Page:Complete Works of Lewis Carroll.djvu/1250

1230 "Provided that you, for your part, will adopt a pun the Mock-Turtle never made, and allow yourself to be renamed A Kill-Ease!"



is better, a clock that is right only once a year, or a clock that is right twice every day? "The latter," you reply, "unquestionably." Very good, now attend.

I have two clocks: one doesn't go at all and the other loses a minute a day: which would you prefer? "The losing one," you answer, "without a doubt." Now ob-serve: the one which loses a minute a day has to lose twelve hours, or seven hundred and twenty minutes before it is right again, consequently it is only right once in two years, whereas the other is evidently right as often as the time it points to come round, which happens twice a day.

So you've contradicted yourself once.

"Ah, but," you say, "what's the use of its being right twice a day, if I can't tell when the time comes?"

Why, suppose the clock points to eight o'clock, don't you see that the clock is right at eight o'clock? Consequently, when eight o'clock comes round your clock is right.

"Yes, I see that," you reply.

Very good, then you've contradicted yourself twice: now get out of the difficulty as best you can, and don't contradict yourself again if you can help it.

You might go on to ask, "How am I to know when eight o'clock does come? My clock will not tell me." Be