michael@0: Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister michael@0: on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had michael@0: peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no michael@0: pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a book,' michael@0: thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?' michael@0: michael@0: So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, michael@0: for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether michael@0: the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble michael@0: of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White michael@0: Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her. michael@0: michael@0: There was nothing so VERY remarkable in that; nor did Alice michael@0: think it so VERY much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to michael@0: itself, `Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!' (when she thought michael@0: it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have michael@0: wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); michael@0: but when the Rabbit actually TOOK A WATCH OUT OF ITS WAISTCOAT- michael@0: POCKET, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to michael@0: her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never michael@0: before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to michael@0: take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the michael@0: field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop michael@0: down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge. michael@0: michael@0: In another moment down went Alice after it, never once michael@0: considering how in the world she was to get out again. michael@0: michael@0: The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, michael@0: and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a michael@0: moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself michael@0: falling down a very deep well. michael@0: michael@0: Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she michael@0: had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to michael@0: wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look michael@0: down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to michael@0: see anything; then she looked at the sides of the well, and michael@0: noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves; michael@0: here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She michael@0: took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed; it was michael@0: labelled `ORANGE MARMALADE', but to her great disappointment it michael@0: was empty: she did not like to drop the jar for fear of killing michael@0: somebody, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she michael@0: fell past it. michael@0: michael@0: `Well!' thought Alice to herself, `after such a fall as this, I michael@0: shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they'll michael@0: all think me at home! Why, I wouldn't say anything about it, michael@0: even if I fell off the top of the house!' (Which was very likely michael@0: true.) michael@0: michael@0: Down, down, down. Would the fall NEVER come to an end! `I michael@0: wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?' she said aloud. michael@0: `I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth. Let michael@0: me see: that would be four thousand miles down, I think--' (for, michael@0: you see, Alice had learnt several things of this sort in her michael@0: lessons in the schoolroom, and though this was not a VERY good michael@0: opportunity for showing off her knowledge, as there was no one to michael@0: listen to her, still it was good practice to say it over) `--yes, michael@0: that's about the right distance--but then I wonder what Latitude michael@0: or Longitude I've got to?' (Alice had no idea what Latitude was, michael@0: or Longitude either, but thought they were nice grand words to michael@0: say.) michael@0: michael@0: Presently she began again. `I wonder if I shall fall right michael@0: THROUGH the earth! How funny it'll seem to come out among the michael@0: people that walk with their heads downward! The Antipathies, I michael@0: think--' (she was rather glad there WAS no one listening, this michael@0: time, as it didn't sound at all the right word) `--but I shall michael@0: have to ask them what the name of the country is, you know. michael@0: Please, Ma'am, is this New Zealand or Australia?' (and she tried michael@0: to curtsey as she spoke--fancy CURTSEYING as you're falling michael@0: through the air! Do you think you could manage it?) `And what michael@0: an ignorant little girl she'll think me for asking! No, it'll michael@0: never do to ask: perhaps I shall see it written up somewhere.' michael@0: michael@0: Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, so Alice soon michael@0: began talking again. `Dinah'll miss me very much to-night, I michael@0: should think!' (Dinah was the cat.) `I hope they'll remember michael@0: her saucer of milk at tea-time. Dinah my dear! I wish you were michael@0: down here with me! There are no mice in the air, I'm afraid, but michael@0: you might catch a bat, and that's very like a mouse, you know. michael@0: But do cats eat bats, I wonder?' And here Alice began to get michael@0: rather sleepy, and went on saying to herself, in a dreamy sort of michael@0: way, `Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?' and sometimes, `Do michael@0: bats eat cats?' for, you see, as she couldn't answer either michael@0: question, it didn't much matter which way she put it. She felt michael@0: that she was dozing off, and had just begun to dream that she michael@0: was walking hand in hand with Dinah, and saying to her very michael@0: earnestly, `Now, Dinah, tell me the truth: did you ever eat a michael@0: bat?' when suddenly, thump! thump! down she came upon a heap of michael@0: sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over. michael@0: michael@0: Alice was not a bit hurt, and she jumped up on to her feet in a michael@0: moment: she looked up, but it was all dark overhead; before her michael@0: was another long passage, and the White Rabbit was still in michael@0: sight, hurrying down it. There was not a moment to be lost: michael@0: away went Alice like the wind, and was just in time to hear it michael@0: say, as it turned a corner, `Oh my ears and whiskers, how late michael@0: it's getting!' She was close behind it when she turned the michael@0: corner, but the Rabbit was no longer to be seen: she found michael@0: herself in a long, low hall, which was lit up by a row of lamps michael@0: hanging from the roof. michael@0: michael@0: There were doors all round the hall, but they were all locked; michael@0: and when Alice had been all the way down one side and up the michael@0: other, trying every door, she walked sadly down the middle, michael@0: wondering how she was ever to get out again. michael@0: michael@0: Suddenly she came upon a little three-legged table, all made of michael@0: solid glass; there was nothing on it except a tiny golden key, michael@0: and Alice's first thought was that it might belong to one of the michael@0: doors of the hall; but, alas! either the locks were too large, or michael@0: the key was too small, but at any rate it would not open any of michael@0: them. However, on the second time round, she came upon a low michael@0: curtain she had not noticed before, and behind it was a little michael@0: door about fifteen inches high: she tried the little golden key michael@0: in the lock, and to her great delight it fitted! michael@0: michael@0: Alice opened the door and found that it led into a small michael@0: passage, not much larger than a rat-hole: she knelt down and michael@0: looked along the passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw. michael@0: How she longed to get out of that dark hall, and wander about michael@0: among those beds of bright flowers and those cool fountains, but michael@0: she could not even get her head though the doorway; `and even if michael@0: my head would go through,' thought poor Alice, `it would be of michael@0: very little use without my shoulders. Oh, how I wish michael@0: I could shut up like a telescope! I think I could, if I only michael@0: know how to begin.' For, you see, so many out-of-the-way things michael@0: had happened lately, that Alice had begun to think that very few michael@0: things indeed were really impossible. michael@0: michael@0: There seemed to be no use in waiting by the little door, so she michael@0: went back to the table, half hoping she might find another key on michael@0: it, or at any rate a book of rules for shutting people up like michael@0: telescopes: this time she found a little bottle on it, (`which michael@0: certainly was not here before,' said Alice,) and round the neck michael@0: of the bottle was a paper label, with the words `DRINK ME' michael@0: beautifully printed on it in large letters. michael@0: michael@0: It was all very well to say `Drink me,' but the wise little michael@0: Alice was not going to do THAT in a hurry. `No, I'll look michael@0: first,' she said, `and see whether it's marked "poison" or not'; michael@0: for she had read several nice little histories about children who michael@0: had got burnt, and eaten up by wild beasts and other unpleasant michael@0: things, all because they WOULD not remember the simple rules michael@0: their friends had taught them: such as, that a red-hot poker michael@0: will burn you if you hold it too long; and that if you cut your michael@0: finger VERY deeply with a knife, it usually bleeds; and she had michael@0: never forgotten that, if you drink much from a bottle marked michael@0: `poison,' it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or michael@0: later. michael@0: michael@0: However, this bottle was NOT marked `poison,' so Alice ventured michael@0: to taste it, and finding it very nice, (it had, in fact, a sort michael@0: of mixed flavour of cherry-tart, custard, pine-apple, roast michael@0: turkey, toffee, and hot buttered toast,) she very soon finished michael@0: it off. michael@0: michael@0: * * * * * * * michael@0: michael@0: * * * * * * michael@0: michael@0: * * * * * * * michael@0: michael@0: `What a curious feeling!' said Alice; `I must be shutting up michael@0: like a telescope.' michael@0: michael@0: And so it was indeed: she was now only ten inches high, and michael@0: her face brightened up at the thought that she was now the right michael@0: size for going through the little door into that lovely garden. michael@0: First, however, she waited for a few minutes to see if she was michael@0: going to shrink any further: she felt a little nervous about michael@0: this; `for it might end, you know,' said Alice to herself, `in my michael@0: going out altogether, like a candle. I wonder what I should be michael@0: like then?' And she tried to fancy what the flame of a candle is michael@0: like after the candle is blown out, for she could not remember michael@0: ever having seen such a thing. michael@0: