"Not at all," replied the Hatter. "Now then, when one is offered tea by one's host, one should obviously refuse."
"Why should one do that?" asked the Rabbit.
"Well, if one accepts, one must be grateful. One will then be in debt to the host, you see. That is hardly desirable, particularly if the host is a loan shark."
"How much in debt would one be, I might ask?"
"Oh, twenty quid or so. The amount compounds though, according to interest. Some bounders choose to charge forty or even fifty per cent interest on a simple tea debt. That is why one must be very careful at tea, and watch one's manners."
"Well, what if there is not one offered tea, but two?"
"Why, in that case, one must refuse and one must accept. The one with the longest name should refuse, of course; that way, they w
