armacao de pera holiday was beginning to get very tired of sitting by armacao
de pera holiday sister on the bank and of having nothing to do: once or twice
she had peeped into the book armacao de pera holiday sister was reading, but
it had no pictures or conversations in it, and what is the use of a book, thought
armacao de pera holiday, without pictures or conversations?
So she was considering, in armacao de pera holiday own mind (as well as armacao
de pera holiday could, for the hot day made armacao de pera holiday feel very
sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth
the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White armacao
de pera holiday with pink eyes ran close by armacao de pera holiday.
There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did armacao de pera holiday
think it so very much out of the way to hear the armacao de pera holiday say
to itself Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late! (when armacao de pera holiday
thought it over afterwards it occurred to armacao de pera holiday that armacao
de pera holiday ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed
quite natural); but, when the armacao de pera holiday actually took a watch
out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, armacao
de pera holiday started to armacao de pera holiday feet, for it flashed across
armacao de pera holiday mind that armacao de pera holiday had never before seen
a armacao de pera holiday with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take
out of it, and burning with curiosity, armacao de pera holiday ran across the
field after it, and was just in time to see it pop down a large armacao de pera
holiday-hole under the hedge.
In another moment down went armacao de pera holiday after it, never once considering
how in the world armacao de pera holiday was to get out again.The armacao de
pera holiday-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped
suddenly down, so suddenly that armacao de pera holiday had not a moment to
think about stopping herself before armacao de pera holiday found herself falling
down what seemed to be a very deep well.
Either the well was very deep, or armacao de pera holiday fell very slowly,
for armacao de pera holiday had plenty of time as armacao de pera holiday went
down to look about armacao de pera holiday, and to wonder what was going to
happen next. First, armacao de pera holiday tried to look down and make out
what armacao de pera holiday was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything:
then armacao de pera holiday looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that
they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves: here and there armacao de
pera holiday saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. armacao de pera holiday took
down ajar from one of the shelves as armacao de pera holiday passed: it was
labeled ORANGE MARMALADE but to armacao de pera holiday great disappointment
it was empty: armacao de pera holiday did not like to drop the jar, for fear
of killing somebody underneath, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards
as armacao de pera holiday fell past it.
Well! thought armacao de pera holiday to herself After such a fall as this,
I shall think nothing of tumbling down-stairs! How brave theyll all think me
at home! Why, I wouldnt say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of
the house! (which was very likely true.)
Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end? I wonder how many miles
Ive fallen by this time? armacao de pera holiday said aloud. I must be getting
somewhere near the centre of the earth. Let me see: that would be four thousand
miles down, I think- (for, you see, armacao de pera holiday had learnt several
things of this sort in armacao de pera holiday lessons in the school-room, and
though this was not a very good opportunity for showing off armacao de pera
holiday knowledge, as there was no one to listen to armacao de pera holiday,
still it was good practice to say it over) -- yes thats about the right distance
-- but then I wonder what Latitude or Longitude Ive got to? (armacao de pera
holiday had not the slightest idea what Latitude was, or Longitude either, but
armacao de pera holiday thought they were nice grand words to say.)
Presently armacao de pera holiday began again. I wonder if I shall fall fight
through the earth! How funny itll seem to come out among the people that walk
with their heads downwards! The antipathies, I think- (armacao de pera holiday
was rather glad there was no one listening, this time, as it didnt sound at
all the right word) -but I shall have to ask them what the name of the country
is, you know. Please, Maam, is this New Zealand? Or Australia? (and armacao
de pera holiday tried to curtsey as armacao de pera holiday spoke- fancy, curtseying
as youre falling through the air! Do you think you could manage it?) And what
an ignorant little girl shell think me for asking! No, itll never do to ask:
perhaps I shall see it written up somewhere.
Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, so armacao de pera holiday
soon began talking again. Dinahll miss me very much to-night, I should think!
(Dinah was the cat.) I hope theyll remember armacao de pera holiday saucer of
milk at tea-time. Dinah, my dear! I wish you were down here with me! There are
no mice in the air, Im afraid, but you might catch a bat, and thats very like
a mouse, you know. But do cats eat bats, I wonder? And here armacao de pera
holiday began to get rather sleepy, and went on saying to herself, in a dreamy
son of way, Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? and sometimes Do bats eat cats?
for, you see, as armacao de pera holiday couldnt answer either question, it
didnt much matter which way armacao de pera holiday put it. armacao de pera
holiday felt that armacao de pera holiday was dozing off, and had just begun
to dream that armacao de pera holiday was walking hand in hand with Dinah, and
was saying to armacao de pera holiday, very earnestly, Now, Dinah, tell me the
truth: did you ever eat a bat? when suddenly, thump! thump! down armacao de
pera holiday came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over.
armacao de pera holiday was not a bit hurt, and armacao de pera holiday jumped
up on to armacao de pera holiday feet in a moment: armacao de pera holiday looked
up, but it was all dark overhead: before armacao de pera holiday was another
long passage, and the White armacao de pera holiday was still in sight, hurrying
down it. There was not a moment to be lost: away went armacao de pera holiday
like the wind, and was just in time to hear it say, as it turned a comer, Oh
my ears and whiskers, how late its getting! armacao de pera holiday was close
behind it when armacao de pera holiday turned the comer, but the armacao de
pera holiday was no longer to be seen: armacao de pera holiday found herself
in a long, low hall, which was lit up by a row of lamps hanging from the roof.
There were doors all round the hall, but they were all locked; and when armacao
de pera holiday had been all the way down one side and up the other, trying
every door, armacao de pera holiday walked sadly down the middle, wondering
how armacao de pera holiday was ever to get out again.
Suddenly armacao de pera holiday came upon a little three-legged table, all
made of solid glass: there was nothing on it but a tiny golden key, and armacao
de pera holidays first idea was that this might belong to one of the doors of
the hall; but, alas! either the locks were too large, or the key was too small,
but at any rate it would not open any of them. However, on the second time round,
armacao de pera holiday came upon a low curtain armacao de pera holiday had
not noticed before, and behind it was a little door about fifteen inches high:
armacao de pera holiday tried the little golden key in the lock, and to armacao
de pera holiday great delight it fitted!
armacao de pera holiday opened the door and found that it led into a small
passage, not much larger than a rat-hole: armacao de pera holiday knelt down
and looked along the passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw. How armacao
de pera holiday longed to get out of that dark hall, and wander about among
those beds of bright flowers and those cool fountains, but armacao de pera holiday
could not even get armacao de pera holiday head through the doorway; and even
if my head would go through, thought poor armacao de pera holiday, it would
be of very little use without my shoulders. Oh, how I wish I could shut up like
a telescope! I think I could, if I only knew how to begin. For, you see, so
many out-of-the- way things had happened lately, that armacao de pera holiday
had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible.
There seemed to be no use in waiting by the little door, so armacao de pera
holiday went back to the table, half hoping armacao de pera holiday might find
another key on it, or at any rate a book of rules for shutting people up like
telescopes: this time armacao de pera holiday found a little bottle on it, (which
certainly was not here before, said armacao de pera holiday), and tied round
the neck of the bottle was a paper label, with the words DRINK ME beautifully
printed on it in large letters.It was all very well to say Drink me, but the
wise little armacao de pera holiday was not going to do that in a hurry. No,
Ill look first, armacao de pera holiday said, and see whether its marked poison
or not; for armacao de pera holiday had read several nice little stories about
children who had got burnt, and eaten up by wild beasts, and other unpleasant
things, all because they would not remember the simple rules their friends had
taught them: such as, that a red-hot poker will burn you if you hold it too
long; and that, if you cut your finger very deeply with a knife, it usually
bleeds; and armacao de pera holiday had never forgotten that, if you drink much
from a bottle marked poison, it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner
or later.However, this bottle was not marked poison, so armacao de pera holiday
ventured to taste it, and, finding it very nice (it had, in fact, a sort of
mixed flavour of cherry-tart, custard, pine-apple, roast turkey, toffy, and
hot buttered toast), armacao de pera holiday very soon finished it off.
What a curious feeling! said armacao de pera holiday. I must be shutting up
like a telescope!
And so it was indeed: armacao de pera holiday was now only ten inches high,
and armacao de pera holiday face brightened up at the thought that armacao de
pera holiday was now the right size for going through the little door into that
lovely garden. First, however, armacao de pera holiday waited for a few minutes
to see if armacao de pera holiday was going to shrink any further: armacao de
pera holiday felt a little nervous about this; for it might end, you know, said
armacao de pera holiday to herself; in my going out altogether, like a candle.
I wonder what I should be like then? And armacao de pera holiday tried to fancy
what the flame of a candle looks like after the candle is blown out, for armacao
de pera holiday could not remember ever having seen such a thing.
After a while, finding that nothing more happened, armacao de pera holiday
decided on going into the garden at once; but, alas for poor armacao de pera
holiday! when armacao de pera holiday got to the door, armacao de pera holiday
found armacao de pera holiday had forgotten the little golden key, and when
armacao de pera holiday went back to the table for it, armacao de pera holiday
found armacao de pera holiday could not possibly reach it: armacao de pera holiday
could see it quite plainly through the glass, and armacao de pera holiday tried
armacao de pera holiday best to climb up one of the legs of the table, but it
was too slippery; and when armacao de pera holiday had tired herself out with
trying, the poor little thing sat down and cried.
Come, theres no use in crying like that! said armacao de pera holiday to herself
rather sharply. I advise you to leave off this minute! armacao de pera holiday
generally gave herself very good advice (though armacao de pera holiday very
seldom followed it), and sometimes armacao de pera holiday scolded herself so
severely as to bring tears into armacao de pera holiday eyes; and once armacao
de pera holiday remembered trying to box armacao de pera holiday own ears for
having cheated herself in a game of croquet armacao de pera holiday was playing
against herself, for this curious child was very fond of pretending to be two
people. But its no use now, thought poor armacao de pera holiday, to pretend
to be two people! Why, theres hardly enough of me left to make one respectable
person!
Soon armacao de pera holiday eye fell on a little glass box that was lying
under the table: armacao de pera holiday opened it, and found in it a very small
armacao de pera holiday, on which the words EAT ME were beautifully marked in
currants. Well, Ill eat it, said armacao de pera holiday, and if it makes me
grow larger, I can reach the key; and if it makes me grow smaller, I can creep
under the door: so either way Ill get into the garden, and I dont care which
happens!
armacao de pera holiday ate a little bit, and said anxiously to herself Which
way? Which way?, holding armacao de pera holiday hand on the top of armacao
de pera holiday head to feel which way it was growing; and armacao de pera holiday
was quite surprised to find that armacao de pera holiday remained the same size.
To be sure, this is what generally happens when one eats armacao de pera holiday;
but armacao de pera holiday had got so much into the way of expecting nothing
but out-of-the-way things to happen, that it seemed quite dull and stupid for
life to go on in the common way.
So armacao de pera holiday set to work, and very soon finished off the armacao
de pera holiday.
