`I don't quite know yet,' Alice said very gently. `I should like to look all round me first, if I might.'

`You may look in front of you, and on both sides, if you like,' said the Sheep; `but you ca'n't look all round you -- unless you've got eyes at the back of your head.'

But these, as it happened, Alice had not got: so she contented herself with turning round, looking at the shelves as she came to them.

The shop seemed to be full of all manner of curious things -- but the oddest part of it all was that, whenever she looked hard at any shelf, to make out exactly what it had on it, that particular shelf was always quite, empty, though the others round it were crowded as full as they could hold.

`Things flow about so here!' she said at last in a plaintive tone, after she had spent a minute or so in vainly pursuing a large bright thing that looked sometimes like a doll and sometimes like a work-box, and was always in the shelf next above the one she was looking at. `And this one is the most provoking of all -- but I'll tell you what --' she added, as a sudden thought struck her. `I'll follow it up to the very top shelf of all. It'll puzzle it to go through the ceiling, I expect!'

But even this plan failed: the `thing' went through the ceiling as quietly as possible, as if it were quite used to it.

`Are you a child or a teetotum?' the Sheep said, as she took up another pair of needles. `You'll make me giddy soon, if you go on turning round like that.' She was now working with fourteen pairs at once, and Alice couldn't help looking at her in great astonishment.

`How can she knit with so many?' the puzzled child thought to herself. `She gets more and more like a porcupine every minute!'

`Can you row?' the Sheep asked, handing her a pair of knitting-needles as she spoke.

`Yes, a little -- but not on land -- and not with needles --' Alice was beginning to say, when suddenly the needles turned into oars in her hands, and she found they were in a little boat, gliding along between banks: so there was nothing for it but to do her best.

`Feather!' cried the Sheep, as she took up another pair of needles.

This didn't sound like a remark that needed any answer: so Alice said nothing, but pulled away. There was something very queer about the water, she thought, as every now and then the oars got fast in it, and would hardly come out again.

`Feather! Feather!' the Sheep cried again, taking more needles. `You'll be catching a crab directly.'

`A dear little crab!' thought Alice. `I should like that.'

`Didn't you hear me say "Feather"?' the Sheep cried angrily, taking up quite a bunch of needles.

`Indeed I did,' said Alice: `you've said it very often -- and very loud. Please where are the crabs?'

`In the water, of course!' said the Sheep, sticking some of the needles into her hair, as her hands were full. `Feather, I say!'

`Why do you say "Feather" so often?' Alice asked at last, rather vexed. `I'm not a bird!'

`You are,' said the Sheep: "you're a little goose.'