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