Hardly knowing what she did, she picked up a little bit of stick, and held it out to the puppy; whereupon the puppy jumped into the air off all its feet at once, with a yelp of delight, and rushed at the stick, and made believe to worry it; then Alice dodged behind a great thistle, to keep herself from being run over; and the moment she appeared on the other side, the puppy made another rush at the stick, and tumbled head over heels in its hurry to get hold of it; then Alice, thinking it was very like having a game of play with a cart-horse, and expecting every moment to be trampled under its feet, ran round the thistle again; then the puppy began a series of short charges at the stick, running a very little way forwards each time and a long way back, and barking hoarsely all the while, till at last it sat down a good way off, panting, with its tongue hanging out of its mouth, and its great eyes half shut.
Per far la disinvolta, prese un ramoscello e lo presentò al cagnolino; il quale diede un balzo in aria come una palla con un latrato di gioia, e s'avventò al ramoscello come per sbranarlo. Allora Alice si mise cautamente dietro un cardo altissimo per non esser travolta; quando si affacciò dall'altro lato, il cagnolino s'era avventato nuovamente al ramoscello, ed aveva fatto un capitombolo nella furia di afferrarlo.