[after Alice falls from the sky and into a flower bed, her Underland friends surround and greet her]
Alice.
[hops up to Alice and hugs her arm]
Alice! Thank goodness you're finally here!
It's that girl again!
Alice! You're back!
[the Bandersnatch roars his greeting and pants, smiling at Alice] [to the Bandersnatch]
Don't be nice to her. She's late.
Have I come at a bad time?
On the contrary. We were afraid you weren't coming at all.
What's the matter?
The Hatter's the matter.
Or the matter of the Hatter.
The former.
No, the latter.
[rolls her eyes]
Tweedles. [gives them a look as if to say, "Get to the point, please."]
[in unison]
He's mad.
The Hatter? [the Tweedles nod] Yes, I know. [climbs out of the flower bed and pulls her hair back in a half-up style] That's his muchness. That's what makes him so... him.
But he's grown darker. Less dafter.
Denies himself laughter.
[appears in the tree above them]
And no scheme of ours can raise any sort of smile. We rather hoped YOU might help us save him.
