== Down the Rabbit-Hole
Pov/S vrB/be/ beginning to get very tired of sitting by pov/p sister on
the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice pov/s had peeped
into the book pov/p sister was reading, but it had no pictures or
conversations in it, “and what is the use of a book,” alt/first and
second or third/pov/S thought/thought pov/S/, “without pictures or
conversations?”

So pov/s vrb/be/ considering in pov/p own mind (as well as pov/s could,
for the hot day made pov/o 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 pov/o.

There was nothing so #emph[very] remarkable in that; nor did pov/S think
it so #emph[very] much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself,
“Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!” (when pov/s thought it over
afterwards, it occurred to pov/o that pov/s ought to have wondered at
this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit
actually #emph[took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket];, and looked at
it, and then hurried on, pov/S started to pov/p feet, for it flashed
across pov/p mind that pov/s had never before seen a rabbit with either
a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with
curiosity, pov/s ran across the field after it, and fortunately vrb/be/
just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.

In another moment alt/first and second or third/pov/S went down/down
went pov/S/ after it, never once considering how in the world pov/s
vrb/be/ to get out again.

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then
dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that pov/S had not a moment to think
about stopping pov/r before pov/s found pov/r falling down a very deep
well.

Either the well was very deep, or pov/s fell very slowly, for pov/s had
plenty of time as pov/s went down to look about pov/o and to wonder what
was going to happen next. First, pov/s tried to look down and make out
what pov/s vrb/be/ coming to, but it was too dark to see anything; then
pov/s looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled
with cupboards and book-shelves; here and there pov/s saw maps and
pictures hung upon pegs. Pov/s took down a jar from one of the shelves
as pov/s passed; it was labelled “ORANGE MARMALADE”, but to pov/p great
disappointment it was empty: pov/s did not like to drop the jar for fear
of killing somebody underneath, so managed to put it into one of the
cupboards as pov/s fell past it.

“Well!” alt/first and second or third/pov/S thought/thought pov/S/ to
pov/r, “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 #emph[never] come to an end? “I wonder
how many miles I've fallen by this time?” pov/s 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, pov/S had learnt
several things of this sort in pov/p lessons in the schoolroom, and
though this was not a #emph[very] good opportunity for showing off pov/p
knowledge, as there was no one to listen to pov/o, 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?” (Pov/S had no
idea what Latitude was, or Longitude either, but thought they were nice
grand words to say.)

Presently pov/s began again. “I wonder if I shall fall right
#emph[through] the earth! How funny it'll seem to come out among the
people that walk with their heads downward! The Antipathies, I think---”
(pov/s vrb/be/ rather glad there #emph[was] no one listening, this time,
as it didn't sound at all the right word) “---but I shall have to ask
them what the name of the country is, you know. Please, Ma'am, is this
New Zealand or Australia?” (and pov/s tried to curtsey as pov/s
spoke---fancy #emph[curtseying] as you're falling through the air! Do
you think you could manage it?) “And what an ignorant little prn/n
she'll think me for asking! No, it'll never do to ask: perhaps I shall
see it written up somewhere.”

Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, so pov/S soon began
talking again. “Dinah'll miss me very much to-night, I should think!”
(Dinah was the cat.) “I hope they'll remember her saucer of milk at
tea-time. Dinah my dear! I wish you were down here with me! There are no
mice in the air, I'm afraid, but you might catch a bat, and that's very
like a mouse, you know. But do cats eat bats, I wonder?” And here pov/S
began to get rather sleepy, and went on saying to pov/r, in a dreamy
sort of way, “Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?” and sometimes, “Do
bats eat cats?” for, you see, as pov/s couldn't answer either question,
it didn't much matter which way pov/s put it. Pov/s felt that pov/s
vrb/be/ dozing off, and had just begun to dream that pov/s vrb/be/
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!
thump! down pov/s came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and the
fall was over.

Pov/S vrB/be/ not a bit hurt, and pov/s jumped up on to pov/p feet in a
moment: pov/s looked up, but it was all dark overhead; before pov/o was
another long passage, and the White Rabbit was still in sight, hurrying
down it. There was not a moment to be lost: away alt/first and second or
third/pov/S went/went pov/S/ like the wind, and was just in time to hear
it say, as it turned a corner, “Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's
getting!” Pov/s vrb/be/ close behind it when pov/s turned the corner,
but the Rabbit was no longer to be seen: pov/s found pov/r 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
pov/S had been all the way down one side and up the other, trying every
door, pov/s walked sadly down the middle, wondering how pov/s vrb/be/
ever to get out again.

Suddenly pov/s came upon a little three-legged table, all made of solid
glass; there was nothing on it except a tiny golden key, and pov/P first
thought was 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. However, on the second time
round, pov/s came upon a low curtain pov/s had not noticed before, and
behind it was a little door about fifteen inches high: pov/s tried the
little golden key in the lock, and to pov/p great delight it fitted!

Pov/S opened the door and found that it led into a small passage, not
much larger than a rat-hole: pov/s knelt down and looked along the
passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw. How pov/s longed to get
out of that dark hall, and wander about among those beds of bright
flowers and those cool fountains, but pov/s could not even get pov/p
head through the doorway; “and even if my head would go through,”
thought poor pov/O, “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 pov/S 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 pov/s went
back to the table, half hoping pov/s might find another key on it, or at
any rate a book of rules for shutting people up like telescopes: this
time pov/s found a little bottle on it, (“which certainly was not here
before,” alt/first and second or third/pov/S said/said pov/S/,) and
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 pov/O was
not going to do #emph[that] in a hurry. “No, I'll look first,” pov/s
said, “and see whether it's marked ‘#emph[poison];' or not”; for pov/s
had read several nice little histories about children who had got burnt,
and eaten up by wild beasts and other unpleasant things, all because
they #emph[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 #emph[very] deeply with a knife,
it usually bleeds; and pov/s 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 #emph[not] marked “poison,” so pov/S 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, toffee, and
hot buttered toast,) pov/s very soon finished it off.

“What a curious feeling!” alt/first and second or third/pov/S said/said
pov/S/; “I must be shutting up like a telescope.”

And so it was indeed: pov/s vrb/be/ now only ten inches high, and pov/p
face brightened up at the thought that pov/s vrb/be/ now the right size
for going through the little door into that lovely garden. First,
however, pov/s waited for a few minutes to see if pov/s vrb/be/ going to
shrink any further: pov/s felt a little nervous about this; “for it
might end, you know,” alt/first and second or third/pov/S said/said
pov/S/ to pov/r, “in my going out altogether, like a candle. I wonder
what I should be like then?” And pov/s tried to fancy what the flame of
a candle is like after the candle is blown out, for pov/s could not
remember ever having seen such a thing.

After a while, finding that nothing more happened, pov/s decided on
going into the garden at once; but, alas for poor pov/O! when pov/s got
to the door, pov/s found pov/s had forgotten the little golden key, and
when pov/s went back to the table for it, pov/s found pov/s could not
possibly reach it: pov/s could see it quite plainly through the glass,
and pov/s tried pov/p best to climb up one of the legs of the table, but
it was too slippery; and when pov/s had tired pov/r out with trying,
alt/first and second or third/pov/s/the poor little thing/ sat down and
cried.

“Come, there's no use in crying like that!” alt/first and second or
third/pov/S said/said pov/S/ to pov/r, rather sharply; “I advise you to
leave off this minute!” Pov/s generally gave pov/r very good advice,
(though pov/s very seldom followed it), and sometimes pov/s scolded
pov/r so severely as to bring tears into pov/p eyes; and once pov/s
remembered trying to box pov/p own ears for having cheated pov/r in a
game of croquet pov/s vrb/be/ playing against pov/r, for this curious
child was very fond of pretending to be two people. “But it's no use
now,” thought poor pov/O, “to pretend to be two people! Why, there's
hardly enough of me left to make #emph[one] respectable person!”

Soon pov/p eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under the
table: pov/s opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on which the
words “EAT ME” were beautifully marked in currants. “Well, I'll eat it,”
alt/first and second or third/pov/S said/said pov/S/, “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 I'll get into the garden, and I
don't care which happens!”

Pov/s ate a little bit, and said anxiously to pov/r, “Which way? Which
way?”, holding pov/p hand on the top of pov/p head to feel which way it
was growing, and pov/s vrb/be/ quite surprised to find that pov/s
remained the same size: to be sure, this generally happens when one eats
cake, but pov/S 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 pov/s set to work, and very soon finished off the cake.