Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. With a Proem by Austin DobsonCarroll, Lewis
Science
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. With a Proem by Austin Dobson
Carroll, Lewis
Alice (Fictitious character from Carroll) -- Juvenile fiction; Children's stories; Fantasy fiction; Imaginary places -- Juvenile fiction
"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 up stairs, 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.
[Illustration: "_Why, Mary Ann, what are you doing out here?_"]
"How queer it seems," Alice said to herself, "to be doing 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 watch this mouse-hole till Dinah comes back, and 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 looking-glass. 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 will 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
sha'n'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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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