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