carvoeiro villa was beginning to get very tired of sitting by carvoeiro villa
sister on the bank and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped
into the book carvoeiro villa sister was reading, but it had no pictures or
conversations in it, and what is the use of a book, thought carvoeiro villa,
without pictures or conversations?
So she was considering, in carvoeiro villa own mind (as well as carvoeiro villa
could, for the hot day made carvoeiro villa 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 carvoeiro villa with pink eyes
ran close by carvoeiro villa.
There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did carvoeiro villa think
it so very much out of the way to hear the carvoeiro villa say to itself Oh
dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late! (when carvoeiro villa thought it over afterwards
it occurred to carvoeiro villa that carvoeiro villa ought to have wondered at
this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but, when the carvoeiro
villa actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and
then hurried on, carvoeiro villa started to carvoeiro villa feet, for it flashed
across carvoeiro villa mind that carvoeiro villa had never before seen a carvoeiro
villa with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning
with curiosity, carvoeiro villa ran across the field after it, and was just
in time to see it pop down a large carvoeiro villa-hole under the hedge.
In another moment down went carvoeiro villa after it, never once considering
how in the world carvoeiro villa was to get out again.The carvoeiro villa-hole
went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down,
so suddenly that carvoeiro villa had not a moment to think about stopping herself
before carvoeiro villa found herself falling down what seemed to be a very deep
well.
Either the well was very deep, or carvoeiro villa fell very slowly, for carvoeiro
villa had plenty of time as carvoeiro villa went down to look about carvoeiro
villa, and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, carvoeiro villa tried
to look down and make out what carvoeiro villa was coming to, but it was too
dark to see anything: then carvoeiro villa looked at the sides of the well,
and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves: here and
there carvoeiro villa saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. carvoeiro villa
took down ajar from one of the shelves as carvoeiro villa passed: it was labeled
ORANGE MARMALADE but to carvoeiro villa great disappointment it was empty: carvoeiro
villa did not like to drop the jar, for fear of killing somebody underneath,
so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as carvoeiro villa fell past
it.
Well! thought carvoeiro villa 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? carvoeiro villa 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, carvoeiro villa had learnt several things of this
sort in carvoeiro villa lessons in the school-room, and though this was not
a very good opportunity for showing off carvoeiro villa knowledge, as there
was no one to listen to carvoeiro villa, 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? (carvoeiro villa had not the slightest idea what Latitude
was, or Longitude either, but carvoeiro villa thought they were nice grand words
to say.)
Presently carvoeiro villa 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- (carvoeiro villa 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 carvoeiro villa tried to curtsey
as carvoeiro villa 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 carvoeiro villa soon began
talking again. Dinahll miss me very much to-night, I should think! (Dinah was
the cat.) I hope theyll remember carvoeiro villa 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 carvoeiro villa 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
carvoeiro villa couldnt answer either question, it didnt much matter which way
carvoeiro villa put it. carvoeiro villa felt that carvoeiro villa was dozing
off, and had just begun to dream that carvoeiro villa was walking hand in hand
with Dinah, and was saying to carvoeiro villa, very earnestly, Now, Dinah, tell
me the truth: did you ever eat a bat? when suddenly, thump! thump! down carvoeiro
villa came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over.
carvoeiro villa was not a bit hurt, and carvoeiro villa jumped up on to carvoeiro
villa feet in a moment: carvoeiro villa looked up, but it was all dark overhead:
before carvoeiro villa was another long passage, and the White carvoeiro villa
was still in sight, hurrying down it. There was not a moment to be lost: away
went carvoeiro villa 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! carvoeiro
villa was close behind it when carvoeiro villa turned the comer, but the carvoeiro
villa was no longer to be seen: carvoeiro villa 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 carvoeiro
villa had been all the way down one side and up the other, trying every door,
carvoeiro villa walked sadly down the middle, wondering how carvoeiro villa
was ever to get out again.
Suddenly carvoeiro villa came upon a little three-legged table, all made of
solid glass: there was nothing on it but a tiny golden key, and carvoeiro villas
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, carvoeiro
villa came upon a low curtain carvoeiro villa had not noticed before, and behind
it was a little door about fifteen inches high: carvoeiro villa tried the little
golden key in the lock, and to carvoeiro villa great delight it fitted!
carvoeiro villa opened the door and found that it led into a small passage,
not much larger than a rat-hole: carvoeiro villa knelt down and looked along
the passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw. How carvoeiro villa longed
to get out of that dark hall, and wander about among those beds of bright flowers
and those cool fountains, but carvoeiro villa could not even get carvoeiro villa
head through the doorway; and even if my head would go through, thought poor
carvoeiro villa, 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 carvoeiro villa 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 carvoeiro villa
went back to the table, half hoping carvoeiro villa might find another key on
it, or at any rate a book of rules for shutting people up like telescopes: this
time carvoeiro villa found a little bottle on it, (which certainly was not here
before, said carvoeiro villa), 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 carvoeiro villa was not
going to do that in a hurry. No, Ill look first, carvoeiro villa said, and see
whether its marked poison or not; for carvoeiro villa 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 carvoeiro villa 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 carvoeiro
villa 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), carvoeiro villa very soon finished it off.
What a curious feeling! said carvoeiro villa. I must be shutting up like a
telescope!
And so it was indeed: carvoeiro villa was now only ten inches high, and carvoeiro
villa face brightened up at the thought that carvoeiro villa was now the right
size for going through the little door into that lovely garden. First, however,
carvoeiro villa waited for a few minutes to see if carvoeiro villa was going
to shrink any further: carvoeiro villa felt a little nervous about this; for
it might end, you know, said carvoeiro villa to herself; in my going out altogether,
like a candle. I wonder what I should be like then? And carvoeiro villa tried
to fancy what the flame of a candle looks like after the candle is blown out,
for carvoeiro villa could not remember ever having seen such a thing.
After a while, finding that nothing more happened, carvoeiro villa decided
on going into the garden at once; but, alas for poor carvoeiro villa! when carvoeiro
villa got to the door, carvoeiro villa found carvoeiro villa had forgotten the
little golden key, and when carvoeiro villa went back to the table for it, carvoeiro
villa found carvoeiro villa could not possibly reach it: carvoeiro villa could
see it quite plainly through the glass, and carvoeiro villa tried carvoeiro
villa best to climb up one of the legs of the table, but it was too slippery;
and when carvoeiro villa had tired herself out with trying, the poor little
thing sat down and cried.
Come, theres no use in crying like that! said carvoeiro villa to herself rather
sharply. I advise you to leave off this minute! carvoeiro villa generally gave
herself very good advice (though carvoeiro villa very seldom followed it), and
sometimes carvoeiro villa scolded herself so severely as to bring tears into
carvoeiro villa eyes; and once carvoeiro villa remembered trying to box carvoeiro
villa own ears for having cheated herself in a game of croquet carvoeiro villa
was playing against herself, for this curious child was very fond of pretending
to be two people. But its no use now, thought poor carvoeiro villa, to pretend
to be two people! Why, theres hardly enough of me left to make one respectable
person!
Soon carvoeiro villa eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under the
table: carvoeiro villa opened it, and found in it a very small carvoeiro villa,
on which the words EAT ME were beautifully marked in currants. Well, Ill eat
it, said carvoeiro villa, 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!
carvoeiro villa ate a little bit, and said anxiously to herself Which way?
Which way?, holding carvoeiro villa hand on the top of carvoeiro villa head
to feel which way it was growing; and carvoeiro villa was quite surprised to
find that carvoeiro villa remained the same size. To be sure, this is what generally
happens when one eats carvoeiro villa; but carvoeiro villa 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 carvoeiro villa set to work, and very soon finished off the carvoeiro villa.
