Alice continues her conversation with the Mock Turtle and the Gryphon, who are eager to share stories of their lives under the sea. The Mock Turtle sighs deeply and appears emotional, prompting the Gryphon to pat him on the back to help him recover his voice. Once composed, the Mock Turtle begins to speak.
“You may not have lived much under the sea,” he says to Alice, “and perhaps you’ve never been introduced to a lobster.” Alice admits that she hasn’t. The Gryphon and the Mock Turtle then describe the Lobster Quadrille, a dance performed by sea creatures along the seashore.
“First,” explains the Gryphon, “you form into two lines along the shore—seals, turtles, salmon, and so on.” The Mock Turtle adds, “Then, when you’ve cleared all the jellyfish out of the way, you advance twice, each with a lobster as a partner.” They continue describing the dance steps enthusiastically: changing lobsters, throwing them out to sea, swimming after them, turning somersaults in the water, changing lobsters again, and returning to shore.
Alice finds the description fascinating and expresses a desire to see the dance. The Gryphon and the Mock Turtle offer to demonstrate. “We can do it without lobsters,” says the Mock Turtle. They stand up and begin dancing around Alice, marking time with their forelegs and occasionally treading on her toes. As they dance, the Mock Turtle sings:
“Will you walk a little faster?” said a whiting to a snail.
“There’s a porpoise close behind us, and he’s treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle—will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?”
The song continues with the snail expressing hesitation due to the distance, and the whiting encouraging him by pointing out that the farther they go from England, the nearer they are to France. The chorus repeats, inviting participation in the dance.
After the performance, Alice applauds and thanks them, saying, “It was a very interesting dance to watch, and I do so like that curious song about the whiting!” The Mock Turtle is pleased and asks if she has ever seen a whiting. Alice hesitates, nearly mentioning that she has eaten them at dinner, but catches herself.
They engage in a playful conversation filled with puns and wordplay. The Mock Turtle explains that whitings have their tails in their mouths because they were thrown far out to sea during the dance and landed that way. The Gryphon adds that whitings are called so because they “do the boots and shoes,” referencing the use of whiting (a polishing substance) for making footwear shiny. Alice is confused by this, leading to further jokes involving “soles” and “eels” (playing on homophones for parts of shoes and fish).
When Alice mentions that she would have told the porpoise to keep back if she were the whiting, the Mock Turtle corrects her, explaining that no wise fish would go anywhere without a “porpoise” (pun intended on “purpose”). Alice catches the pun and smiles.
The conversation shifts as the Mock Turtle and the Gryphon express interest in hearing about Alice’s adventures. She begins recounting her journey, starting with following the White Rabbit. As she speaks, they listen intently, their eyes and mouths wide open in astonishment.
When Alice describes how her attempts at reciting poems result in the words coming out all wrong, the Mock Turtle is intrigued. “That’s very curious,” he says. He asks her to recite a poem, and the Gryphon insists she stand up and recite “‘Tis the Voice of the Sluggard.”
Feeling a bit nervous, Alice agrees but finds that her mind is still filled with thoughts of the Lobster Quadrille. As a result, her recitation becomes muddled:
“‘Tis the voice of the Lobster; I heard him declare,
‘You have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair.’
As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his nose
Trims his belt and his buttons, and turns out his toes.”
The Mock Turtle and the Gryphon are puzzled by her version. “That’s different from what I used to say when I was a child,” remarks the Gryphon. The Mock Turtle finds it nonsensical and asks for an explanation, particularly curious about how a lobster could turn his toes out with his nose.
Alice, feeling flustered and eager to change the subject, mentions that it’s the first position in dancing. The Gryphon, sensing her discomfort, suggests they move on. “Shall we try another figure of the Lobster Quadrille?” he asks. But Alice, wanting to avoid more dancing, suggests that the Mock Turtle sing a song instead.
The Mock Turtle agrees and begins to sing “Beautiful Soup,” a melancholic and melodious song praising soup:
“Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Beau—ootiful Soo—oop!
Beau—ootiful Soo—oop!
Soo—oop of the e—e—evening,
Beautiful, beautiful Soup!”
As he sings, his voice occasionally breaks with emotion, and tears well up in his eyes. The Gryphon joins in for the chorus, and they both sway to the rhythm of the song. Alice listens, captivated by the melody and the Mock Turtle’s heartfelt performance.
Just as the Mock Turtle is about to begin the second verse, a distant shout interrupts them: “The trial’s beginning!” The Gryphon suddenly becomes agitated. “Come on!” he cries, grabbing Alice’s hand. “We must hurry!”
“Wait! What trial?” Alice asks, bewildered. But the Gryphon doesn’t answer, urging her to run faster. Behind them, the Mock Turtle’s song fades away:
“Soo—oop of the e—e—evening,
Beautiful, beautiful Soup!”
They race across the grounds, and Alice notices that they are heading toward a large crowd gathering near a courtroom. She wonders what the trial could be about and why it’s so urgent. The Gryphon remains silent except for the occasional “Hurry up!” and “We mustn’t be late!”
As they approach the courtroom, Alice’s curiosity intensifies. She thinks about all the strange events she has experienced so far and anticipates what might happen next. The chapter ends with Alice and the Gryphon arriving at the entrance of the courtroom, ready to witness the unfolding trial.