Looking Straight at Me and Then Slowly to the Left and Straight at Me Again

Chapter I

Downwards the Rabbit-Hole

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sis on the bank, and of having nothing to do: in one case or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, merely information technology had no pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a volume,' thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?'

So she was considering in her ain heed (every bit well every bit 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 problem of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pinkish eyes ran close by her.

There was zero so very remarkable in that; nor did Alice think information technology so very much out of the style to hear the Rabbit say to itself, `Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!' (when she idea it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to take wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit actually took a lookout out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at information technology, and so hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her listen that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a sentinel to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field subsequently information technology, and fortunately was just in time to encounter it popular down a big rabbit-hole under the hedge.

White Rabbit checking sentinel

In some other moment downwardly went Alice after it, never one time considering how in the globe she was to become out over again.

The rabbit-hole went directly on like a tunnel for some fashion, and and so dipped of a sudden down, then suddenly that Alice had not a moment to call back about stopping herself before she found herself falling downward a very deep well.

Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went downwards 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 annihilation; and then she looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves; here and in that location she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a jar from 1 of the shelves as she passed; it was labelled `ORANGE MARMALADE', merely to her bang-up disappointment it was empty: she did non like to drop the jar for fear of killing somebody, then managed to put it into ane of the cupboards as she savage by it.

`Well!' thought Alice to herself, `after such a fall equally this, I shall think nix of tumbling down stairs! How dauntless they'll all think me at home! Why, I wouldn't say annihilation almost information technology, even if I barbarous off the meridian of the house!' (Which was very likely true.)

Down, downwards, down. Would the fall never come up to an cease! `I wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?' she said aloud. `I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the world. Let me see: that would be 4 thousand miles downwards, I remember--' (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, every bit there was no one to mind to her, still information technology was practiced practice to say it over) `--yes, that'south about the right distance--merely so I wonder what Latitude or Longitude I've got to?' (Alice had no idea what Breadth was, or Longitude either, but thought they were nice g words to say.)

Before long she began again. `I wonder if I shall fall right through the world! How funny it'll seem to come up out among the people that walk with their heads down! The Antipathies, I retrieve--' (she was rather glad at that place was no one listening, this time, as it didn't sound at all the correct word) `--merely I shall have to ask them what the name of the land is, you know. Delight, Ma'am, is this New Zealand or Australia?' (and she tried to curtsey every bit she spoke--fancy curtseying as yous're falling through the air! Do you lot think y'all could manage it?) `And what an ignorant piddling girl she'll call back me for asking! No, it'll never do to ask: mayhap I shall see it written upwardly somewhere.'

Down, downward, down. There was nothing else to exercise, then Alice before long began talking over again. `Dinah'll miss me very much to-nighttime, I should think!' (Dinah was the true cat.) `I hope they'll think her saucer of milk at tea-time. Dinah my beloved! I wish yous were downward here with me! There are no mice in the air, I'one thousand afraid, but you lot might catch a bat, and that's very like a mouse, you know. Merely practise cats eat bats, I wonder?' And here Alice began to get rather sleepy, and went on saying to herself, in a dreamy sort of manner, `Practice cats eat bats? Do cats swallow bats?' and sometimes, `Do bats eat cats?' for, you see, as she couldn't answer either question, it didn't much thing which way she put it. She felt that she was dozing off, and had only begun to dream that she was walking mitt in hand with Dinah, and saying to her very earnestly, `Now, Dinah, tell me the truth: did y'all ever eat a bat?' when suddenly, thump! thump! downward she came upon a heap of sticks and dry out leaves, and the autumn was over.

Alice was not a bit hurt, and she jumped up on to her feet in a moment: she looked upwards, but it was all dark overhead; before her was some other long passage, and the White Rabbit was notwithstanding in sight, hurrying down it. In that location was not a moment to exist lost: away went Alice like the wind, and was simply in time to hear information technology say, as information technology turned a corner, `Oh my ears and whiskers, how late information technology's getting!' She was shut behind it when she turned the corner, simply the Rabbit was no longer to be seen: she establish herself in a long, depression hall, which was lit upwardly past a row of lamps hanging from the roof.

There were doors all round the hall, but they were all locked; and when Alice had been all the manner down one side and up the other, trying every door, she walked sadly downwardly the middle, wondering how she was ever to get out again.

Suddenly she came upon a niggling three-legged table, all made of solid glass; there was nothing on it except a tiny gilded key, and Alice's offset thought was that information technology might belong to one of the doors of the hall; but, alas! either the locks were too large, or the primal was besides small, but at any rate it would not open whatever of them. Nonetheless, on the 2nd time circular, she came upon a low pall she had not noticed earlier, and backside it was a little door about fifteen inches high: she tried the trivial golden key in the lock, and to her bully delight information technology fitted!

Alice finding tiny door backside drapery

Alice opened the door and found that it led into a small passage, non much larger than a rat-pigsty: she knelt down and looked forth the passage into the loveliest garden you always saw. How she longed to go out of that dark hall, and wander about amongst those beds of brilliant flowers and those cool fountains, just she could non fifty-fifty get her head though the doorway; `and fifty-fifty if my head would become through,' idea poor Alice, `it would be of very little use without my shoulders. Oh, how I wish I could shut up like a telescope! I recollect I could, if I only know how to begin.' For, you see, and then many out-of-the-style things had happened lately, that Alice had begun to recollect that very few things indeed were really impossible.

There seemed to be no utilise in waiting by the trivial door, and then she went dorsum to the table, half hoping she might detect another cardinal on it, or at any rate a book of rules for shutting people up like telescopes: this fourth dimension she institute a little canteen on it, (`which certainly was not here before,' said Alice,) and round the neck of the bottle was a paper label, with the words `Drink ME' beautifully printed on it in big letters.

Alice taking "Drink Me" bottle

It was all very well to say `Potable me,' simply the wise niggling Alice was not going to do that in a hurry. `No, I'll look outset,' she said, `and run across whether information technology's marked "poison" or not'; for she had read several nice little histories about children who had got burnt, and eaten upwards by wild beasts and other unpleasant things, all because they would not remember the simple rules their friends had taught them: such every bit, that a red-hot poker volition burn down you if you concur it too long; and that if you cut your finger very deeply with a pocketknife, it usually bleeds; and she had never forgotten that, if you drink much from a bottle marked `poison,' it is almost certain to disagree with you lot, sooner or later.

Notwithstanding, this canteen was not marked `toxicant,' so Alice ventured to taste it, and finding it very dainty, (information technology had, in fact, a sort of mixed flavour of carmine-tart, custard, pine-apple, roast turkey, toffee, and hot buttered toast,) she very presently finished it off.

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`What a curious feeling!' said Alice; `I must be shutting up like a telescope.'

Then information technology was indeed: she was now but x inches high, and her confront brightened upward at the thought that she was now the right size for going through the niggling door into that lovely garden. First, however, she waited for a few minutes to run into if she was going to shrink any further: she felt a little nervous nigh this; `for it might stop, you know,' said Alice to herself, `in my going out altogether, similar a candle. I wonder what I should be similar and then?' And she tried to fancy what the flame of a candle is like after the candle is blown out, for she could not remember e'er having seen such a thing.

Subsequently a while, finding that nix more happened, she decided on going into the garden at once; but, alas for poor Alice! when she got to the door, she found she had forgotten the little golden key, and when she went dorsum to the table for information technology, she found she could not peradventure accomplish information technology: she could see information technology quite plainly through the drinking glass, and she tried her best to climb up one of the legs of the table, just it was too slippery; and when she had tired herself out with trying, the poor little thing saturday down and cried.

`Come, there's no use in crying like that!' said Alice to herself, rather sharply; `I advise y'all to get out off this infinitesimal!' She generally gave herself very good advice, (though she very seldom followed it), and sometimes she scolded herself so severely as to bring tears into her eyes; and once she remembered trying to box her ain ears for having cheated herself in a game of croquet she was playing confronting herself, for this curious child was very fond of pretending to be 2 people. `Merely it'southward no apply at present,' idea poor Alice, `to pretend to be ii people! Why, there'due south inappreciably enough of me left to make i respectable person!'

Before long her eye fell on a piddling glass box that was lying under the tabular array: she opened it, and found in information technology a very small cake, on which the words `Consume ME' were beautifully marked in currants. `Well, I'll eat it,' said Alice, `and if information technology makes me grow larger, I can reach the key; and if information technology makes me grow smaller, I can creep nether the door; then either way I'll go into the garden, and I don't care which happens!'

She ate a piffling bit, and said anxiously to herself, `Which manner? Which way?', belongings her hand on the top of her head to feel which style it was growing, and she was quite surprised to find that she remained the same size: to exist certain, this generally happens when one eats block, merely Alice had got so much into the way of expecting nothing but out-of-the-manner things to happen, that it seemed quite slow and stupid for life to go on in the mutual way.

Then she set to work, and very soon finished off the block.

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Next chapter: The Pool of Tears

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Source: https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/alice-I.html