魚仆人從胳膊下面拿出一封很大的信,這信幾乎有他身子那么大,然后把信遞給那一個,同時還用嚴肅的聲調說:“致公爵夫人:王后邀請她去玩槌球。”那位青蛙仆人只不過把語序變了一下,用同樣嚴肅的聲調重復著說:“王后的邀請:請公爵夫人去玩槌球。”
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
CHAPTER VI Pig and Pepper
For a minute or two she stood looking at the house, and wondering what to do next, when suddenly a footman in livery came running out of the wood--(she considered him to be a footman because he was in livery: otherwise, judging by his face only, she would have called him a fish)--and rapped loudly at the door with his knuckles. It was opened by another footman in livery, with a round face, and large eyes like a frog; and both footmen, Alice noticed, had powdered hair that curled all over their heads. She felt very curious to know what it was all about, and crept a little way out of the wood to listen.
The Fish-Footman began by producing from under his arm a great letter, nearly as large as himself, and this he handed over to the other, saying, in a solemn tone, `For the Duchess. An invitation from the Queen to play croquet.' The Frog-Footman repeated, in the same solemn tone, only changing the order of the words a little, `From the Queen. An invitation for the Duchess to play croquet.'