The Cheshire Cat

The Cheshire Cat, an illustration by JVL in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,

Artists' Choice Editions, 2009

The Text:

  The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice.  It looked good-

natured, she thought:  still it had VERY long claws and a great

many teeth, so she felt that it ought to be treated with respect.

  `Cheshire Puss,' she began, rather timidly, as she did not at

all know whether it would like the name:  however, it only

grinned a little wider.  `Come, it's pleased so far,' thought

Alice, and she went on.  `Would you tell me, please, which way I

ought to go from here?'

  `That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said

the Cat.

  `I don't much care where--' said Alice.

  `Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.

  `--so long as I get SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation.

  `Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, `if you only walk

long enough.'

The Cheshire Cat disappearing, an illustration by JVL in Lewis Carroll's 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Editions, 2009

The Text:

 ... I wish you wouldn't keep

appearing and vanishing so suddenly:  you make one quite giddy.'

  `All right,' said the Cat; and this time it vanished quite

slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the

grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone.

  `Well!  I've often seen a cat without a grin,' thought Alice;

`but a grin without a cat!  It's the most curious thing I ever

say in my life!'