The cat only grinned when it saw Alice.  It looked good-natured, she thought.  Still, it had very long clawas and a great many teeth, so she felt it ought to be treated with respect.

“Cheshire Puss,” she began, rather timidly, as she did not know at all 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 great deal on where ou want to get to,” said the Cat.

“I don’t much care where-” said Alice.

“hen 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.”

Alice felt that this could not be denied, so she tried another question.  “What sort of people live about here?”

“In that direction,” the Cat said, waving its right paw round, “lives a Hatter and in that direction,” waving the other paw, “lives a March Hare.  Visit either you like, they’re both mad.”

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.

“Oh, you can’t help that,”said the Cat, “we’re all mad here.  I’m mad.  You’re mad.”

“How do ou know I’m mad?” said Alice.

“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come.”