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