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