Reading Help Alice's adventure in wonderland

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` ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND `
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` Lewis Carroll `
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` CHAPTER I `
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` Down the Rabbit-Hole `
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` Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister `
` on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had `
` peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no `
` pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a book,' `
` thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?' `
` `
` So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, `
` for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether `
` the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble `
` of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White `
` Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her. `
` `
` There was nothing so VERY remarkable in that; nor did Alice `
` think it so VERY much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to `
` itself, `Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!' (when she thought `
` it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have `
` wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); `
` but when the Rabbit actually TOOK A WATCH OUT OF ITS WAISTCOAT- `
` POCKET, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to `
` her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never `
` before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to `
` take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the `
` field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop `
` down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge. `
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` In another moment down went Alice after it, never once `
` considering how in the world she was to get out again. `
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` The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, `
` and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a `
` moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself `
` falling down a very deep well. `
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` Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she `
` had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to `
` wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look `
` down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to `
` see anything; then she looked at the sides of the well, and `
` noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves; `
` here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She `
` took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed; it was `
` labelled `ORANGE MARMALADE', but to her great disappointment it `
` was empty: she did not like to drop the jar for fear of killing `
` somebody, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she `
` fell past it. `
` `
` `Well!' thought Alice to herself, `after such a fall as this, I `
` shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they'll `
` all think me at home! Why, I wouldn't say anything about it, `
` even if I fell off the top of the house!' (Which was very likely `
` true.) `
` `
` Down, down, down. Would the fall NEVER come to an end! `I `
` wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?' she 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, Alice had learnt several things of this sort in her `
` lessons in the schoolroom, and though this was not a VERY good `
` opportunity for showing off her knowledge, as there was no one to `
` listen to her, still it was good practice to say it over) `--yes, `
` that's about the right distance--but then I wonder what Latitude `
` or Longitude I've got to?' (Alice had no idea what Latitude was, `
` or Longitude either, but thought they were nice grand words to `
` say.) `
` `
` Presently she began again. `I wonder if I shall fall right `
` THROUGH the earth! How funny it'll seem to come out among the `
` people that walk with their heads downward! The Antipathies, I `
` think--' (she was rather glad there WAS no one listening, this `
` time, as it didn't sound at all the right word) `--but I shall `
` have to ask them what the name of the country is, you know. `
` Please, Ma'am, is this New Zealand or Australia?' (and she tried `
` to curtsey as she spoke--fancy CURTSEYING as you're falling `
` through the air! Do you think you could manage it?) `And what `
` an ignorant little girl she'll think me for asking! No, it'll `
` never do to ask: perhaps I shall see it written up somewhere.' `
` `
` Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, so Alice soon `
` began talking again. `Dinah'll miss me very much to-night, I `
` should think!' (Dinah was the cat.) `I hope they'll remember `
` her saucer of milk at tea-time. Dinah my dear! I wish you were `
` down here with me! There are no mice in the air, I'm afraid, but `
` you might catch a bat, and that's very like a mouse, you know. `
` But do cats eat bats, I wonder?' And here Alice began to get `
` rather sleepy, and went on saying to herself, in a dreamy sort of `
` way, `Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?' and sometimes, `Do `
` bats eat cats?' for, you see, as she couldn't answer either `
` question, it didn't much matter which way she put it. She felt `
` that she was dozing off, and had just begun to dream that she `
` was walking hand in hand with Dinah, and saying to her very `
` earnestly, `Now, Dinah, tell me the truth: did you ever eat a `
` bat?' when suddenly, thump! thump! down she came upon a heap of `
` sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over. `
` `
` Alice was not a bit hurt, and she jumped up on to her feet in a `
` moment: she looked up, but it was all dark overhead; before her `
` was another long passage, and the White Rabbit was still in `
` sight, hurrying down it. There was not a moment to be lost: `
` away went Alice like the wind, and was just in time to hear it `
` say, as it turned a corner, `Oh my ears and whiskers, how late `
` it's getting!' She was close behind it when she turned the `
` corner, but the Rabbit was no longer to be seen: she 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 Alice had been all the way down one side and up the `
` other, trying every door, she walked sadly down the middle, `
` wondering how she was ever to get out again. `
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` Suddenly she came upon a little three-legged table, all made of `
` solid glass; there was nothing on it except a tiny golden key, `
` and Alice's first thought was that it might belong to one of the `
` doors of the hall; but, alas! either the locks were too large, or `
` the key was too small, but at any rate it would not open any of `
` them. However, on the second time round, she came upon a low `
` curtain she had not noticed before, and behind it was a little `
` door about fifteen inches high: she tried the little golden key `
` in the lock, and to her great delight it fitted! `
` `
` Alice opened the door and found that it led into a small `
` passage, not much larger than a rat-hole: she knelt down and `
` looked along the passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw. `
` How she longed to get out of that dark hall, and wander about `
` among those beds of bright flowers and those cool fountains, but `
` she could not even get her head through the doorway; `and even if `
` my head would go through,' thought poor Alice, `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 `
` know how to begin.' For, you see, so many out-of-the-way things `
` had happened lately, that Alice 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 she `
` went back to the table, half hoping she might find another key on `
` it, or at any rate a book of rules for shutting people up like `
` telescopes: this time she found a little bottle on it, (`which `
` certainly was not here before,' said Alice,) and round the neck `
` of the bottle was a paper label, with the words `DRINK ME' `
` beautifully printed on it in large letters. `
` `
` It was all very well to say `Drink me,' but the wise little `
` Alice was not going to do THAT in a hurry. `No, I'll look `
` first,' she said, `and see whether it's marked "poison" or not'; `
` for she had read several nice little histories about children who `
` had got burnt, and eaten up by wild beasts and other unpleasant `
` things, all because they 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 she 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 Alice ventured `
` to taste it, and finding it very nice, (it had, in fact, a sort `
` of mixed flavour of cherry-tart, custard, pine-apple, roast `
` turkey, toffee, and hot buttered toast,) she very soon finished `
` it off. `
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` `What a curious feeling!' said Alice; `I must be shutting up `
` like a telescope.' `
` `
` And so it was indeed: she was now only ten inches high, and `
` her face brightened up at the thought that she was now the right `
` size for going through the little door into that lovely garden. `
` First, however, she waited for a few minutes to see if she was `
` going to shrink any further: she felt a little nervous about `
` this; `for it might end, you know,' said Alice to herself, `in my `
` going out altogether, like a candle. I wonder what I should be `
` like then?' And she tried to fancy what the flame of a candle is `
` like after the candle is blown out, for she could not remember `
` ever having seen such a thing. `
` `
` After a while, finding that nothing more happened, she decided `
` on going into the garden at once; but, alas for poor Alice! `
` when she got to the door, she found she had forgotten the `
` little golden key, and when she went back to the table for it, `
` she found she could not possibly reach it: she could see it `
` quite plainly through the glass, and she tried her best to climb `
` up one of the legs of the table, but it was too slippery; `
` and when she had tired herself out with trying, `
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