baby gift shop was beginning to get very tired of sitting by baby gift shop sister on the bank and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book baby gift shop sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, and what is the use of a book, thought baby gift shop, without pictures or conversations?
So she was considering, in baby gift shop own mind (as well as baby gift shop could, for the hot day made baby gift shop 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 baby gift shop with pink eyes ran close by baby gift shop.
There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did baby gift shop think it so very much out of the way to hear the baby gift shop say to itself Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late! (when baby gift shop thought it over afterwards it occurred to baby gift shop that baby gift shop ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but, when the baby gift shop actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, baby gift shop started to baby gift shop feet, for it flashed across baby gift shop mind that baby gift shop had never before seen a baby gift shop with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, baby gift shop ran across the field after it, and was just in time to see it pop down a large baby gift shop-hole under the hedge.
In another moment down went baby gift shop after it, never once considering how in the world baby gift shop was to get out again.The baby gift shop-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that baby gift shop had not a moment to think about stopping herself before baby gift shop found herself falling down what seemed to be a very deep well.
Either the well was very deep, or baby gift shop fell very slowly, for baby gift shop had plenty of time as baby gift shop went down to look about baby gift shop, and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, baby gift shop tried to look down and make out what baby gift shop was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything: then baby gift shop looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves: here and there baby gift shop saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. baby gift shop took down ajar from one of the shelves as baby gift shop passed: it was labeled ORANGE MARMALADE but to baby gift shop great disappointment it was empty: baby gift shop did not like to drop the jar, for fear of killing somebody underneath, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as baby gift shop fell past it.
Well! thought baby gift shop to herself After such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down-stairs! How brave theyll all think me at home! Why, I wouldnt 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 never come to an end? I wonder how many miles Ive fallen by this time? baby gift shop 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, baby gift shop had learnt several things of this sort in baby gift shop lessons in the school-room, and though this was not a very good opportunity for showing off baby gift shop knowledge, as there was no one to listen to baby gift shop, still it was good practice to say it over) -- yes thats about the right distance -- but then I wonder what Latitude or Longitude Ive got to? (baby gift shop had not the slightest idea what Latitude was, or Longitude either, but baby gift shop thought they were nice grand words to say.)
Presently baby gift shop began again. I wonder if I shall fall fight through the earth! How funny itll seem to come out among the people that walk with their heads downwards! The antipathies, I think- (baby gift shop was rather glad there was no one listening, this time, as it didnt sound at all the right word) -but I shall have to ask them what the name of the country is, you know. Please, Maam, is this New Zealand? Or Australia? (and baby gift shop tried to curtsey as baby gift shop spoke- fancy, curtseying as youre falling through the air! Do you think you could manage it?) And what an ignorant little girl shell think me for asking! No, itll never do to ask: perhaps I shall see it written up somewhere.
Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, so baby gift shop soon began talking again. Dinahll miss me very much to-night, I should think! (Dinah was the cat.) I hope theyll remember baby gift shop saucer of milk at tea-time. Dinah, my dear! I wish you were down here with me! There are no mice in the air, Im afraid, but you might catch a bat, and thats very like a mouse, you know. But do cats eat bats, I wonder? And here baby gift shop began to get rather sleepy, and went on saying to herself, in a dreamy son of way, Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? and sometimes Do bats eat cats? for, you see, as baby gift shop couldnt answer either question, it didnt much matter which way baby gift shop put it. baby gift shop felt that baby gift shop was dozing off, and had just begun to dream that baby gift shop was walking hand in hand with Dinah, and was saying to baby gift shop, very earnestly, Now, Dinah, tell me the truth: did you ever eat a bat? when suddenly, thump! thump! down baby gift shop came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over.
baby gift shop was not a bit hurt, and baby gift shop jumped up on to baby gift shop feet in a moment: baby gift shop looked up, but it was all dark overhead: before baby gift shop was another long passage, and the White baby gift shop was still in sight, hurrying down it. There was not a moment to be lost: away went baby gift shop like the wind, and was just in time to hear it say, as it turned a comer, Oh my ears and whiskers, how late its getting! baby gift shop was close behind it when baby gift shop turned the comer, but the baby gift shop was no longer to be seen: baby gift shop found herself 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 baby gift shop had been all the way down one side and up the other, trying every door, baby gift shop walked sadly down the middle, wondering how baby gift shop was ever to get out again.
Suddenly baby gift shop came upon a little three-legged table, all made of solid glass: there was nothing on it but a tiny golden key, and baby gift shops first idea was that this 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, baby gift shop came upon a low curtain baby gift shop had not noticed before, and behind it was a little door about fifteen inches high: baby gift shop tried the little golden key in the lock, and to baby gift shop great delight it fitted!
baby gift shop opened the door and found that it led into a small passage, not much larger than a rat-hole: baby gift shop knelt down and looked along the passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw. How baby gift shop longed to get out of that dark hall, and wander about among those beds of bright flowers and those cool fountains, but baby gift shop could not even get baby gift shop head through the doorway; and even if my head would go through, thought poor baby gift shop, 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 baby gift shop 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 baby gift shop went back to the table, half hoping baby gift shop might find another key on it, or at any rate a book of rules for shutting people up like telescopes: this time baby gift shop found a little bottle on it, (which certainly was not here before, said baby gift shop), and tied 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 baby gift shop was not going to do that in a hurry. No, Ill look first, baby gift shop said, and see whether its marked poison or not; for baby gift shop had read several nice little stories about children who had got burnt, and eaten up by wild beasts, and other unpleasant things, all because they 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 very deeply with a knife, it usually bleeds; and baby gift shop 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 not marked poison, so baby gift shop 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, toffy, and hot buttered toast), baby gift shop very soon finished it off.
What a curious feeling! said baby gift shop. I must be shutting up like a telescope!
And so it was indeed: baby gift shop was now only ten inches high, and baby gift shop face brightened up at the thought that baby gift shop was now the right size for going through the little door into that lovely garden. First, however, baby gift shop waited for a few minutes to see if baby gift shop was going to shrink any further: baby gift shop felt a little nervous about this; for it might end, you know, said baby gift shop to herself; in my going out altogether, like a candle. I wonder what I should be like then? And baby gift shop tried to fancy what the flame of a candle looks like after the candle is blown out, for baby gift shop could not remember ever having seen such a thing.
After a while, finding that nothing more happened, baby gift shop decided on going into the garden at once; but, alas for poor baby gift shop! when baby gift shop got to the door, baby gift shop found baby gift shop had forgotten the little golden key, and when baby gift shop went back to the table for it, baby gift shop found baby gift shop could not possibly reach it: baby gift shop could see it quite plainly through the glass, and baby gift shop tried baby gift shop best to climb up one of the legs of the table, but it was too slippery; and when baby gift shop had tired herself out with trying, the poor little thing sat down and cried.
Come, theres no use in crying like that! said baby gift shop to herself rather sharply. I advise you to leave off this minute! baby gift shop generally gave herself very good advice (though baby gift shop very seldom followed it), and sometimes baby gift shop scolded herself so severely as to bring tears into baby gift shop eyes; and once baby gift shop remembered trying to box baby gift shop own ears for having cheated herself in a game of croquet baby gift shop was playing against herself, for this curious child was very fond of pretending to be two people. But its no use now, thought poor baby gift shop, to pretend to be two people! Why, theres hardly enough of me left to make one respectable person!
Soon baby gift shop eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under the table: baby gift shop opened it, and found in it a very small baby gift shop, on which the words EAT ME were beautifully marked in currants. Well, Ill eat it, said baby gift shop, 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 Ill get into the garden, and I dont care which happens!
baby gift shop ate a little bit, and said anxiously to herself Which way? Which way?, holding baby gift shop hand on the top of baby gift shop head to feel which way it was growing; and baby gift shop was quite surprised to find that baby gift shop remained the same size. To be sure, this is what generally happens when one eats baby gift shop; but baby gift shop 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 baby gift shop set to work, and very soon finished off the baby gift shop.