“What an awful selfish girl!” exclaimed Grumpy, “and after we’ve been such good friends too and played chess with one another back in the dolls house!”
“When I’m not hungry, I love to play with you all, and I’m happy to be friendly,” said Alice demurely, “but when my stomach is empty, it seems that nothing would fill it so nicely as a nice little dwarf.”
“And we trusted you so!” said Sneezy reproachfully.
“It seems we were mistaken,” declared Dopey, looking at the giant girl timorously, “no one with such voracious desires should belong to our party, I’m sure.”
“You see, Alice,” remarked Jean, “You are making yourself disliked. There are certain things proper for a girl to eat; but I never heard of a girl eating a dwarf under any circumstances.”
“Did you ever see such tasty little dwarfs before?” asked Alice, “They are no bigger than prawns to the current sized me, and I’m sure prawns are proper for me to eat.”
“It isn’t the size, dear. It’s the variety,” replied Jean, “These are Snow White’s friends, just as you are my friend. It wouldn’t be any more proper for you to eat them than it would be for one of us natural born giantesses to eat you at your normal size.”
“Let us all be a happy group and love one another,” said Snow White.
Bashful had been staring at Alice throughout her recent exchange of dialogue, and was still watching intently, as Alice yawned and stretched herself. Now he could see deep into her mouth. Her tongue was as magnificent as her lips, yet her intentions for him would have been rather one sided, had Jean and Snow White not been there to protect him.
“I’ve always loved the Dwarfs,” said Alice, “but they don’t love me.”
“No one can love a person he’s afraid of,” said Jean.
“Robert does, and I almost ate him several times when I was hungry in Wonderland.”
“But did he love you while you were almost eating him?” asked Jean.
“I think so,” said Alice.
“Well Snow White knows the Dwarfs much better than you. If you behave and don’t scare them, I’m sure they’ll grow very fond of you,” said Jean.
The party finally reached the Royal Palace of Brobdingnag. There they were warmly greeted by the Queen, Glumbdalclitch and young Gary Gulliver. They were given the freedom of the palace to explore, and they all began to make new friends. After a while, it was noticed that there seemed to be only six dwarfs around at any one time. After some brief discussion, Snow White confirmed that Bashful had not been seen for some time.
“I saw Bashful going into the Queen’s dressing room,” said one of the palace maidens.
“I am sure I noticed Alice leaving the room around the same time that Bashful’s absence was first noticed,” said Queen.
Hearing this, Jean and Snow White exchanged startled glances, for they remembered how often Alice had longed to eat a dwarf. Jean jumped up at once.
“Come, your Majesty,” she said anxiously, “Let us go ourselves to search for Bashful.”