Humpty Dumpty took the book, and looked at it very carefully. “That seems to be done right—” he began.
“You’re holding it upside down!” Alice interrupted.
“To be sure I was!” Humpty Dumpty said gaily, as she turned it round for him. “I thought it looked a little queer. As I was saying, that seems to be done right–though I haven’t time to look it over thoroughly just now–and that shows that there are three hundred and sixty-four days when you get un-birthday presents—”
“Certainly,” said Alice.
“And only one for birthday presents, you know, There’s glory for you!”
"I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory,’ " Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don’t–till I tell you. I meant “there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!”
"But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean “a nice knock-down argument,” Alice objected.
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in a rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean–neither more nor less.
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean different things.”
“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master–that’s all.”
Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. “They’ve a temper, some of them–particularly verbs, they’re the proudest–adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs–however, I can manage the whole lot! Impenetrability! That’s what I say!”
“Would you tell me, please,” said Alice, “what that means ?”
“Now you talk like a reasonable child,” said Humpty Dumpty, looking very much pleased. "I meant by “impenetrability’ that we’ve had enough of that subject, and it would be just as well if you’d mention what you meant to do next, as I suppose you don’t intend to stop here all the rest of your life.”
“That’s a great deal to make one word mean,” Alice said in a thoughtful tone.
“When I make a word do a lot of work like that,” said Humpty Dumpty, “I always pay it extra.”
“Oh!” said Alice. She was too much puzzled to make any other remark.
“Ah, you should see 'em come round me of a Saturday night,” Humpty Dumpty went on, wagging his head gravely from side to side: “for to get their wages, you know.”
(Alice didn’t venture to ask what he paid them with; and so you see I can’t tell you.)
