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