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