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