So the two went to the Queen’s dressing room and searched carefully in every corner and among the vases and baskets and ornaments that stood about the grand boudoir. They could not find a trace of the tiny dwarf they sought. 

Jean was nearly weeping. By this time, the Queen was angry and indignant. When they returned to the others, the Queen said:

“There is little doubt that Bashful has been eaten by that horrid girl, and if that is true, the offender must be punished.”

“I don’t believe Alice would do such a selfish thing,” said Jean, much distressed, “Go and fetch Alice, Glumbdalclitch, and we’ll hear what she has to say about it.”

Glumbdalclitch hastened away but presently returned and said that Alice was refusing to come.

“Where is she?” asked Jean.

“On the bed in her own guest room,” was the reply.

So Jean went to the room and found Alice relaxing on the bed.

“You must go to the Queen. She wants to talk to you,” said Jean.

“Alright,” said Alice, “I’m not afraid of the Queen or anyone else.”

Dorothy led her back to where the others sat in grieved and thoughtful silence.

“Tell me, Alice,” asked the Queen, “Did you eat Bashful the dwarf?”

“I won’t answer such a foolish question,” said Alice.

“Oh yes you will,” Jean declared, “Bashful is gone, and you were in the vicinity, when he went into the Queen’s dressing room. So if you are innocent, Alice, you must tell the Queen how you came to be near her room and what has become of Bashful.”

“Who accuses me?” asked Alice defiantly.

“No one,” answered the Queen, “Your actions alone accuse you. The fact is that you left our party shortly after Bashful. You were seen near my room, where Bashful was seen, around the same time, and Bashful is gone.”

“That’s none of my business,” scoffed Alice.

“Don’t be impudent, Alice,” said Jean.

“It is you who are being impudent,” said Alice, “for accusing me of such a crime when you can’t prove it except by guessing.”

The Queen was now greatly incensed by Alice’s conduct. She had Glumbdalclitch take Alice away to the dungeon, until her trial. Alice sat in the dungeon, recalling the trial that had worked more in her favour, when she had first wanted to eat Robert in Wonderland and had ended up eating one of the Queen of Wonderland’s officials. Now she was in the dungeon. Even shrinking to her earth size would not have enabled her to get out of the dungeon. There were no suitable holes.

The Queen summoned the court to meet in the Throne Room at three o’clock, with herself as Judge. The Queen appointed a palace maiden named June to defend Alice, and another named Forda to act as the prosecutor. Twelve palace maidens were chosen as jurors.

Snow White had no doubt that Alice had eaten Bashful. Yet she realised that a teenaged girl cannot be depended on at all times to act properly, since it is often their nature to commit callous acts of cruelty and laugh about them. Snow White knew that if Alice was found guilty, Jean too would be very unhappy, and so would the most exceptionally devoted Robert (Robert, who was reported to have continued loving Alice in spite of her attempts to eat him, Robert, whom Snow White had not yet met, and Robert who must have loved Alice beyond words to have remained so devoted). So, although she grieved over Bashful’s fate as much as any of them, more so in fact, she resolved to help Alice avoid a conviction if possible.