CHAPTERI.DowntheRabbit-Hole
Alicewasbeginningtogetvery
sliten
tiredofsittingbyhersisteronthebanken
bank,andofhavingnothingtodo:onceor
to ganger
twiceshehadpeepedintothebookhersisterwasreading,butithadnopicturesorconversationsinit,“andwhatistheuseofabook,”thoughtAlice“withoutpicturesorconversations?”Soshewasconsideringinherownmind(aswellasshecould,forthehotdaymadeherfeelverysleepyandstupid),
om
whetherthepleasureofmakingadaisy-chainwouldbeverdt
worththetroubleofgettingupandpickingthedaisies,whenplutselig
suddenlyaWhiteRabbitwithpinkeyesranclosebyher.Therewasnothingsoveryremarkableinthat;
heller
nordidAlicethinkitsoverymuchoutofthewaytoheartheRabbitsaytoitself,“Ohdear!Ohdear!
Ishallbelate!”
(whenshethoughtitoverafterwards,itoccurredtoherthatsheoughttohave
lurt
wonderedatthis,butatthetimeitallvirket
seemedquitenatural);butwhentheRabbitactuallytookawatchoutofitswaistcoat-pocket,andlookedatit,andthenhurriedon,Alicestartedtoherfeet,foritflashed
over
acrosshermindthatshehadneverbeforeseenarabbitwitheitherawaistcoat-pocket,orawatchtotakeoutofit,andbrenner
burningwithcuriosity,sheranover
acrossthefieldafterit,andfortunatelywasjustintimetoseeitpopdownastor
largerabbit-holeunderthehedge.InanothermomentdownwentAliceafterit,neveronceconsideringhowintheworldshewastogetoutagain.
Therabbit-holewent
rett
straightonlikeatunnelforsomeway,andthendippedplutselig
suddenlydown,sosuddenlythatAlicehadnotamomenttothinkaboutstoppingherselfbeforeshefoundherselffallingdownaverydyp
deepwell.Eitherthewellwasvery
dyp
deep,orshefellveryslowly,forshehadplentyoftimeasshewentdowntolookaboutherandtolure
wonderwhatwasgoingtohappennext.First,shetriedtolookdownandmakeoutwhatshewascomingto,butitwastoo
mørkt
darktoseeanything;thenshelookedatthesidesofthewell,and
merke
noticedthattheywerefilledwithcupboardsandbook-shelves;hereandthereshesawmapsandpictureshunguponpegs.
Shetookdownajarfromoneoftheshelvesasshepassed;
itwaslabelled“ORANGEMARMALADE”,buttohergreatdisappointmentitwas
tom
empty:shedidnotliketo
slippe
dropthejarforfearofkillingsomebodyunderneath,somanagedtoputitintooneofthecupboardsasshefellpastit.“Well!”
thoughtAlicetoherself,“aftersuchafallasthis,Ishallthinknothingoftumblingdownstairs!
Howbravethey’llallthinkmeathome!
Why,Iwouldn’tsayanythingaboutit,evenifIfelloffthetopofthehouse!”
(Whichwasverylikelytrue.)
Down,down,down.
Wouldthefallnevercometoanend?
“I
lurer
wonderhowmanymilesI’vefallenbythistime?”shesaidaloud.
“Imustbegettingsomewherenearthecentreoftheearth.
Letmesee:
thatwouldbefour
tusen
thousandmilesdown,Ithink—”(for,yousee,Alicehadlearnt
flere
severalthingsofthissortinherlessonsintheschoolroom,andthoughthiswasnotaverygoodopportunityforshowingoffherknowledge,astherewasnoonetolistentoher,stillitwasgoodpraksis
practicetosayitover)“—yes,that’sabouttherightdistance—butthenIlurer
wonderwhatLatitudeorLongitudeI’vegotto?”(AlicehadnoideawhatLatitudewas,orLongitudeeither,butthoughttheywerenicegrandwordstosay.)
Presentlyshe
begynte
beganagain.“IwonderifIshallfallrightthroughtheearth!
Howfunnyit’ll
virke
seemtocomeoutamongthepeoplethatwalkwiththeirheadsdownward!TheAntipathies,Ithink—”
(shewas
ganske
rathergladtherewasnoonelistening,thistime,asitdidn’tsoundatalltherightword)“—butIshallhavetoaskthemwhatthenameofthecountryis,youknow.Please,Ma’am,isthisNewZealandorAustralia?”
(andshetriedtocurtseyasshespoke—fancycurtseyingasyou’refallingthroughtheair!
Doyouthinkyoucouldmanageit?)
“Andwhatanignorantlittlegirlshe’llthinkmeforasking!
No,it’llneverdotoask:
perhapsIshallseeitwrittenupsomewhere.”
Down,down,down.
Therewasnothingelsetodo,soAlicesoon
begynte
begantalkingagain.“Dinah’llmissmeverymuchto-night,Ishouldthink!”
(Dinahwasthecat.)
“Ihopethey’llrememberhersaucerof
melk
milkattea-time.Dinahmydear!
Iwishyouweredownherewithme!
Therearenomiceintheair,I’mafraid,butyoumightcatchabat,andthat’sverylikeamouse,youknow.
Butdocatseatbats,Iwonder?”
AndhereAlice
begynte
begantogetrathersleepy,andwentonsayingtoherself,inadreamysortofway,“Docatseatbats?Docatseatbats?”
andsometimes,“Dobatseatcats?”
for,yousee,asshecouldn’tanswereitherquestion,itdidn’tmuchmatterwhichwaysheputit.
Shefeltthatshewasdozingoff,andhadjust
begynt
beguntodreamthatshewaswalkinghandinhandwithDinah,andsayingtoherveryearnestly,“Now,Dinah,tellmethetruth:didyouevereatabat?”
when
plutselig
suddenly,thump!thump!
downshecameuponaheapofsticksanddryleaves,andthefallwasover.
Alicewasnotabithurt,andshejumpedupontoherfeetinamoment:
shelookedup,butitwasall
mørkt
darkoverhead;beforeherwasanotherlongpassage,andtheWhiteRabbitwasstillinsight,hurryingdownit.
Therewasnotamomenttobelost:
awaywentAlicelikethewind,andwasjustintimetohearitsay,asitturnedacorner,“Ohmyearsandwhiskers,howlateit’sgetting!”
Shewasclosebehinditwhensheturnedthecorner,buttheRabbitwasnolongertobeseen:
shefoundherselfinalong,
lav
lowhall,whichwaslitupbyarowoflampshangingfromtheroof.Thereweredoorsall
rundt
roundthehall,buttheywerealllåst
locked;andwhenAlicehadbeenallthewaydownonesideanduptheother,tryingeverydoor,shewalkedsadlydownthe
midten
middle,wonderinghowshewasevertogetoutagain.Plutselig
Suddenlyshecameuponalittlethree-leggedbord
table,allmadeofsolidglass
glass;therewasnothingonit
bortsett fra
exceptatinygoldenkey,andAlice’sfirstthoughtwasthatitmightbelongtooneofthedoorsofthehall;but,alas!
eitherthelocksweretoo
store
large,orthekeywastoosmall,butatanyrateitwouldnotopenanyofthem.Men
However,onthesecondtimerundt
round,shecameuponalav
lowcurtainshehadnotmerke
noticedbefore,andbehinditwasalittledooraboutfifteenincheshigh:shetriedthelittlegoldenkeyinthe
låsen
lock,andtohergreatdelightitpasset
fitted!Aliceopenedthedoorandfoundthatit
førte
ledintoasmallpassage,notmuchlargerthanarat-hole:shekneltdownandlookedalongthepassageintotheloveliestgardenyoueversaw.
Howshelongedtogetoutofthat
mørke
darkhall,andwanderaboutamongthosebedsofbrightflowersandthosecoolfountains,butshecouldnotevengetherheadthroughthedoorway;“andevenifmyheadwouldgothrough,”thoughtpoorAlice,“itwouldbeofverylittleusewithoutmyshoulders.
Oh,howIwishIcouldshutuplikeatelescope!
IthinkIcould,ifIonlyknewhowtobegin.”
For,yousee,somanyout-of-the-waythingshadhappenedlately,thatAlicehadbeguntothinkthatveryfewthingsindeedwerereally
umulig
impossible.Thereseemedtobenouseinwaitingbythelittledoor,soshewentbacktothe
bordet
table,halfhopingshemightfindanothernøkkel
keyonit,oratanyrateabookofrulesforshuttingpeopleupliketelescopes:thistimeshefoundalittle
flaske
bottleonit,(“whichcertainlywasnotherebefore,”saidAlice,)andrundt
roundtheneckoftheflaske
bottlewasapaperlabel,withthewords“DRINKME,”beautifullyprintedonitinstore
largeletters.Itwasallverywelltosay“Drinkme,”butthewiselittleAlicewasnotgoingtodothatinahurry.
“No,I’lllookfirst,”shesaid,“andsee
om
whetherit’smarked‘poison’ornot”;forshehadread
flere
severalnicelittlehistoriesaboutchildrenwhohadgotbrent
burnt,andeatenupbywildbeastsandotherunpleasantthings,allbecausetheywouldnotremembertheenkle
simplerulestheirfriendshadtaughtthem:suchas,thatared-hotpokerwill
brenne
burnyouifyouholdittoolong;andthatifyoucutyourfingerverydeeplywitha
kniv
knife,itusuallybleeds;andshehadneverforgottenthat,ifyoudrinkmuchfroma
flaske
bottlemarked“poison,”itisalmostcertaintodisagreewithyou,soonerorlater.Men
However,thisbottlewasnotmerket
marked“poison,”soAliceventuredtotasteit,andfindingitverynice,(ithad,infact,asortofmixedflavourofcherry-tart,custard,pine-apple,roastturkey,toffee,andhotbutteredtoast,)sheverysoonfullført
finisheditoff.“Whatacuriousfeeling!”
saidAlice;
“Imustbeshuttinguplikeatelescope.”
Andsoitwasindeed:
shewasnowonlytenincheshigh,andherfacebrightenedupatthethoughtthatshewasnowtherightsizeforgoingthroughthelittledoorintothat
vakre
lovelygarden.First,however,shewaitedforafewminutestoseeifshewasgoingtoshrinkany
lenger
further:shefeltalittle
nervøs
nervousaboutthis;“foritmightend,youknow,”saidAlicetoherself,“inmygoingoutaltogether,likeacandle.
I
lurer
wonderwhatIshouldbelikethen?”Andshetriedtofancywhattheflameofacandleislikeafterthecandleisblownout,forshecouldnotremembereverhavingseensuchathing.
Afterawhile,findingthatnothingmorehappened,she
bestemte
decidedongoingintothegardenatonce;but,alasforpoorAlice!
whenshegottothedoor,shefoundshehadforgottenthelittlegoldenkey,andwhenshewentbacktothe
bordet
tableforit,shefoundshecouldnotpossiblynå
reachit:shecouldseeitquiteplainlythroughtheglass,andshetriedherbesttoclimbuponeofthelegsofthe
bordet
table,butitwastooslippery;andwhenshehad
trøtt
tiredherselfoutwithtrying,thepoorlittlethingsatdownandgråt
cried.“Come,there’snousein
gråte
cryinglikethat!”saidAlicetoherself,
ganske
rathersharply;“Iadviseyoutoleaveoffthisminute!”
Shegenerallygaveherselfverygoodadvice,(thoughsheveryseldomfollowedit),andsometimesshescoldedherselfsoseverelyastobringtearsintohereyes;
andoncesherememberedtryingtoboxherownearsforhavingcheatedherselfinagameofcroquetshewasplayingagainstherself,forthiscuriouschildwasveryfondofpretendingtobetwopeople.
“Butit’snousenow,”thoughtpoorAlice,“topretendtobetwopeople!
Why,there’shardlyenoughofmelefttomakeonerespectableperson!”
Soonher
øye
eyefellonalittleglassboxthatwaslyingunderthebordet
table:sheopenedit,andfoundinitaverysmallcake,onwhichthewords“EATME”werebeautifully
merket
markedincurrants.“Well,I’lleatit,”saidAlice,“andifitmakesme
vokse
growlarger,Icanreachthekey;andifitmakesme
vokse
growsmaller,Icancreepunderthedoor;soeitherwayI’llgetintothegarden,andIdon’tcarewhichhappens!”
Sheatealittlebit,andsaidanxiouslytoherself,“Whichway?
Whichway?”,holdingherhandonthetopofherheadtofeelwhichwayitwas
vokste
growing,andshewasquitesurprisedtofindthatsheremainedthesamesize:tobesure,thisgenerallyhappenswhenoneeatscake,butAlicehadgotsomuchintothewayof
forvente
expectingnothingbutout-of-the-waythingstohappen,thatitvirket
seemedquitedullandstupidforlifetogooninthecommonway.CHAPTERII.ThePoolofTears
“Curiouserandcuriouser!”
gråt
criedAlice(shewassomuchsurprised,thatforthemomentshequiteforgothowtospeakgoodEnglish);“nowI’mopeningoutlikethelargesttelescopethateverwas!
Good-bye,feet!”
(forwhenshelookeddownatherfeet,they
virket
seemedtobealmostoutofsight,theyweregettingsofaroff).“Oh,mypoorlittle
føtter
feet,Iwonderwhowillputonyourskoene
shoesandstockingsforyounow,dears?I’msureIshan’tbeable!
Ishallbeagreatdealtoofarofftotroublemyselfaboutyou:
youmustmanagethebestwayyoucan;—butImustbekindtothem,”thoughtAlice,“orperhapstheywon’twalkthewayIwanttogo!
Letmesee:
I’llgivethemanewpairofbootseveryChristmas.”
Andshewentonplanningtoherselfhowshewouldmanageit.
“Theymustgobythecarrier,”shethought;
“andhowfunnyit’ll
virke
seem,sendingpresentstoone’sownføtter
feet!Andhowoddthedirectionswilllook!
Ohdear,whatnonsenseI’mtalking!”
Justthenherheadstruckagainsttheroofofthehall:
infactshewasnowmorethan
ni
ninefeethigh,andsheatoncetookupthelittlegoldenkeyandhurriedofftothegardendoor.PoorAlice!
Itwasasmuchasshecoulddo,lyingdownononeside,tolookthroughintothegardenwithone
øye
eye;buttogetthroughwasmorehopelessthanever:
shesatdownand
begynte
begantocryagain.“Yououghttobeashamedofyourself,”saidAlice,“agreatgirllikeyou,”(shemightwellsaythis),“togoon
gråte
cryinginthisway!Stopthismoment,Itellyou!”
Butshewentonallthesame,sheddinggallonsoftears,untiltherewasa
stor
largepoolallroundher,aboutfourinchesdyp
deepandreachinghalfdownthehall.Afteratimesheheardalittlepatteringof
føtter
feetinthedistance,andshehastilydriedhereyestoseewhatwascoming.ItwastheWhiteRabbitreturning,splendidly
kledd
dressed,withapairofwhitekidglovesinonehandandastor
largefanintheother:hecametrottingalonginagreathurry,mutteringtohimselfashecame,“Oh!
theDuchess,theDuchess!
Oh!
won’tshebesavageifI’vekeptherwaiting!”
Alicefeltsodesperatethatshewasreadytoaskhelpofanyone;
so,whentheRabbitcame
nær
nearher,shebegan,inalav
low,timidvoice,“Ifyouplease,sir—”TheRabbitstartedviolently,
droppet
droppedthewhitekidglovesandthefan,andskurriedawayintothedarknessashardashecouldgo.Alicetookupthefanandgloves,and,asthehallwasveryhot,shekeptfanningherselfallthetimeshewentontalking:
“Dear,dear!
Howqueereverythingisto-day!
Andyesterdaythingswentonjustasusual.
I
lurer
wonderifI’vebeenchangedinthenight?Letmethink:
wasIthesamewhenIgotupthismorning?
IalmostthinkIcanrememberfeelingalittledifferent.
ButifI’mnotthesame,thenextquestionis,WhointheworldamI?
Ah,that’sthegreatpuzzle!”
Andshe
begynte
beganthinkingoverallthechildrensheknewthatwereofthesamealder
ageasherself,toseeifshecouldhavebeenchangedforanyofthem.“I’msureI’mnotAda,”shesaid,“forherhairgoesinsuchlongringlets,andminedoesn’tgoinringletsatall;
andI’msureIcan’tbeMabel,forIknowallsortsofthings,andshe,oh!
sheknowssuchaverylittle!
Dessuten
Besides,she’sshe,andI’mI,and—ohdear,howpuzzlingitallis!I’lltryifIknowallthethingsIusedtoknow.
Letmesee:
fourtimesfiveistwelve,andfourtimessixisthirteen,andfourtimes
syv
sevenis—ohdear!Ishallnevergettotwentyatthatrate!
Men
However,theMultiplicationTabledoesn’tsignify:let’stryGeography.
LondonisthecapitalofParis,andParisisthecapitalofRome,andRome—no,that’sallwrong,I’m
sikker
certain!ImusthavebeenchangedforMabel!
I’lltryandsay‘Howdoththelittle—’”andshe
krysset
crossedherhandsonherlapasifsheweresayinglessons,andbegynte
begantorepeatit,buthervoicesoundedhoarseandmerkelig
strange,andthewordsdidnotcomethesameastheyusedtodo:—.“HowdoththelittlecrocodileImprovehisshiningtail,AndpourthewatersoftheNileOneverygoldenscale!
“Howcheerfullyheseemstogrin,Howneatlyspreadhisclaws,Andwelcomelittle
fisk
fishesinWithgentlysmilingjaws!”“I’msurethosearenottherightwords,”saidpoorAlice,andhereyesfilledwithtearsagainasshewenton,“ImustbeMabelafterall,andIshallhavetogoandliveinthatpokylittlehouse,andhavenexttonotoystoplaywith,andoh!
eversomanylessonstolearn!
No,I’vemadeupmymindaboutit;
ifI’mMabel,I’llstaydownhere!
It’llbenousetheirputtingtheirheadsdownandsaying‘Comeupagain,dear!’Ishallonlylookupandsay‘WhoamIthen?
Tellmethatfirst,andthen,ifIlikebeingthatperson,I’llcomeup:
ifnot,I’llstaydownheretillI’msomebodyelse’—but,ohdear!”
criedAlice,withasuddenburstoftears,“Idowishtheywouldputtheirheadsdown!
Iamsovery
sliten
tiredofbeingallalonehere!”Asshesaidthisshelookeddownatherhands,andwassurprisedtoseethatshehadputononeoftheRabbit’slittlewhitekidgloveswhileshewastalking.
“HowcanIhavedonethat?”
shethought.
“Imustbe
vokse
growingsmallagain.”Shegotupandwenttothe
bordet
tabletomeasureherselfbyit,andfoundthat,asnearlyasshecouldguess,shewasnowabouttwofot
feethigh,andwasgoingonshrinkingrapidly:shesoonfoundoutthatthecauseofthiswasthefanshewasholding,andshedroppedithastily,justintimetoavoidshrinkingawayaltogether.
“Thatwasanarrowescape!”