1 ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll. 2 3 CHAPTER I: Down the Rabbit-Hole. 4 5 Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister 6on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had 7peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no 8pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a book,' 9thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?' 10 11 So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, 12for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether 13the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble 14of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White 15Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her. 16 17 There was nothing so VERY remarkable in that; nor did Alice 18think it so VERY much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to 19itself, `Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!' (when she thought 20it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have 21wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); 22but when the Rabbit actually TOOK A WATCH OUT OF ITS WAISTCOAT- 23POCKET, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to 24her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never 25before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to 26take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the 27field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop 28down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge. 29 30 In another moment down went Alice after it, never once 31considering how in the world she was to get out again. 32 33 The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, 34and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a 35moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself 36falling down a very deep well. 37 38 Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she 39had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to 40wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look 41down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to 42see anything; then she looked at the sides of the well, and 43noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves; 44here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She 45took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed; it was 46labelled `ORANGE MARMALADE', but to her great disappointment it 47was empty: she did not like to drop the jar for fear of killing 48somebody, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she 49fell past it. 50 51 `Well!' thought Alice to herself, `after such a fall as this, I 52shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they'll 53all think me at home! Why, I wouldn't say anything about it, 54even if I fell off the top of the house!' (Which was very likely 55true.) 56 57 Down, down, down. Would the fall NEVER come to an end! `I 58wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?' she said aloud. 59`I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth. Let 60me see: that would be four thousand miles down, I think--' (for, 61you see, Alice had learnt several things of this sort in her 62lessons in the schoolroom, and though this was not a VERY good 63opportunity for showing off her knowledge, as there was no one to 64listen to her, still it was good practice to say it over) `--yes, 65that's about the right distance--but then I wonder what Latitude 66or Longitude I've got to?' (Alice had no idea what Latitude was, 67or Longitude either, but thought they were nice grand words to 68say.) 69 70 Presently she began again. `I wonder if I shall fall right 71THROUGH the earth! How funny it'll seem to come out among the 72people that walk with their heads downward! The Antipathies, I 73think--' (she was rather glad there WAS no one listening, this 74time, as it didn't sound at all the right word) `--but I shall 75have to ask them what the name of the country is, you know. 76Please, Ma'am, is this New Zealand or Australia?' (and she tried 77to curtsey as she spoke--fancy CURTSEYING as you're falling 78through the air! Do you think you could manage it?) `And what 79an ignorant little girl she'll think me for asking! No, it'll 80never do to ask: perhaps I shall see it written up somewhere.' 81 82 Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, so Alice soon 83began talking again. `Dinah'll miss me very much to-night, I 84should think!' (Dinah was the cat.) `I hope they'll remember 85her saucer of milk at tea-time. Dinah my dear! I wish you were 86down here with me! There are no mice in the air, I'm afraid, but 87you might catch a bat, and that's very like a mouse, you know. 88But do cats eat bats, I wonder?' And here Alice began to get 89rather sleepy, and went on saying to herself, in a dreamy sort of 90way, `Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?' and sometimes, `Do 91bats eat cats?' for, you see, as she couldn't answer either 92question, it didn't much matter which way she put it. She felt 93that she was dozing off, and had just begun to dream that she 94was walking hand in hand with Dinah, and saying to her very 95earnestly, `Now, Dinah, tell me the truth: did you ever eat a 96bat?' when suddenly, thump! thump! down she came upon a heap of 97sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over. 98 99 Alice was not a bit hurt, and she jumped up on to her feet in a 100moment: she looked up, but it was all dark overhead; before her 101was another long passage, and the White Rabbit was still in 102sight, hurrying down it. There was not a moment to be lost: 103away went Alice like the wind, and was just in time to hear it 104say, as it turned a corner, `Oh my ears and whiskers, how late 105it's getting!' She was close behind it when she turned the 106corner, but the Rabbit was no longer to be seen: she found 107herself in a long, low hall, which was lit up by a row of lamps 108hanging from the roof. 109 110 There were doors all round the hall, but they were all locked; 111and when Alice had been all the way down one side and up the 112other, trying every door, she walked sadly down the middle, 113wondering how she was ever to get out again. 114 115 Suddenly she came upon a little three-legged table, all made of 116solid glass; there was nothing on it except a tiny golden key, 117and Alice's first thought was that it might belong to one of the 118doors of the hall; but, alas! either the locks were too large, or 119the key was too small, but at any rate it would not open any of 120them. However, on the second time round, she came upon a low 121curtain she had not noticed before, and behind it was a little 122door about fifteen inches high: she tried the little golden key 123in the lock, and to her great delight it fitted! 124 125 Alice opened the door and found that it led into a small 126passage, not much larger than a rat-hole: she knelt down and 127looked along the passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw. 128How she longed to get out of that dark hall, and wander about 129among those beds of bright flowers and those cool fountains, but 130she could not even get her head though the doorway; `and even if 131my head would go through,' thought poor Alice, `it would be of 132very little use without my shoulders. Oh, how I wish 133I could shut up like a telescope! I think I could, if I only 134know how to begin.' For, you see, so many out-of-the-way things 135had happened lately, that Alice had begun to think that very few 136things indeed were really impossible. 137 138 There seemed to be no use in waiting by the little door, so she 139went back to the table, half hoping she might find another key on 140it, or at any rate a book of rules for shutting people up like 141telescopes: this time she found a little bottle on it, (`which 142certainly was not here before,' said Alice,) and round the neck 143of the bottle was a paper label, with the words `DRINK ME' 144beautifully printed on it in large letters. 145 146 It was all very well to say `Drink me,' but the wise little 147Alice was not going to do THAT in a hurry. `No, I'll look 148first,' she said, `and see whether it's marked "poison" or not'; 149for she had read several nice little histories about children who 150had got burnt, and eaten up by wild beasts and other unpleasant 151things, all because they WOULD not remember the simple rules 152their friends had taught them: such as, that a red-hot poker 153will burn you if you hold it too long; and that if you cut your 154finger VERY deeply with a knife, it usually bleeds; and she had 155never forgotten that, if you drink much from a bottle marked 156`poison,' it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or 157later. 158 159 However, this bottle was NOT marked `poison,' so Alice ventured 160to taste it, and finding it very nice, (it had, in fact, a sort 161of mixed flavour of cherry-tart, custard, pine-apple, roast 162turkey, toffee, and hot buttered toast,) she very soon finished 163it off. 164 * * * * * * * 165 166 * * * * * * 167 168 * * * * * * * 169 170 `What a curious feeling!' said Alice; `I must be shutting up 171like a telescope.' 172 173 And so it was indeed: she was now only ten inches high, and 174her face brightened up at the thought that she was now the right 175size for going though the little door into that lovely garden. 176First, however, she waited for a few minutes to see if she was 177going to shrink any further: she felt a little nervous about 178this; `for it might end, you know,' said Alice to herself, `in my 179going out altogether, like a candle. I wonder what I should be 180like then?' And she tried to fancy what the flame of a candle is 181like after the candle is blown out, for she could not remember 182ever having seen such a thing. 183 184 After a while, finding that nothing more happened, she decided 185on going into the garden at once; but, alas for poor Alice! when 186she got to the door, she found he had forgotten the little golden 187key, and when she went back to the table for it, she found she 188could not possibly reach it: she could see it quite plainly 189through the glass, and she tried her best to climb up one of the 190legs of the table, but it was too slippery; and when she had 191tired herself out with trying, the poor little thing sat down and 192cried. 193 194 `Come, there's no use in crying like that!' said Alice to 195herself, rather sharply; `I advise you to leave off this minute!' 196She generally gave herself very good advice, (though she very 197seldom followed it), and sometimes she scolded herself so 198severely as to bring tears into her eyes; and once she remembered 199trying to box her own ears for having cheated herself in a game 200of croquet she was playing against herself, for this curious 201child was very fond of pretending to be two people. `But it's no 202use now,' thought poor Alice, `to pretend to be two people! Why, 203there's hardly enough of me left to make ONE respectable 204person!' 205 206 Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under 207the table: she opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on 208which the words `EAT ME' were beautifully marked in currants. 209`Well, I'll eat it,' said Alice, `and if it makes me grow larger, 210I can reach the key; and if it makes me grow smaller, I can creep 211under the door; so either way I'll get into the garden, and I 212don't care which happens!' 213 214 She ate a little bit, and said anxiously to herself, `Which 215way? Which way?', holding her hand on the top of her head to 216feel which way it was growing, and she was quite surprised to 217find that she remained the same size: to be sure, this generally 218happens when one eats cake, but Alice had got so much into the 219way of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things to happen, 220that it seemed quite dull and stupid for life to go on in the 221common way. 222 223 So she set to work, and very soon finished off the cake. 224 225 * * * * * * * 226 227 * * * * * * 228 229 * * * * * * * 230 231 232 233 234 CHAPTER II 235 236 The Pool of Tears 237 238 239 `Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice (she was so much 240surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good 241English); `now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that 242ever was! Good-bye, feet!' (for when she looked down at her 243feet, they seemed to be almost out of sight, they were getting so 244far off). `Oh, my poor little feet, I wonder who will put on 245your shoes and stockings for you now, dears? I'm sure _I_ shan't 246be able! I shall be a great deal too far off to trouble myself 247about you: you must manage the best way you can; --but I must be 248kind to them,' thought Alice, `or perhaps they won't walk the 249way I want to go! Let me see: I'll give them a new pair of 250boots every Christmas.' 251 252 And she went on planning to herself how she would manage it. 253`They must go by the carrier,' she thought; `and how funny it'll 254seem, sending presents to one's own feet! And how odd the 255directions will look! 256 257 ALICE'S RIGHT FOOT, ESQ. 258 HEARTHRUG, 259 NEAR THE FENDER, 260 (WITH ALICE'S LOVE). 261 262Oh dear, what nonsense I'm talking!' 263 264 Just then her head struck against the roof of the hall: in 265fact she was now more than nine feet high, and she at once took 266up the little golden key and hurried off to the garden door. 267 268 Poor Alice! It was as much as she could do, lying down on one 269side, to look through into the garden with one eye; but to get 270through was more hopeless than ever: she sat down and began to 271cry again. 272 273 `You ought to be ashamed of yourself,' said Alice, `a great 274girl like you,' (she might well say this), `to go on crying in 275this way! Stop this moment, I tell you!' But she went on all 276the same, shedding gallons of tears, until there was a large pool 277all round her, about four inches deep and reaching half down the 278hall. 279 280 After a time she heard a little pattering of feet in the 281distance, and she hastily dried her eyes to see what was coming. 282It was the White Rabbit returning, splendidly dressed, with a 283pair of white kid gloves in one hand and a large fan in the 284other: he came trotting along in a great hurry, muttering to 285himself as he came, `Oh! the Duchess, the Duchess! Oh! won't she 286be savage if I've kept her waiting!' Alice felt so desperate 287that she was ready to ask help of any one; so, when the Rabbit 288came near her, she began, in a low, timid voice, `If you please, 289sir--' The Rabbit started violently, dropped the white kid 290gloves and the fan, and skurried away into the darkness as hard 291as he could go. 292 293 Alice took up the fan and gloves, and, as the hall was very 294hot, she kept fanning herself all the time she went on talking: 295`Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday 296things went on just as usual. I wonder if I've been changed in 297the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this 298morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little 299different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is, Who in 300the world am I? Ah, THAT'S the great puzzle!' And she began 301thinking over all the children she knew that were of the same age 302as herself, to see if she could have been changed for any of 303them. 304 305 `I'm sure I'm not Ada,' she said, `for her hair goes in such 306long ringlets, and mine doesn't go in ringlets at all; and I'm 307sure I can't be Mabel, for I know all sorts of things, and she, 308oh! she knows such a very little! Besides, SHE'S she, and I'm I, 309and--oh dear, how puzzling it all is! I'll try if I know all the 310things I used to know. Let me see: four times five is twelve, 311and four times six is thirteen, and four times seven is--oh dear! 312I shall never get to twenty at that rate! However, the 313Multiplication Table doesn't signify: let's try Geography. 314London is the capital of Paris, and Paris is the capital of Rome, 315and Rome--no, THAT'S all wrong, I'm certain! I must have been 316changed for Mabel! I'll try and say "How doth the little--"' 317and she crossed her hands on her lap as if she were saying lessons, 318and began to repeat it, but her voice sounded hoarse and 319strange, and the words did not come the same as they used to do:-- 320 321 `How doth the little crocodile 322 Improve his shining tail, 323 And pour the waters of the Nile 324 On every golden scale! 325 326 `How cheerfully he seems to grin, 327 How neatly spread his claws, 328 And welcome little fishes in 329 With gently smiling jaws!' 330 331 `I'm sure those are not the right words,' said poor Alice, and 332her eyes filled with tears again as she went on, `I must be Mabel 333after all, and I shall have to go and live in that poky little 334house, and have next to no toys to play with, and oh! ever so 335many lessons to learn! No, I've made up my mind about it; if I'm 336Mabel, I'll stay down here! It'll be no use their putting their 337heads down and saying "Come up again, dear!" I shall only look 338up and say "Who am I then? Tell me that first, and then, if I 339like being that person, I'll come up: if not, I'll stay down 340here till I'm somebody else"--but, oh dear!' cried Alice, with a 341sudden burst of tears, `I do wish they WOULD put their heads 342down! I am so VERY tired of being all alone here!' 343 344 As she said this she looked down at her hands, and was 345surprised to see that she had put on one of the Rabbit's little 346white kid gloves while she was talking. `How CAN I have done 347that?' she thought. `I must be growing small again.' She got up 348and went to the table to measure herself by it, and found that, 349as nearly as she could guess, she was now about two feet high, 350and was going on shrinking rapidly: she soon found out that the 351cause of this was the fan she was holding, and she dropped it 352hastily, just in time to avoid shrinking away altogether. 353 354`That WAS a narrow escape!' said Alice, a good deal frightened at 355the sudden change, but very glad to find herself still in 356existence; `and now for the garden!' and she ran with all speed 357back to the little door: but, alas! the little door was shut 358again, and the little golden key was lying on the glass table as 359before, `and things are worse than ever,' thought the poor child, 360`for I never was so small as this before, never! And I declare 361it's too bad, that it is!' 362 363 As she said these words her foot slipped, and in another 364moment, splash! she was up to her chin in salt water. He first 365idea was that she had somehow fallen into the sea, `and in that 366case I can go back by railway,' she said to herself. (Alice had 367been to the seaside once in her life, and had come to the general 368conclusion, that wherever you go to on the English coast you find 369a number of bathing machines in the sea, some children digging in 370the sand with wooden spades, then a row of lodging houses, and 371behind them a railway station.) However, she soon made out that 372she was in the pool of tears which she had wept when she was nine 373feet high. 374 375 `I wish I hadn't cried so much!' said Alice, as she swam about, 376trying to find her way out. `I shall be punished for it now, I 377suppose, by being drowned in my own tears! That WILL be a queer 378thing, to be sure! However, everything is queer to-day.' 379 380 Just then she heard something splashing about in the pool a 381little way off, and she swam nearer to make out what it was: at 382first she thought it must be a walrus or hippopotamus, but then 383she remembered how small she was now, and she soon made out that 384it was only a mouse that had slipped in like herself. 385 386 `Would it be of any use, now,' thought Alice, `to speak to this 387mouse? Everything is so out-of-the-way down here, that I should 388think very likely it can talk: at any rate, there's no harm in 389trying.' So she began: `O Mouse, do you know the way out of 390this pool? I am very tired of swimming about here, O Mouse!' 391(Alice thought this must be the right way of speaking to a mouse: 392she had never done such a thing before, but she remembered having 393seen in her brother's Latin Grammar, `A mouse--of a mouse--to a 394mouse--a mouse--O mouse!' The Mouse looked at her rather 395inquisitively, and seemed to her to wink with one of its little 396eyes, but it said nothing. 397 398 `Perhaps it doesn't understand English,' thought Alice; `I 399daresay it's a French mouse, come over with William the 400Conqueror.' (For, with all her knowledge of history, Alice had 401no very clear notion how long ago anything had happened.) So she 402began again: `Ou est ma chatte?' which was the first sentence in 403her French lesson-book. The Mouse gave a sudden leap out of the 404water, and seemed to quiver all over with fright. `Oh, I beg 405your pardon!' cried Alice hastily, afraid that she had hurt the 406poor animal's feelings. `I quite forgot you didn't like cats.' 407 408 `Not like cats!' cried the Mouse, in a shrill, passionate 409voice. `Would YOU like cats if you were me?' 410 411 `Well, perhaps not,' said Alice in a soothing tone: `don't be 412angry about it. And yet I wish I could show you our cat Dinah: 413I think you'd take a fancy to cats if you could only see her. 414She is such a dear quiet thing,' Alice went on, half to herself, 415as she swam lazily about in the pool, `and she sits purring so 416nicely by the fire, licking her paws and washing her face--and 417she is such a nice soft thing to nurse--and she's such a capital 418one for catching mice--oh, I beg your pardon!' cried Alice again, 419for this time the Mouse was bristling all over, and she felt 420certain it must be really offended. `We won't talk about her any 421more if you'd rather not.' 422 423 `We indeed!' cried the Mouse, who was trembling down to the end 424of his tail. `As if I would talk on such a subject! Our family 425always HATED cats: nasty, low, vulgar things! Don't let me hear 426the name again!' 427 428 `I won't indeed!' said Alice, in a great hurry to change the 429subject of conversation. `Are you--are you fond--of--of dogs?' 430The Mouse did not answer, so Alice went on eagerly: `There is 431such a nice little dog near our house I should like to show you! 432A little bright-eyed terrier, you know, with oh, such long curly 433brown hair! And it'll fetch things when you throw them, and 434it'll sit up and beg for its dinner, and all sorts of things--I 435can't remember half of them--and it belongs to a farmer, you 436know, and he says it's so useful, it's worth a hundred pounds! 437He says it kills all the rats and--oh dear!' cried Alice in a 438sorrowful tone, `I'm afraid I've offended it again!' For the 439Mouse was swimming away from her as hard as it could go, and 440making quite a commotion in the pool as it went. 441 442 So she called softly after it, `Mouse dear! Do come back 443again, and we won't talk about cats or dogs either, if you don't 444like them!' When the Mouse heard this, it turned round and swam 445slowly back to her: its face was quite pale (with passion, Alice 446thought), and it said in a low trembling voice, `Let us get to 447the shore, and then I'll tell you my history, and you'll 448understand why it is I hate cats and dogs.' 449 450 It was high time to go, for the pool was getting quite crowded 451with the birds and animals that had fallen into it: there were a 452Duck and a Dodo, a Lory and an Eaglet, and several other curious 453creatures. Alice led the way, and the whole party swam to the 454shore. 455 456 457