and the whole party at once crowded round her, calling out in a
confused way, - Prizes! Prizes!
Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair she put her hand in her
pocket, and pulled out a box of comfits, (luckily the salt water had not
got into it), and handed them round as prizes. There was exactly one
a-piece all round.
- But she must have a prize herself, you know, - said the Mouse.
- Of course, - the Dodo replied very gravely. - What else have you
got in your pocket? - he went on, turning to Alice.
- Only a thimble, - said Alice sadly.
- Hand it over here, - said the Dodo. Then they all crowded round her
once more, while the Dodo solemnly presented the thimble, saying - We beg
your acceptance of this elegant thimble; - and, when it had finished this
short speech, they all cheered.
Alice thought the whole thing very absurd, but they all looked so
grave that she did not dare to laugh; and, as she could not think of
anything to say, she simply bowed, and took the thimble, looking as solemn
as she could.
The next thing was to eat the comfits: this caused some noise and
confusion, as the large birds complained that they could not taste theirs,
and the small ones choked and had to be patted on the back. However, it
was over at last, and they sat down again in a ring, and begged the Mouse
to tell them something more.
- You promised to tell me your history, you know, - said Alice, - and
why it is you hate - C and D, - she added in a whisper, half afraid that
it would be offended again.
- Mine is a long and a sad tale! - said the Mouse, turning to Alice,
and sighing.
- It IS a long tail, certainly, - said Alice, looking down with
wonder at the Mouse's tail - - but why do you call it sad? - And she kept
on puzzling about it while the Mouse was speaking, so that her idea of the
tale was something like this:
- Fury said to a
mouse, That he
met in the
house,
- Let us
both go to
law: I will
prosecute
YOU. - Come,
I'll take no
denial; We
must have a
trial: For
really this
morning I've
nothing
to do.
Said the
mouse to the
cur, - Such
a trial,
dear Sir,
With
no jury
or judge,
would be
wasting
our
breath.
- I'll be
judge, I'll
be jury,
Said
cunning
old Fury:
- I'll
try the
whole
cause,
and
condemn
you
to
death.
- You are not attending! - said the Mouse to Alice severely. - What
are you thinking of?
- I beg your pardon, - said Alice very humbly: - you had got to the
fifth bend, I think?
- I had NOT! - cried the Mouse, sharply and very angrily.
- A knot! - said Alice, always ready to make herself useful, and
looking anxiously about her. - Oh, do let me help to undo it!
- I shall do nothing of the sort, - said the Mouse, getting up and
walking away. - You insult me by talking such nonsense!
- I didn't mean it! - pleaded poor Alice. - But you're so easily
offended, you know!
The Mouse only growled in reply. - Please come back and finish your
story! - Alice called after it; and the others all joined in chorus, -
Yes, please do! - but the Mouse only shook its head impatiently, and
walked a little quicker.
- What a pity it wouldn't stay! - sighed the Lory, as soon as it was
quite out of sight; and an old Crab took the opportunity of saying to her
daughter - Ah, my dear! Let this be a lesson to you never to lose YOUR
temper! - - Hold your tongue, Ma! - said the young Crab, a little
snappishly. - You're enough to try the patience of an oyster!
- I wish I had our Dinah here, I know I do! - said Alice aloud,
addressing nobody in particular. - She'd soon fetch it back!
- And who is Dinah, if I might venture to ask the question? - said
the Lory.
Alice replied eagerly, for she was always ready to talk about her
pet: - Dinah's our cat. And she's such a capital one for catching mice you
can't think! And oh, I wish you could see her after the birds! Why, she'll
eat a little bird as soon as look at it!
This speech caused a remarkable sensation among the party. Some of
the birds hurried off at once: one the old Magpie began wrapping itself up
very carefully, remarking, - I really must be getting home; the night-air
doesn't suit my throat! - and a Canary called out in a trembling voice to
its children, - Come away, my dears! It's high time you were all in bed! -
On various pretexts they all moved off, and Alice was soon left alone.
- I wish I hadn't mentioned Dinah! - she said to herself in a
melancholy tone. - Nobody seems to like her, down here, and I'm sure she's
the best cat in the world! Oh, my dear Dinah! I wonder if I shall ever see
you any more! - And here poor Alice began to cry again, for she felt very
lonely and low-spirited. In a little while, however, she again heard a
little pattering of footsteps in the distance, and she looked up eagerly,
half hoping that the Mouse had changed his mind, and was coming back to
finish his story.
CHAPTER IV
The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill
It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking
anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it
muttering to itself - The Duchess! The Duchess! Oh my dear paws! Oh my fur
and whiskers! She'll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!
Where CAN I have dropped them, I wonder? - Alice guessed in a moment that
it was looking for the fan and the pair of white kid gloves, and she very
good-naturedly began hunting about for them, but they were nowhere to be
seen - everything seemed to have changed since her swim in the pool, and
the great hall, with the glass table and the little door, had vanished
completely.
Very soon the Rabbit noticed Alice, as she went hunting about, and
called out to her in an angry tone, - Why, Mary Ann, what ARE you doing
out here? Run home this moment, and fetch me a pair of gloves and a fan!
Quick, now! - And Alice was so much frightened that she ran off at once in
the direction it pointed to, without trying to explain the mistake it had
made.
- He took me for his housemaid, - she said to herself as she ran. -
How surprised he'll be when he finds out who I am! But I'd better take him
his fan and gloves - that is, if I can find them. - As she said this, she
came upon a neat little house, on the door of which was a bright brass
plate with the name - W. RABBIT - engraved upon it. She went in without
knocking, and hurried upstairs, in great fear lest she should meet the
real Mary Ann, and be turned out of the house before she had found the fan
and gloves.
- How queer it seems, - Alice said to herself, - to be going messages
for a rabbit! I suppose Dinah'll be sending me on messages next! - And she
began fancying the sort of thing that would happen: - Miss Alice! Come
here directly, and get ready for your walk! - - Coming in a minute, nurse!
But I've got to see that the mouse doesn't get out. Only I don't think, -
Alice went on, - that they'd let Dinah stop in the house if it began
ordering people about like that!
By this time she had found her way into a tidy little room with a
table in the window, and on it (as she had hoped) a fan and two or three
pairs of tiny white kid gloves: she took up the fan and a pair of the
gloves, and was just going to leave the room, when her eye fell upon a
little bottle that stood near the lookingglass. There was no label this
time with the words - DRINK ME, - but nevertheless she uncorked it and put
it to her lips. - I know SOMETHING interesting is sure to happen, - she
said to herself, - whenever I eat or drink anything; so I'll just see what
this bottle does. I do hope it'll make me grow large again, for really I'm
quite tired of being such a tiny little thing!
It did so indeed, and much sooner than she had expected: before she
had drunk half the bottle, she found her head pressing against the
ceiling, and had to stoop to save her neck from being broken. She hastily
put down the bottle, saying to herself - That's quite enough - I hope I
shan't grow any more - As it is, I can't get out at the door - I do wish I
hadn't drunk quite so much!
Alas! it was too late to wish that! She went on growing, and growing,
and very soon had to kneel down on the floor: in another minute there was
not even room for this, and she tried the effect of lying down with one
elbow against the door, and the other arm curled round her head. Still she
went on growing, and, as a last resource, she put one arm out of the
window, and one foot up the chimney, and said to herself - Now I can do no
more, whatever happens. What WILL become of me?
Luckily for Alice, the little magic bottle had now had its full
effect, and she grew no larger: still it was very uncomfortable, and, as
there seemed to be no sort of chance of her ever getting out of the room
again, no wonder she felt unhappy.
- It was much pleasanter at home, - thought poor Alice, - when one
wasn't always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice
and rabbits. I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit-hole - and yet -
and yet - it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life! I do wonder
what CAN have happened to me! When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied
that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one!
There ought to be a book written about me, that there ought! And when I
grow up, I'll write one - but I'm grown up now, - she added in a sorrowful
tone; - at least there's no room to grow up any more HERE.
- But then, - thought Alice, - shall I NEVER get any older than I am
now? That'll be a comfort, one way - never to be an old woman-but then -
always to have lessons to learn! Oh, I shouldn't like THAT!
- Oh, you foolish Alice! - she answered herself. - How can you learn
lessons in here? Why, there's hardly room for YOU, and no room at all for
any lesson-books!
And so she went on, taking first one side and then the other, and
making quite a conversation of it altogether; but after a few minutes she
heard a voice outside, and stopped to listen.
- Mary Ann! Mary Ann! - said the voice. - Fetch me my gloves this
moment! - Then came a little pattering of feet on the stairs. Alice knew
it was the Rabbit coming to look for her, and she trembled till she shook
the house, quite forgetting that she was now about a thousand times as
large as the Rabbit, and had no reason to be afraid of it.
Presently the Rabbit came up to the door, and tried to open it; but,
as the door opened inwards, and Alice's elbow was pressed hard against it,
that attempt proved a failure. Alice heard it say to itself - Then I'll go
round and get in at the window.
- THAT you won't - thought Alice, and, after waiting till she fancied
she heard the Rabbit just under the window, she suddenly spread out her
hand, and made a snatch in the air. She did not get hold of anything, but
she heard a little shriek and a fall, and a crash of broken glass, from
which she concluded that it was just possible it had fallen into a
cucumber-frame, or something of the sort.
Next came an angry voice - the Rabbit's - Pat! Pat! Where are you?
And then a voice she had never heard before, - Sure then I'm here! Digging
for apples, yer honour!
- Digging for apples, indeed! - said the Rabbit angrily. - Here! Come
and help me out of THIS! - (Sounds of more broken glass.)
- Now tell me, Pat, what's that in the window?
- Sure, it's an arm, yer honour! - (He pronounced it - arrum.')
- An arm, you goose! Who ever saw one that size? Why, it fills the
whole window!
- Sure, it does, yer honour: but it's an arm for all that.
- Well, it's got no business there, at any rate: go and take it away!
There was a long silence after this, and Alice could only hear whispers
now and then; such as, - Sure, I don't like it, yer honour, at all, at
all! - - Do as I tell you, you coward! - and at last she spread out her
hand again, and made another snatch in the air. This time there were TWO
little shrieks, and more sounds of broken glass.
- What a number of cucumber-frames there must be! - thought Alice. -
I wonder what they'll do next! As for pulling me out of the window, I only
wish they COULD! I'm sure I don't want to stay in here any longer!
She waited for some time without hearing anything more: at last came
a rumbling of little cartwheels, and the sound of a good many voice all
talking together: she made out the words: - Where's the other ladder? -
Why, I hadn't to bring but one; Bill's got the other - Bill! fetch it
here, lad! - Here, put 'em up at this corner - No, tie 'em together first
- they don't reach half high enough yet - Oh! they'll do well enough;
don't be particular-Here, Bill! catch hold of this rope - Will the roof
bear? - Mind that loose slate - Oh, it's coming down! Heads below! - (a
loud crash) - Now, who did that? - It was Bill, I fancy - Who's to go down
the chimney? - Nay, I shan't! YOU do it! - That I won't, then! - Bill's to
go down - Here, Bill! the master says you're to go down the chimney!
- Oh! So Bill's got to come down the chimney, has he? - said Alice to
herself. - Shy, they seem to put everything upon Bill! I wouldn't be in
Bill's place for a good deal: this fireplace is narrow, to be sure; but I
THINK I can kick a little!
She drew her foot as far down the chimney as she could, and waited
till she heard a little animal (she couldn't guess of what sort it was)
scratching and scrambling about in the chimney close above her: then,
saying to herself - This is Bill, - she gave one sharp kick, and waited to
see what would happen next.
The first thing she heard was a general chorus of - There goes Bill!
- then the Rabbit's voice along - Catch him, you by the hedge! then
silence, and then another confusion of voices - Hold up his head - Brandy
now - Don't choke him - How was it, old fellow? What happened to you? Tell
us all about it!
Last came a little feeble, squeaking voice, ( - That's Bill, -
thought Alice,) - Well, I hardly know - No more, thank ye; I'm better now
- but I'm a deal too flustered to tell you - all I know is, something
comes at me like a Jack-in-the-box, and up I goes like a sky-rocket!
- So you did, old fellow! - said the others.
- We must burn the house down! - said the Rabbit's voice; and Alice
called out as loud as she could, - If you do. I'll set Dinah at you!
There was a dead silence instantly, and Alice thought to herself, - I
wonder what they WILL do next! If they had any sense, they'd take the roof
off. - After a minute or two, they began moving about again, and Alice
heard the Rabbit say, - A barrowful will do, to begin with.
- A barrowful of WHAT? - thought Alice; but she had not long to
doubt, for the next moment a shower of little pebbles came rattling in at
the window, and some of them hit her in the face. - I'll put a stop to
this, - she said to herself, and shouted out, - You'd better not do that
again! - which produced another dead silence.
Alice noticed with some surprise that the pebbles were all turning
into little cakes as they lay on the floor, and a bright idea came into
her head. - If I eat one of these cakes, - she thought, - it's sure to
make SOME change in my size; and as it can't possibly make me larger, it
must make me smaller, I suppose.
So she swallowed one of the cakes, and was delighted to find that she
began shrinking directly. As soon as she was small enough to get through
the door, she ran out of the house, and found quite a crowd of little
animals and birds waiting outside. The poor little Lizard, Bill, was in
the middle, being held up by two guinea-pigs, who were giving it something
out of a bottle. They all made a rush at Alice the moment she appeared;
but she ran off as hard as she could, and soon found herself safe in a
thick wood.
- The first thing I've got to do, - said Alice to herself, as she
wandered about in the wood, - is to grow to my right size again; and the
second thing is to find my way into that lovely garden. I think that will
be the best plan.
It sounded an excellent plan, no doubt, and very neatly and simply
arranged; the only difficulty was, that she had not the smallest idea how
to set about it; and while she was peering about anxiously among the
trees, a little sharp bark just over her head made her look up in a great
hurry.
An enormous puppy was looking down at her with large round eyes, and
feebly stretching out one paw, trying to touch her. - Poor little thing! -
said Alice, in a coaxing tone, and she tried hard to whistle to it; but
she was terribly frightened all the time at the thought that it might be
hungry, in which case it would be very likely to eat her up in spite of
all her coaxing.
Hardly knowing what she did, she picked up a little bit of stick, and
held it out to the puppy; whereupon the puppy jumped into the air off all
its feet at once, with a yelp of delight, and rushed at the stick, and
made believe to worry it; then Alice dodged behind a great thistle, to
keep herself from being run over; and the moment she appeared on the other
side, the puppy made another rush at the stick, and tumbled head over
heels in its hurry to get hold of it; then Alice, thinking it was very
like having a game of play with a cart-horse, and expecting every moment
to be trampled under its feet, ran round the thistle again; then the puppy
began a series of short charges at the stick, running a very little way
forwards each time and a long way back, and barking hoarsely all the
while, till at last it sat down a good way off, panting, with its tongue
hanging out of its mouth, and its great eyes half shut.
This seemed to Alice a good opportunity for making her escape; so she
set off at once, and ran till she was quite tired and out of breath, and
till the puppy's bark sounded quite faint in the distance.
- And yet what a dear little puppy it was! - said Alice, as she leant
against a buttercup to rest herself, and fanned herself with one of the
leaves: - I should have liked teaching it tricks very much, if - if I'd
only been the right size to do it! Oh dear! I'd nearly forgotten that I've
got to grow up again! Let me see - how IS it to be managed? I suppose I
ought to eat or drink something or other; but the great question is, what?
The great question certainly was, what? Alice looked all round her at the
flowers and the blades of grass, but she did not see anything that looked
like the right thing to eat or drink under the circumstances. There was a
large mushroom growing near her, about the same height as herself; and
when she had looked under it, and on both sides of it, and behind it, it
occurred to her that she might as well look and see what was on the top of
it.
She stretched herself up on tiptoe, and peeped over the edge of the
mushroom, and her eyes immediately met those of a large caterpillar, that
was sitting on the top with its arms folded, quietly smoking a long
hookah, and taking not the smallest notice of her or of anything else.
CHAPTER V
Advice from a Caterpillar
The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in
silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and
addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.
- Who are YOU? - said the Caterpillar. This was not an encouraging
opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, - I - I hardly
know, sir, just at present-at least I know who I WAS when I got up this
morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.
- What do you mean by that? - said the Caterpillar sternly. - Explain
yourself!
- I can't explain MYSELF, I'm afraid, sir - said Alice, - because I'm
not myself, you see.
- I don't see, - said the Caterpillar.
- I'm afraid I can't put it more clearly, - Alice replied very
politely, - for I can't understand it myself to begin with; and being so
many different sizes in a day is very confusing.
- It isn't, - said the Caterpillar.
- Well, perhaps you haven't found it so yet, - said Alice; - but when
you have to turn into a chrysalis - you will some day, you know - and then
after that into a butterfly, I should think you'll feel it a little queer,
won't you?
- Not a bit, - said the Caterpillar.
- Well, perhaps your feelings may be different, - said Alice; - all I
know is, it would feel very queer to ME.
- You! - said the Caterpillar contemptuously. - Who are YOU? Which
brought them back again to the beginning of the conversation. Alice felt a
little irritated at the Caterpillar's making such VERY short remarks, and
she drew herself up and said, very gravely, - I think, you out to tell me
who YOU are, first.
- Why? - said the Caterpillar. Here was another puzzling question;
and as Alice could not think of any good reason, and as the Caterpillar
seemed to be in a VERY unpleasant state of mind, she turned away.
- Come back! - the Caterpillar called after her. - I've something
important to say!
This sounded promising, certainly: Alice turned and came back again.
- Keep your temper, - said the Caterpillar. - Is that all? - said Alice,
swallowing down her anger as well as she could.
- No, - said the Caterpillar. Alice thought she might as well wait,
as she had nothing else to do, and perhaps after all it might tell her
something worth hearing. For some minutes it puffed away without speaking,
but at last it unfolded its arms, took the hookah out of its mouth again,
and said,
- So you think you're changed, do you? - I'm afraid I am, sir, - said
Alice; - I can't remember things as I used - and I don't keep the same
size for ten minutes together!
- Can't remember WHAT things? - said the Caterpillar.
- Well, I've tried to say - HOW DOTH THE LITTLE BUSY BEE, - but it
all came different! - Alice replied in a very melancholy voice.
- Repeat, - YOU ARE OLD, FATHER WILLIAM, - said the Caterpillar.
Alice folded her hands, and began:
- You are old, Father William, - the young man said, - And your hair
has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head
Do you think, at your age, it is right?
- In my youth, - Father William replied to his son, - I feared it
might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again.
- You are old, - said the youth, - as I mentioned before, And have
grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door
Pray, what is the reason of that?
- In my youth, - said the sage, as he shook his grey locks, - I kept
all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment - one shilling the box
Allow me to sell you a couple?
- You are old, - said the youth, - and your jaws are too weak For
anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak
Pray how did you manage to do it?
- In my youth, - said his father, - I took to the law, And argued
each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life.
- You are old, - said the youth, - one would hardly suppose That your
eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose
What made you so awfully clever?
- I have answered three questions, and that is enough, Said his
father; - don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs!
- That is not said right, - said the Caterpillar.
- Not QUITE right, I'm afraid, - said Alice, timidly; some of the
words have got altered.
- It is wrong from beginning to end, - said the Caterpillar
decidedly, and there was silence for some minutes.
The Caterpillar was the first to speak. - What size do you want to
be? - it asked. - Oh, I'm not particular as to size, - Alice hastily
replied; - only one doesn't like changing so often, you know.
- I DON'T know, - said the Caterpillar. Alice said nothing: she had
never been so much contradicted in her life before, and she felt that she
was losing her temper.
- Are you content now? - said the Caterpillar.
- Well, I should like to be a LITTLE larger, sir, if you wouldn't
mind, - said Alice: - three inches is such a wretched height to be.
- It is a very good height indeed! - said the Caterpillar angrily,
rearing itself upright as it spoke (it was exactly three inches high).
- But I'm not used to it! - pleaded poor Alice in a piteous tone. And
she thought of herself, - I wish the creatures wouldn't be so easily
offended!
- You'll get used to it in time, - said the Caterpillar; and it put
the hookah into its mouth and began smoking again.
This time Alice waited patiently until it chose to speak again. In a
minute or two the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth and yawned
once or twice, and shook itself. Then it got down off the mushroom, and
crawled away in the grass, merely remarking as it went,
- One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make
you grow shorter.
- One side of WHAT? The other side of WHAT? - thought Alice to
herself.
- Of the mushroom, - said the Caterpillar, just as if she had asked
it aloud; and in another moment it was out of sight.
Alice remained looking thoughtfully at the mushroom for a minute,
trying to make out which were the two sides of it; and as it was perfectly
round, she found this a very difficult question. However, at last she
stretched her arms round it as far as they would go, and broke off a bit
of the edge with each hand.
- And now which is which? - she said to herself, and nibbled a little
of the right-hand bit to try the effect: the next moment she felt a
violent blow underneath her chin: it had struck her foot!
She was a good deal frightened by this very sudden change, but she
felt that there was no time to be lost, as she was shrinking rapidly; so
she set to work at once to eat some of the other bit. Her chin was pressed
so closely against her foot, that there was hardly room to open her mouth;
but she did it at last, and managed to swallow a morsel of the lefthand
bit.
* * * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * * * * * *
- Come, my head's free at last! - said Alice in a tone of delight,
which changed into alarm in another moment, when she found that her
shoulders were nowhere to be found: all she could see, when she looked
down, was an immense length of neck, which seemed to rise like a stalk out
of a sea of green leaves that lay far below her.
1 2 3 4 5 6
confused way, - Prizes! Prizes!
Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair she put her hand in her
pocket, and pulled out a box of comfits, (luckily the salt water had not
got into it), and handed them round as prizes. There was exactly one
a-piece all round.
- But she must have a prize herself, you know, - said the Mouse.
- Of course, - the Dodo replied very gravely. - What else have you
got in your pocket? - he went on, turning to Alice.
- Only a thimble, - said Alice sadly.
- Hand it over here, - said the Dodo. Then they all crowded round her
once more, while the Dodo solemnly presented the thimble, saying - We beg
your acceptance of this elegant thimble; - and, when it had finished this
short speech, they all cheered.
Alice thought the whole thing very absurd, but they all looked so
grave that she did not dare to laugh; and, as she could not think of
anything to say, she simply bowed, and took the thimble, looking as solemn
as she could.
The next thing was to eat the comfits: this caused some noise and
confusion, as the large birds complained that they could not taste theirs,
and the small ones choked and had to be patted on the back. However, it
was over at last, and they sat down again in a ring, and begged the Mouse
to tell them something more.
- You promised to tell me your history, you know, - said Alice, - and
why it is you hate - C and D, - she added in a whisper, half afraid that
it would be offended again.
- Mine is a long and a sad tale! - said the Mouse, turning to Alice,
and sighing.
- It IS a long tail, certainly, - said Alice, looking down with
wonder at the Mouse's tail - - but why do you call it sad? - And she kept
on puzzling about it while the Mouse was speaking, so that her idea of the
tale was something like this:
- Fury said to a
mouse, That he
met in the
house,
- Let us
both go to
law: I will
prosecute
YOU. - Come,
I'll take no
denial; We
must have a
trial: For
really this
morning I've
nothing
to do.
Said the
mouse to the
cur, - Such
a trial,
dear Sir,
With
no jury
or judge,
would be
wasting
our
breath.
- I'll be
judge, I'll
be jury,
Said
cunning
old Fury:
- I'll
try the
whole
cause,
and
condemn
you
to
death.
- You are not attending! - said the Mouse to Alice severely. - What
are you thinking of?
- I beg your pardon, - said Alice very humbly: - you had got to the
fifth bend, I think?
- I had NOT! - cried the Mouse, sharply and very angrily.
- A knot! - said Alice, always ready to make herself useful, and
looking anxiously about her. - Oh, do let me help to undo it!
- I shall do nothing of the sort, - said the Mouse, getting up and
walking away. - You insult me by talking such nonsense!
- I didn't mean it! - pleaded poor Alice. - But you're so easily
offended, you know!
The Mouse only growled in reply. - Please come back and finish your
story! - Alice called after it; and the others all joined in chorus, -
Yes, please do! - but the Mouse only shook its head impatiently, and
walked a little quicker.
- What a pity it wouldn't stay! - sighed the Lory, as soon as it was
quite out of sight; and an old Crab took the opportunity of saying to her
daughter - Ah, my dear! Let this be a lesson to you never to lose YOUR
temper! - - Hold your tongue, Ma! - said the young Crab, a little
snappishly. - You're enough to try the patience of an oyster!
- I wish I had our Dinah here, I know I do! - said Alice aloud,
addressing nobody in particular. - She'd soon fetch it back!
- And who is Dinah, if I might venture to ask the question? - said
the Lory.
Alice replied eagerly, for she was always ready to talk about her
pet: - Dinah's our cat. And she's such a capital one for catching mice you
can't think! And oh, I wish you could see her after the birds! Why, she'll
eat a little bird as soon as look at it!
This speech caused a remarkable sensation among the party. Some of
the birds hurried off at once: one the old Magpie began wrapping itself up
very carefully, remarking, - I really must be getting home; the night-air
doesn't suit my throat! - and a Canary called out in a trembling voice to
its children, - Come away, my dears! It's high time you were all in bed! -
On various pretexts they all moved off, and Alice was soon left alone.
- I wish I hadn't mentioned Dinah! - she said to herself in a
melancholy tone. - Nobody seems to like her, down here, and I'm sure she's
the best cat in the world! Oh, my dear Dinah! I wonder if I shall ever see
you any more! - And here poor Alice began to cry again, for she felt very
lonely and low-spirited. In a little while, however, she again heard a
little pattering of footsteps in the distance, and she looked up eagerly,
half hoping that the Mouse had changed his mind, and was coming back to
finish his story.
CHAPTER IV
The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill
It was the White Rabbit, trotting slowly back again, and looking
anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something; and she heard it
muttering to itself - The Duchess! The Duchess! Oh my dear paws! Oh my fur
and whiskers! She'll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets!
Where CAN I have dropped them, I wonder? - Alice guessed in a moment that
it was looking for the fan and the pair of white kid gloves, and she very
good-naturedly began hunting about for them, but they were nowhere to be
seen - everything seemed to have changed since her swim in the pool, and
the great hall, with the glass table and the little door, had vanished
completely.
Very soon the Rabbit noticed Alice, as she went hunting about, and
called out to her in an angry tone, - Why, Mary Ann, what ARE you doing
out here? Run home this moment, and fetch me a pair of gloves and a fan!
Quick, now! - And Alice was so much frightened that she ran off at once in
the direction it pointed to, without trying to explain the mistake it had
made.
- He took me for his housemaid, - she said to herself as she ran. -
How surprised he'll be when he finds out who I am! But I'd better take him
his fan and gloves - that is, if I can find them. - As she said this, she
came upon a neat little house, on the door of which was a bright brass
plate with the name - W. RABBIT - engraved upon it. She went in without
knocking, and hurried upstairs, in great fear lest she should meet the
real Mary Ann, and be turned out of the house before she had found the fan
and gloves.
- How queer it seems, - Alice said to herself, - to be going messages
for a rabbit! I suppose Dinah'll be sending me on messages next! - And she
began fancying the sort of thing that would happen: - Miss Alice! Come
here directly, and get ready for your walk! - - Coming in a minute, nurse!
But I've got to see that the mouse doesn't get out. Only I don't think, -
Alice went on, - that they'd let Dinah stop in the house if it began
ordering people about like that!
By this time she had found her way into a tidy little room with a
table in the window, and on it (as she had hoped) a fan and two or three
pairs of tiny white kid gloves: she took up the fan and a pair of the
gloves, and was just going to leave the room, when her eye fell upon a
little bottle that stood near the lookingglass. There was no label this
time with the words - DRINK ME, - but nevertheless she uncorked it and put
it to her lips. - I know SOMETHING interesting is sure to happen, - she
said to herself, - whenever I eat or drink anything; so I'll just see what
this bottle does. I do hope it'll make me grow large again, for really I'm
quite tired of being such a tiny little thing!
It did so indeed, and much sooner than she had expected: before she
had drunk half the bottle, she found her head pressing against the
ceiling, and had to stoop to save her neck from being broken. She hastily
put down the bottle, saying to herself - That's quite enough - I hope I
shan't grow any more - As it is, I can't get out at the door - I do wish I
hadn't drunk quite so much!
Alas! it was too late to wish that! She went on growing, and growing,
and very soon had to kneel down on the floor: in another minute there was
not even room for this, and she tried the effect of lying down with one
elbow against the door, and the other arm curled round her head. Still she
went on growing, and, as a last resource, she put one arm out of the
window, and one foot up the chimney, and said to herself - Now I can do no
more, whatever happens. What WILL become of me?
Luckily for Alice, the little magic bottle had now had its full
effect, and she grew no larger: still it was very uncomfortable, and, as
there seemed to be no sort of chance of her ever getting out of the room
again, no wonder she felt unhappy.
- It was much pleasanter at home, - thought poor Alice, - when one
wasn't always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice
and rabbits. I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit-hole - and yet -
and yet - it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life! I do wonder
what CAN have happened to me! When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied
that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one!
There ought to be a book written about me, that there ought! And when I
grow up, I'll write one - but I'm grown up now, - she added in a sorrowful
tone; - at least there's no room to grow up any more HERE.
- But then, - thought Alice, - shall I NEVER get any older than I am
now? That'll be a comfort, one way - never to be an old woman-but then -
always to have lessons to learn! Oh, I shouldn't like THAT!
- Oh, you foolish Alice! - she answered herself. - How can you learn
lessons in here? Why, there's hardly room for YOU, and no room at all for
any lesson-books!
And so she went on, taking first one side and then the other, and
making quite a conversation of it altogether; but after a few minutes she
heard a voice outside, and stopped to listen.
- Mary Ann! Mary Ann! - said the voice. - Fetch me my gloves this
moment! - Then came a little pattering of feet on the stairs. Alice knew
it was the Rabbit coming to look for her, and she trembled till she shook
the house, quite forgetting that she was now about a thousand times as
large as the Rabbit, and had no reason to be afraid of it.
Presently the Rabbit came up to the door, and tried to open it; but,
as the door opened inwards, and Alice's elbow was pressed hard against it,
that attempt proved a failure. Alice heard it say to itself - Then I'll go
round and get in at the window.
- THAT you won't - thought Alice, and, after waiting till she fancied
she heard the Rabbit just under the window, she suddenly spread out her
hand, and made a snatch in the air. She did not get hold of anything, but
she heard a little shriek and a fall, and a crash of broken glass, from
which she concluded that it was just possible it had fallen into a
cucumber-frame, or something of the sort.
Next came an angry voice - the Rabbit's - Pat! Pat! Where are you?
And then a voice she had never heard before, - Sure then I'm here! Digging
for apples, yer honour!
- Digging for apples, indeed! - said the Rabbit angrily. - Here! Come
and help me out of THIS! - (Sounds of more broken glass.)
- Now tell me, Pat, what's that in the window?
- Sure, it's an arm, yer honour! - (He pronounced it - arrum.')
- An arm, you goose! Who ever saw one that size? Why, it fills the
whole window!
- Sure, it does, yer honour: but it's an arm for all that.
- Well, it's got no business there, at any rate: go and take it away!
There was a long silence after this, and Alice could only hear whispers
now and then; such as, - Sure, I don't like it, yer honour, at all, at
all! - - Do as I tell you, you coward! - and at last she spread out her
hand again, and made another snatch in the air. This time there were TWO
little shrieks, and more sounds of broken glass.
- What a number of cucumber-frames there must be! - thought Alice. -
I wonder what they'll do next! As for pulling me out of the window, I only
wish they COULD! I'm sure I don't want to stay in here any longer!
She waited for some time without hearing anything more: at last came
a rumbling of little cartwheels, and the sound of a good many voice all
talking together: she made out the words: - Where's the other ladder? -
Why, I hadn't to bring but one; Bill's got the other - Bill! fetch it
here, lad! - Here, put 'em up at this corner - No, tie 'em together first
- they don't reach half high enough yet - Oh! they'll do well enough;
don't be particular-Here, Bill! catch hold of this rope - Will the roof
bear? - Mind that loose slate - Oh, it's coming down! Heads below! - (a
loud crash) - Now, who did that? - It was Bill, I fancy - Who's to go down
the chimney? - Nay, I shan't! YOU do it! - That I won't, then! - Bill's to
go down - Here, Bill! the master says you're to go down the chimney!
- Oh! So Bill's got to come down the chimney, has he? - said Alice to
herself. - Shy, they seem to put everything upon Bill! I wouldn't be in
Bill's place for a good deal: this fireplace is narrow, to be sure; but I
THINK I can kick a little!
She drew her foot as far down the chimney as she could, and waited
till she heard a little animal (she couldn't guess of what sort it was)
scratching and scrambling about in the chimney close above her: then,
saying to herself - This is Bill, - she gave one sharp kick, and waited to
see what would happen next.
The first thing she heard was a general chorus of - There goes Bill!
- then the Rabbit's voice along - Catch him, you by the hedge! then
silence, and then another confusion of voices - Hold up his head - Brandy
now - Don't choke him - How was it, old fellow? What happened to you? Tell
us all about it!
Last came a little feeble, squeaking voice, ( - That's Bill, -
thought Alice,) - Well, I hardly know - No more, thank ye; I'm better now
- but I'm a deal too flustered to tell you - all I know is, something
comes at me like a Jack-in-the-box, and up I goes like a sky-rocket!
- So you did, old fellow! - said the others.
- We must burn the house down! - said the Rabbit's voice; and Alice
called out as loud as she could, - If you do. I'll set Dinah at you!
There was a dead silence instantly, and Alice thought to herself, - I
wonder what they WILL do next! If they had any sense, they'd take the roof
off. - After a minute or two, they began moving about again, and Alice
heard the Rabbit say, - A barrowful will do, to begin with.
- A barrowful of WHAT? - thought Alice; but she had not long to
doubt, for the next moment a shower of little pebbles came rattling in at
the window, and some of them hit her in the face. - I'll put a stop to
this, - she said to herself, and shouted out, - You'd better not do that
again! - which produced another dead silence.
Alice noticed with some surprise that the pebbles were all turning
into little cakes as they lay on the floor, and a bright idea came into
her head. - If I eat one of these cakes, - she thought, - it's sure to
make SOME change in my size; and as it can't possibly make me larger, it
must make me smaller, I suppose.
So she swallowed one of the cakes, and was delighted to find that she
began shrinking directly. As soon as she was small enough to get through
the door, she ran out of the house, and found quite a crowd of little
animals and birds waiting outside. The poor little Lizard, Bill, was in
the middle, being held up by two guinea-pigs, who were giving it something
out of a bottle. They all made a rush at Alice the moment she appeared;
but she ran off as hard as she could, and soon found herself safe in a
thick wood.
- The first thing I've got to do, - said Alice to herself, as she
wandered about in the wood, - is to grow to my right size again; and the
second thing is to find my way into that lovely garden. I think that will
be the best plan.
It sounded an excellent plan, no doubt, and very neatly and simply
arranged; the only difficulty was, that she had not the smallest idea how
to set about it; and while she was peering about anxiously among the
trees, a little sharp bark just over her head made her look up in a great
hurry.
An enormous puppy was looking down at her with large round eyes, and
feebly stretching out one paw, trying to touch her. - Poor little thing! -
said Alice, in a coaxing tone, and she tried hard to whistle to it; but
she was terribly frightened all the time at the thought that it might be
hungry, in which case it would be very likely to eat her up in spite of
all her coaxing.
Hardly knowing what she did, she picked up a little bit of stick, and
held it out to the puppy; whereupon the puppy jumped into the air off all
its feet at once, with a yelp of delight, and rushed at the stick, and
made believe to worry it; then Alice dodged behind a great thistle, to
keep herself from being run over; and the moment she appeared on the other
side, the puppy made another rush at the stick, and tumbled head over
heels in its hurry to get hold of it; then Alice, thinking it was very
like having a game of play with a cart-horse, and expecting every moment
to be trampled under its feet, ran round the thistle again; then the puppy
began a series of short charges at the stick, running a very little way
forwards each time and a long way back, and barking hoarsely all the
while, till at last it sat down a good way off, panting, with its tongue
hanging out of its mouth, and its great eyes half shut.
This seemed to Alice a good opportunity for making her escape; so she
set off at once, and ran till she was quite tired and out of breath, and
till the puppy's bark sounded quite faint in the distance.
- And yet what a dear little puppy it was! - said Alice, as she leant
against a buttercup to rest herself, and fanned herself with one of the
leaves: - I should have liked teaching it tricks very much, if - if I'd
only been the right size to do it! Oh dear! I'd nearly forgotten that I've
got to grow up again! Let me see - how IS it to be managed? I suppose I
ought to eat or drink something or other; but the great question is, what?
The great question certainly was, what? Alice looked all round her at the
flowers and the blades of grass, but she did not see anything that looked
like the right thing to eat or drink under the circumstances. There was a
large mushroom growing near her, about the same height as herself; and
when she had looked under it, and on both sides of it, and behind it, it
occurred to her that she might as well look and see what was on the top of
it.
She stretched herself up on tiptoe, and peeped over the edge of the
mushroom, and her eyes immediately met those of a large caterpillar, that
was sitting on the top with its arms folded, quietly smoking a long
hookah, and taking not the smallest notice of her or of anything else.
CHAPTER V
Advice from a Caterpillar
The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in
silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and
addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.
- Who are YOU? - said the Caterpillar. This was not an encouraging
opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, - I - I hardly
know, sir, just at present-at least I know who I WAS when I got up this
morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.
- What do you mean by that? - said the Caterpillar sternly. - Explain
yourself!
- I can't explain MYSELF, I'm afraid, sir - said Alice, - because I'm
not myself, you see.
- I don't see, - said the Caterpillar.
- I'm afraid I can't put it more clearly, - Alice replied very
politely, - for I can't understand it myself to begin with; and being so
many different sizes in a day is very confusing.
- It isn't, - said the Caterpillar.
- Well, perhaps you haven't found it so yet, - said Alice; - but when
you have to turn into a chrysalis - you will some day, you know - and then
after that into a butterfly, I should think you'll feel it a little queer,
won't you?
- Not a bit, - said the Caterpillar.
- Well, perhaps your feelings may be different, - said Alice; - all I
know is, it would feel very queer to ME.
- You! - said the Caterpillar contemptuously. - Who are YOU? Which
brought them back again to the beginning of the conversation. Alice felt a
little irritated at the Caterpillar's making such VERY short remarks, and
she drew herself up and said, very gravely, - I think, you out to tell me
who YOU are, first.
- Why? - said the Caterpillar. Here was another puzzling question;
and as Alice could not think of any good reason, and as the Caterpillar
seemed to be in a VERY unpleasant state of mind, she turned away.
- Come back! - the Caterpillar called after her. - I've something
important to say!
This sounded promising, certainly: Alice turned and came back again.
- Keep your temper, - said the Caterpillar. - Is that all? - said Alice,
swallowing down her anger as well as she could.
- No, - said the Caterpillar. Alice thought she might as well wait,
as she had nothing else to do, and perhaps after all it might tell her
something worth hearing. For some minutes it puffed away without speaking,
but at last it unfolded its arms, took the hookah out of its mouth again,
and said,
- So you think you're changed, do you? - I'm afraid I am, sir, - said
Alice; - I can't remember things as I used - and I don't keep the same
size for ten minutes together!
- Can't remember WHAT things? - said the Caterpillar.
- Well, I've tried to say - HOW DOTH THE LITTLE BUSY BEE, - but it
all came different! - Alice replied in a very melancholy voice.
- Repeat, - YOU ARE OLD, FATHER WILLIAM, - said the Caterpillar.
Alice folded her hands, and began:
- You are old, Father William, - the young man said, - And your hair
has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head
Do you think, at your age, it is right?
- In my youth, - Father William replied to his son, - I feared it
might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again.
- You are old, - said the youth, - as I mentioned before, And have
grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door
Pray, what is the reason of that?
- In my youth, - said the sage, as he shook his grey locks, - I kept
all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment - one shilling the box
Allow me to sell you a couple?
- You are old, - said the youth, - and your jaws are too weak For
anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak
Pray how did you manage to do it?
- In my youth, - said his father, - I took to the law, And argued
each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life.
- You are old, - said the youth, - one would hardly suppose That your
eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose
What made you so awfully clever?
- I have answered three questions, and that is enough, Said his
father; - don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs!
- That is not said right, - said the Caterpillar.
- Not QUITE right, I'm afraid, - said Alice, timidly; some of the
words have got altered.
- It is wrong from beginning to end, - said the Caterpillar
decidedly, and there was silence for some minutes.
The Caterpillar was the first to speak. - What size do you want to
be? - it asked. - Oh, I'm not particular as to size, - Alice hastily
replied; - only one doesn't like changing so often, you know.
- I DON'T know, - said the Caterpillar. Alice said nothing: she had
never been so much contradicted in her life before, and she felt that she
was losing her temper.
- Are you content now? - said the Caterpillar.
- Well, I should like to be a LITTLE larger, sir, if you wouldn't
mind, - said Alice: - three inches is such a wretched height to be.
- It is a very good height indeed! - said the Caterpillar angrily,
rearing itself upright as it spoke (it was exactly three inches high).
- But I'm not used to it! - pleaded poor Alice in a piteous tone. And
she thought of herself, - I wish the creatures wouldn't be so easily
offended!
- You'll get used to it in time, - said the Caterpillar; and it put
the hookah into its mouth and began smoking again.
This time Alice waited patiently until it chose to speak again. In a
minute or two the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth and yawned
once or twice, and shook itself. Then it got down off the mushroom, and
crawled away in the grass, merely remarking as it went,
- One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make
you grow shorter.
- One side of WHAT? The other side of WHAT? - thought Alice to
herself.
- Of the mushroom, - said the Caterpillar, just as if she had asked
it aloud; and in another moment it was out of sight.
Alice remained looking thoughtfully at the mushroom for a minute,
trying to make out which were the two sides of it; and as it was perfectly
round, she found this a very difficult question. However, at last she
stretched her arms round it as far as they would go, and broke off a bit
of the edge with each hand.
- And now which is which? - she said to herself, and nibbled a little
of the right-hand bit to try the effect: the next moment she felt a
violent blow underneath her chin: it had struck her foot!
She was a good deal frightened by this very sudden change, but she
felt that there was no time to be lost, as she was shrinking rapidly; so
she set to work at once to eat some of the other bit. Her chin was pressed
so closely against her foot, that there was hardly room to open her mouth;
but she did it at last, and managed to swallow a morsel of the lefthand
bit.
* * * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * * * * * *
- Come, my head's free at last! - said Alice in a tone of delight,
which changed into alarm in another moment, when she found that her
shoulders were nowhere to be found: all she could see, when she looked
down, was an immense length of neck, which seemed to rise like a stalk out
of a sea of green leaves that lay far below her.
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