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