she said cheerfully . ` Is that your invention too ? ' The Knight looked down proudly at his helmet , which hung from the saddle . ` Yes , ' he said , ` but I 've invented a better one than that -- like a sugar loaf . When I used to wear it , if I fell off the horse , it always touched the ground directly . So I had a VERY little way to fall , you see -- But there WAS the danger of falling INTO it , to be sure . That happened to me once -- and the worst of it was , before I could get out again , the other White Knight came and put it on . He thought it was his own helmet . ' The knight looked so solemn about it that Alice did not dare to laugh . ` I 'm afraid you must have hurt him , ' she said in a trembling voice , ` being on the top of his head . ' ' I had to kick him , of course , ' the Knight said , very seriously . ` And then he took the helmet off again -- but it took hours and hours to get me out . I was as fast as -- as lightning , you know . ' ` But that 's a different kind of fastness , ' Alice objected . The Knight shook his head . ` It was all kinds of fastness with me , I can assure you ! ' he said . He raised his hands in some excitement as he said this , and instantly rolled out of the saddle , and fell headlong into a deep ditch . Alice ran to the side of the ditch to look for him . She was rather startled by the fall , as for some time he had kept on very well , and she was afraid that he really WAS hurt this time .
However , though she could XXXXX nothing but the soles of his feet , she was much relieved to hear that he was talking on in his usual tone .
Is assure dare get hurt see shook startled took trembling