CHAPTER I. Down the Rabbit-Hole
Alice was starting to get very sick and tired of sitting by her sister in the bank, and of having absolutely nothing to once do or twice she had peeped to the book her sister was reading, nonetheless it had no pictures or conversations with it, ‘and what’s the use of a novel,’ thought Alice ‘without pictures or conversations?’
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 creating a daisy-chain will be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran near by her.
There clearly was nothing so VERY remarkable for the reason that; nor did Alice think it so VERY much out of the solution to hear the Rabbit say to itself, ‘Oh dear! Oh dear! I will be late!’ (when she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her 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 best paper writing service the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge 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.
An additional moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how on the planet she would be to move out again.
The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for a few way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not an instant 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, as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next for she had plenty of time. First, she tried to look down and make out what she was coming to, nonetheless it was too dark to see anything; then she looked at the sides of the well, and noticed which they were full of cupboards and book-shelves; every now and then she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a jar from one associated with shelves into one of the cupboards as she fell past it 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.
‘Well!’ thought Alice to herself, ‘after such a fall since this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they are going to all think me in the home! Why, i mightn’t say anything if I fell off the top of your home!’ (Which was most likely true. about this, even)
Down, down, down. Would the fall NEVER arrive at a finish! ‘I wonder how miles that are many’ve fallen by this time around?’ she said aloud. ‘I must certanly be getting somewhere near the centre regarding the earth. Allow me to see: that would be four thousand miles down, I think–‘ (for, the truth is, Alice had learnt several things of this sort in her lessons into the schoolroom, and though it was not a tremendously good chance for showing off her knowledge, as there was no body to tune in to her, still it absolutely was good practice to say it over) ‘–yes, that is about the right distance–but then I wonder what Latitude or Longitude I’ve surely got to?’ (Alice had no idea what Latitude was, or Longitude either, but thought they certainly were nice grand words to express.)
Presently she began again. ‘I wonder if I shall fall right THROUGH the planet earth! How funny it will seem to turn out among the list of social people that walk along 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 of the right word) ‘–but i will have to ask them what the name regarding the country is, you understand. Please, Ma’am, is it New Zealand or Australia?’ (and she tried to curtsey as she spoke–fancy CURTSEYING while you’re falling through the air! Can you are thought by you can manage it?) ‘And what an ignorant girl that is little’ll think me for asking! No, it’s going to never do in order to ask: perhaps it shall be seen by me written up somewhere.’
Down, down, down. There was nothing else to accomplish, so Alice soon began talking again. ‘Dinah’ll miss me very to-night that is much I should think!’ (Dinah was the cat.) ‘I hope they are going to remember her saucer of milk at tea-time. Dinah my dear! You are wished by me were down here beside me! There aren’t any mice within the fresh air, i am afraid, you might catch a bat, and that’s very like a mouse, you know. But do cats eat bats, I wonder?’ And here Alice started to get rather sleepy, and went on saying to herself, in a dreamy sort of way, ‘Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?’ and often, ‘Do bats eat cats?’ for, you see, as she couldn’t answer either question, it did not much matter which way she put it. She felt that she was walking hand in hand with Dinah, and saying to her very earnestly, ‘Now, Dinah, tell me the truth: did you ever eat a bat?’ when suddenly, thump that she was dozing off, and had just begun to dream! thump! down she came upon a heap of sticks and leaves that are dry therefore the fall was over.
Alice had not been a bit hurt, and she jumped through to to her feet in a second: she looked up, nonetheless it was all overhead that is dark before her was another long passage, plus the White Rabbit was still in sight, hurrying down it. There is not a moment to be lost: away went Alice like the wind, and was just with time to listen to it say, as it turned a corner, ‘Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it is getting!’ She was close behind it when she turned the corner, but the Rabbit was no more to be noticed: she found herself in a lengthy, low hall, which was lit up by a row of lamps hanging through the roof.
There were doors at all times the hall, however they were all locked; so when Alice was indeed all of the way down one side or more the other, trying every door, she walked sadly down the middle, wondering how she was ever to leave again.
Suddenly she came upon a little three-legged table, all made from solid glass; there was nothing that it 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 on it except a tiny golden key, and Alice’s first thought was. However, in the second time round, she come upon a reduced curtain she had not noticed before, and behind it absolutely was just a little door about fifteen inches high: she tried the little golden key in the lock, and also to her great delight it fitted!
Alice opened the door and found she knelt down and looked along the passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw that it led into a small passage, not much larger than a rat-hole. How she longed to leave of the dark hall, and wander about among those beds of bright flowers and people cool fountains, but she could not really get her head through the doorway; ‘and even if my head would go through,’ thought poor Alice, ‘it will be of hardly any use without my shoulders. Oh, the way I wish I could shut up like a telescope! I do believe i really could, if I only learn how to begin.’ For, the thing is, a lot of out-of-the-way things had happened lately, that Alice had begun to genuinely believe that very few things indeed were really impossible.