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