.