| Alice
was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank,
and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book
her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it,
'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice 'without pictures or
conversation?' So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she
could, for the
hot day made her 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 Rabbit with pink eyes ran
close by her. There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did
Alice think it so
very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, 'Oh dear! Oh
dear! I shall be late!' (when she thought it over afterwards, it
occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the
time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit actually took a
watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried
on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she
had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a
watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the
field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a
large rabbit-hole under the hedge. In another moment down went Alice
after it, never once considering how
in the world she was to get out again. The rabbit-hole went straight on
like a tunnel for some way, and then
dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think
about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very
deep well. Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for
she had
plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what
was going to happen next. First, she tried to look down and make out
what she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything; then she
looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with
cupboards and book-shelves; here and there she saw maps and pictures
hung upon pegs. She took down a jar from one of the shelves as she
passed; it was labelled 'orange marmalade', but to her great
disappointment it was empty: she did not like to drop the jar for fear
of killing somebody, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as
she fell past it. 'Well!' thought Alice to herself, 'after such a fall
as this, I shall
think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they'll all think me
at home! Why, I wouldn't 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 I've fallen by this time?' she 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, Alice had learnt
several things of this sort in her lessons in the schoolroom, and
though this was not a very good opportunity for showing off her
knowledge, as there was no one to listen to her, still it was good
practice to say it over) '--yes, that's about the right distance--but
then I wonder what Latitude or Longitude I've got to?' (Alice had no
idea what Latitude was, or Longitude either, but thought they were nice
grand words to say.) Presently she began again. 'I wonder if I shall
fall right through the
earth! How funny it'll seem to come out among the people that walk with
their heads downward! The Antipathies, I think--' (she was rather glad
there was no one listening, this time, as it didn't sound at all the
right word) '-- |
