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