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