Both looked very grave at this, and nothing was said for some minutes. The King was the first to break the silence. “What are you doing with that whitewash?” he demanded. “The Queen said everything was to be painted khaki.”
“I know,” said the creature pathetically, “but I had run out of khaki; the Unforeseen again, you know; and things needed whitewash so badly.”
The Cat had been slowly vanishing during the last few minutes, till nothing remained of it but an eye. At the last remark it gave a wink at Alice and completed its eclipse.
When Alice turned round she found that both the King and the Ineptitude were fast asleep.
“It’s no good remaining here,” she thought, and as she did not want to meet either the Queen or the dragon, she turned to make her way out of the street.
“At any rate,” she said to herself, “I know what an Ineptitude is like.”
ALICE IN PALL MALL
“The great art in falling off a horse,” said the White Knight, “is to have another handy to fall on to.”
“But wouldn’t that be rather difficult to arrange?” asked Alice.
“Difficult, of course,” replied the Knight, “but in my Department one has to be provided for emergencies. Now, for instance, have you ever conducted a war in South Africa?”