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