Monday 2 September 2013

The Frog


The Frog, an illustration by JVL for Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-glass
Artists' Choice Editions, 2011.

The text:

Alice knocked and rang in vain for a long time, but at last, a very
old Frog, who was sitting under a tree, got up and hobbled slowly
towards her: he was dressed in bright yellow, and had enormous
boots on.

 'What is it, now?' the Frog said in a deep hoarse whisper.

Alice turned round, ready to find fault with anybody. 'Where's the
servant whose business it is to answer the door?' she began angrily.

 'Which door?' said the Frog.

Alice almost stamped with irritation at the slow drawl in which he
spoke. 'THIS door, of course!'

The Frog looked at the door with his large dull eyes for a minute:
then he went nearer and rubbed it with his thumb, as if he were
trying whether the paint would come off; then he looked at Alice.

 'To answer the door?' he said. 'What's it been asking of?' He was so
hoarse that Alice could scarcely hear him.

'I don't know what you mean,' she said.

'I talks English, doesn't I?' the Frog went on. 'Or are you deaf?
What did it ask you?'

 'Nothing!' Alice said impatiently. 'I've been knocking at it!'

'Shouldn't do that -- shouldn't do that -- ' the Frog muttered. 'Vexes
 it, you know.' Then he went up and gave the door a kick with one
of his great feet. 'You let IT alone,' he panted out, as he hobbled
back to his tree, 'and it'll let YOU alone, you know.'


No comments:

Post a Comment