`` Their heads are gone , '' the soldiers shouted in reply , `` if it please your Majesty ! '' `` That 's right ! '' shouted the Queen , `` can you play croquet ? '' The soldiers were silent , and looked at Alice , as the question was evidently meant for her . `` Yes ! '' shouted Alice at the top of her voice . `` Come on then ! '' roared the Queen , and Alice joined the procession , wondering very much what would happen next . `` It 's -- it 's a very fine day ! '' said a timid little voice : she was walking by the white rabbit , who was peeping anxiously into her face . `` Very , '' said Alice , `` where 's the Marchioness ? '' `` Hush , hush ! '' said the rabbit in a low voice , `` she 'll hear you . The Queen 's the Marchioness : did n't you know that ? '' `` No , I did n't , '' said Alice , `` what of ? '' `` Queen of Hearts , '' said the rabbit in a whisper , putting its mouth close to her ear , `` and Marchioness of Mock Turtles . '' `` What are they ? '' said Alice , but there was no time for the answer , for they had reached the croquet-ground , and the game began instantly . Alice thought she had never seen such a curious croquet-ground in all her life : it was all in ridges and furrows : the croquet-balls were live hedgehogs , the mallets live ostriches , and the soldiers had to double themselves up , and stand on their feet and hands , to make the arches . -LSB- Illustration -RSB- -LSB- Illustration -RSB- The chief difficulty which Alice found at first was to manage her ostrich : she got its body tucked away , comfortably enough , under her arm , with its legs hanging down , but generally , just as she had got its neck straightened out nicely , and was going to give a blow with its head , it would twist itself round , and look up into her face , with such a puzzled expression that she could not help bursting out laughing : and when she had got its head down , and was going to begin again , it was very confusing to find that the hedgehog had unrolled itself , and was in the act of crawling away : besides all this , there was generally a ridge or a furrow in her way , wherever she wanted to send the hedgehog to , and as the doubled-up soldiers were always getting up and walking off to other parts of the ground , Alice soon came to the conclusion that it was a very difficult game indeed .
The players all played at once without waiting for turns , and quarrelled all the while at the tops of their voices , and in a very few minutes the Queen was in a furious passion , and went stamping about and shouting `` off with his XXXXX ! ''
Hearts answer difficulty furrow ground head heads parts procession soldiers