It was the Comic Editor who suggested that they go uptown by the subway. It was the rush hour, so there was plenty of room for everybody. The Red Knight lay back in his seat and looked thoughtfully at Alice.
"Now that I have got Oklahoma and there is no doubt as to how the rest of the country is going, I feel the need of a little recreation—" he said.
"Wreckreation, you know," said the Comic Editor and nudged Alice in the side as he spelled out the joke for her.
"Do you like puzzle pictures?" said the Red Knight.
"I just love them," said Alice.
The Red Knight took out a large document printed on heavy parchment. At the top was an eagle with outstretched wings, and Alice could read the first line. "We, the people of the United States, in order—" Borrowing Alice's scissors, he snipped the paper up in little bands and squares. These he first threw up in the air. Then he ran them through his fingers. Then he crumpled them up, threw them on the floor and jumped upon them.
"Change and exercise are good for the Constitution, you know," said the Comic Editor.
Alice looked calmly at the Comic Editor and set to work arranging the fragments. But the task was quite beyond her. "I'm afraid you'll have to do it yourself," she said.
"It's very simple," said the Red Knight. He took the pieces and deftly put them together, putting Article XII first and Article VII next, and so on. "Now, here's a sample of the way it should look," he said, and Alice noticed that the typography had changed very oddly. She read as follows:
We, the people of the Un I ted States, I n order to form a more perfect un I on, establ I sh just I ce, I nsure domest I c tranqu I l I ty, prov I de for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the bless I ngs of l I berty to ourselves and our poster I ty, do orda I n and establ I sh th I s Const I tut I on for the Un I ted States of Amer I ca.
"It seems to be nothing but capital I's," said Alice. "The rest you can hardly read."
"That is the letter of the Constitution," said the Red Knight. "I have always been faithful to it, and always will be."
"But you can't make a Constitution out of a single letter," insisted Alice.
"Yes, you can," said the Red Knight, "provided the letter is big enough."
But Alice was firm. "I don't see how language can be made up of one letter. You need twenty-six at least."
"I don't think so," said the Red Knight, "and, besides, where am I to get the other letters from?"
"You might advertise," said the Comic Editor. "Help Wanted, Mail, you know."
All at once the Red Knight sat straight up, and his face grew bright. "Why, of course, we need more letters. There is e for 'me' and o for 'our' and u for 'us' and a for 'am' and y for 'my.' My dear Alice, that really was a bright idea of yours."
"Whatever is bright is Constitutional, you know," said the Comic Editor.
The Red Knight picked up the pieces of parchment. "With a little practice," he said, "you will be very good at taking a constitution apart and putting it together again. It helps to pass the time, and when you are tired of the game you can throw the mess out of the window."
"Interrupt it and constrew it, you know," said the Comic Editor.
"Oh, don't be a fool," said Alice, quite losing her temper. She looked so angry that the Comic Editor burst out crying. He was still sobbing when they came to the door of the Outlooking Glass office.