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