CHAPTERONE

DowntheRabbit-hole

Aliceandherbigsistersatunderatreeonesunnyday.Alice'ssisterhadabook,butAlicehadnothingwithher.Shelookedathersistersbook.Therewerenopicturesorconversationsinit.

'Whyisshereadingabookwithoutpicturesorconversations?'shethought.'I'mbored.Iknow!I'lllookforsomeBowers.'Thenshethought,'No,it'stoohotforthatandIfeelsleepy.'

Suddenly,awhite rabbit ranpasther. It tookawatchfromits jacketandlookedatit.'Oh!Oh!I'mgoingtobelate!'itsaid.

'That'sstrange!Arabbitwithawatch!'saidAlice.

Shejumpedupandranaftertheanimal.Itrandownalargerabbit-hole,soAlicewentdowntheholetoo.Shedidn'tstopandask, 'HowamIgoingtogetoutagain?'

Alicefelldownanddown.Butshefellveryslowlyanddidn'tfeelafraid.'What'sgoingtohappennext?'shewondered.

She looked round.Therewere cupboards in thewalls of the rabbit-hole.Someofthecupboardswereopen,andtherewerebooksinthem.Sometimesshesawpictures.Shelookeddown,butshecouldn'tseeanylight.

Down,down,down.'Whenwilltheholeend?'shewondered.'PerhapsI'mgoingtocomeoutinAustralia!I'llhavetoaskthenameofthecountry.'Please,madam,isthisAustraliaorNewZealand?'No,Ican'tdothat.They'llthinkI'mstupid.'

She thought about her cat, Dinah. 'What's Dinah doing? Will theyrememberhermilktonight?Oh,Dinah!Whyaren'tyouherewithme?Perhapsthere'samousehereandyoucaneatit!'

Suddenly,Alicewasat thebottomofthehole. 'Thatdidn'thurt,'shesaidandsatupquickly.ShecouldseetheWhiteRabbitandsheranafterhimagain.

Theywereinadifferentrabbit-holenow.

'Oh,myearsandnose!'theWhiteRabbitcried.'It'sgettingverylate!'

He ran faster and vanished through another hole. Alice followed himthrough thehole.Nowshewas inavery longroom.She lookedroundfor theWhiteRabbit,butshecouldn'tseehimanywhere.

Therewerefourdoorsintheroom,butAlicecouldn'topenthem.Also,shecouldn'tseetheholeanywhere.'HowamIgoingtogetout?'shewondered.

Thenshesawalittletable.Ithadaverysmallkeyonit.

'Perhapsitwillopenoneofthedoors,'shethought.Shetookthekeyandtriedtoopeneachdoorwithit.Butitwasnogood.Thekeywastoosmall.

'Thiskeyhastoopensomething,'shethought.

Thenshesawaverysmalldoorabout40centimetershigh.Thelittlekeyopenedit.Sheputherheaddownandlookedthroughthedoorintoabeautifulgarden.Shetriedtowalkthroughit,butshewastoobig.Sadly,sheshutthedooragainandputthekeybackonthetable.

'Whycan'tIgetsmaller?'thoughtAlice. 'Thisisaverystrangeplace-soperhapsIcan.'

Shelookedatthetable.Therewasalittlebottleonit.

'Thatbottlewasnotonthetablebefore,'thoughtAlice.

The bottle had 'DRINK ME' on it in large letters. Alice looked at itcarefully.

'Isitallrighttodrink?'shewondered.

'I'lldrinkalittle,'shethought.Shehadsomeanditwasverynice.Soshehadsomemore.

'This feels strange,' saidAlice. 'I'm getting smaller and smaller!'After ashorttime,shewasonly25centimetreshigh.

'NowIcango through thatdoor,' she thought.Shewent to thedoor,butcould not open it. The keywas on the table. Shewent back to the table. ButAlicewastooshortandshecouldn'tgetthekey.Shetriedtoclimbthetablelegs,butitwastoodifficult.Thelittlegirlsatdownandcried.

'Alice!Alice!'shesaidaftersomeminutes.'Don'tcry.Itisn'tgoingtohelpyou.Stopnow!'

Thenshesawalittleboxunderthetable.Sheopenedit.Therewasacakeinside.Onit,shesawthewords,'EATME'.

'Yes,Iwilleatit,'Alicesaid.'PerhapsI'llgetbiggerandthenIcangetthekey.OrperhapsI'llgetsmaller.ThenIcangetunderthedoorintothegarden.'

Sheatesomecake.

'WillIgoupordown?'shewondered.Shefeltthetopofherheadwithherhand.Butnothinghappened-shestayedthesamesize.Soshefinishedthecake.

CHAPTERTWO

Alice'sTears

'Oh! What's happening?' cried Alice. 'I'm getting taller and taller!' Shelookeddown.'Goodbye,feet!Whowillputyourshoesonforyounow?Ican'tdoit!I'llgiveyousomenewshoesforChristmas.I'llhavetosendthemtoyou!'

Inashorttime,Alicewasmorethanthreemetershigh.

'Iwanttogointothatgarden!'shethought.Shetookthelittlekeyfromthetable.Thenshewenttothedoorandopenedit.Butshewastoobigandcouldn'tgothroughit.

Shesatdownandbegantocryagain.Becauseshewasverybig,hertearswereverybigtoo.

'Alice,stopitthisminute!Don'tcry!'shesaid.

But she couldn't stop the big tears and after a time there was watereverywhere.

She heard the sound of small feet. She looked down and there was theWhiteRabbitagain.Hehadhisbestclotheson,andinonehandhehadawhitehat.

'Oh,theDuchess,theDuchess!'hesaid. 'She'llbeangrywithmebecauseI'mlate!'

Alicewantedtoaskhimforhelp.'Please,Sir-'shesaidverypolitely.

TheWhiteRabbitjumped.Heranoutoftheroomandhishatfellfromhishands.Alicetookthehat.

'Am I different?' shewondered. IwasAlice yesterday, but everything isdifferenttoday.PerhapsI'mnotmenow.SowhoamI?That'sthequestion.'

She began to think about her friends. 'Perhaps I'm one of them,' she

thought.'I'mnotAdabecauseherhairisdifferenttomine.Idon'twanttobemyfriendMabel,becauseshedoesn'tknowverymuch.Iknowmorethanshedoes.'Thenshe thought, 'DoIknowmore?Letmesee.What's fourandfour?Eight.Eightandeight is sixteen.Sixteenandsixteen is...Oh! Ican't remember!Andshestartedtocryagain.

Butthistimehertearsweresmalltears-shewassmallagain!

'Why?' shewondered. Then she understood. She had theWhiteRabbit'shatinherhand.

'I'msmallerbecauseI'vegotthehatinmyhand!'shethought.

Sheputthehaton.Itwastherightsizeforherhead.

'AmIsmallerthanthetablenow?'shewondered.Shewenttothetableandstoodnexttoit.Shewassmallerthanthetable.'I'mgettingsmallerallthetime!'shecried.'I'mgoingtovanish!'Shequicklytookthehatoff.

'NowIcangointothegarden!'thoughtAlice,andshestartedtoruntothelittledoor.Butbeforeshegotthere,shefellintosomewater.Shetriedtoputherfeetonthegroundbutshecouldn't.Shehadtoswim.

'I'minthesea!'shethought.Butitwasn'tthesea.Thewaterwashertears.

Somethingwasinthewater-Alicecouldhearit.'Perhapsit'sabigfishorseaanimal,'shethought.Shelookedround.There,verynearher,wasamouse.

'I'llspeakto it,' thoughtAlice. 'Everythingisstrangehere.Perhapsitcanspeakandunderstandme.'

'OhMouse,'shesaid.'Doyouknowthewayoutofthisroom?'TheMousedidn'tanswer.

'Perhapsitdoesn'tunderstandEnglish.Perhapsit'saFrenchmouse,'Alicethought.Sherememberedsomewordsfromherschoolbook,soshespoketothemouseinFrench.

'Whereismycat?'sheasked.

TheMousemovedquicklyawayfromher.

'Oh,I'msorry,'saidAlice.'Iforgot.You'reamouse,soyoudon'tlikecats.'

'Don'tlikecats!'criedthemouse.'I'mamouse.OfcourseIdon'tlikecats!'

'No,'Alicesaid. 'No.But I thinkyouwill likeDinah.She isanice,dearthing.She'sveryquietandgood.Shecatchesamouseeveryday -Oh!You'reangryagain!Wewon'ttalkaboutDinahanymore-'

'We!'criedtheMouse. 'Ineverspeakaboutcats!Ourfamilyhatescats!Idon'twanttohearanymoreaboutthem.'

'No, no,' saidAlice quickly. 'Perhaps - perhaps you like dogs?There's averynice little dognear our house. It likes playingwith childrenbut itworkstoo.Itkillsallthem-Oh!I'msorry!'

TheMouselookedangrilyatherandswamquicklyaway.

'DearMouse!'saidAlicesoftly.'Comebackagainandwewon'ttalkaboutcatsordogs.'

When theMouse heard this, it turned round. It swam slowly back. 'Allright,'itsaid.'I'lltalktoyou,butlet'sgetoutofthewater.'

TheyclimbedoutandAlicelookedround.Therewerealotofanimalsandbirdsinthewater.Whentheysawher,theygotoutofthewatertoo.

CHAPTERTHREE

ARace

Aliceandthebirdsandanimalsfeltcoldandwet.ThelargestbirdspoketoAlice.

'Goodafternoon,'itsaidloudly.'IamtheDodo.'

'WhatisaDodo?'thoughtAlice,butshesmiledpolitely.'Hello,Dodo.I'mAlice,'shesaid.

'Ihaveanidea,'said theDodo.'Weallwant togetwarm.Solet'shavearace-aCaucusrace.'

'WhatisaCaucusrace?'Aliceasked.

'I can tell you,' said the Dodo,' but I won't. I'll show you! That will beeasier.'

He put the animals and birds in different places in the room. In a race,somebody usually says,' One, two, three, go!' But the Dodo didn't do that.Everybody started to run at different times and stopped at different times too.Afterhalfanhour, theDodocried, 'Everybodystop!All thebirdsandanimalsstopped. Then they all came to theDodo and stood round it.'Whowas first?Whowasfirst?'theyshouted.

TheDodohadtothinkaboutit.Hesatforalongtimewithhisfingerinhismouth.Thenhesaid,'Everybodywasfirst.Soeverybodycanhaveachocolate.'

'Butwhowillgiveusthechocolates?'theMouseasked.

'Shewill,'theDodosaidandlookedatAlice.ThebirdsandanimalscameandstoodroundAlice.

'Chocolates,chocolates!'theycried.

'WhatamIgoingtodo?'thoughtAlice.Ihaven'tgotanychocolates.'But

thenshesawaboxofchocolatesnearherfeet.

'Hereweare,'shesaid,andopenedthebox.Therewasonechocolateforeachbirdandanimal.

'ButAlicehastohavesomething,youknow,'saidtheMouse.

'Ofcourse,'theDodoanswered.HeturnedtoAlice.'Whatcanyouhave?'heasked.

'Icanhavethebox,'saidAlicesadly.

'Giveittome,'saidtheDodoandAlicegaveittohim.

TheyallstoodroundAliceagain,andtheDodogaveherthebox.

'Pleasetakethisbeautifulbox,'hesaid.

'Thisisverystupid,'thoughtAliceandshewantedtolaugh.Butshedidn't.Shetooktheboxandsmiledpolitely.

Theanimalsandbirdsatetheirchocolatesnoisily.Someofthemcried.Thebiganimalsandbirdswantedmore.Butthechocolatesweretoobigforthesmallbirds,andtheyhadtoeatthemveryslowly.Whentheyfinishedtheirchocolates,theysatandlookedatAlice.

'Oh,whereisDinah?'saidAlice.'Iwantherwithme.'

'AndwhoisDinah?'theDodoasked.

Alice loved to talk about her cat. 'Dinah's our cat. She's very nice.Andverycleverandfast.Shecancatchamouseinthemorningforherbreakfastandalittlebirdintheeveningforherdinner-Oh!I'msorry!'

Itwastoolate.Thebirdsandanimalsstartedleaving.

Oneoldbirdsaid,'Ireallyhavetogohome.Itgetssocoldatnight!'

Another bird called to her children, 'Come away,mydears! It's time forbed!'

TheyallspokepolitelytoAliceandlefttheroom.

'Oh,whydidItalkaboutDinah?'criedAlice. 'NobodylikesDinahdownhere,butshe'sthebestcatintheworld.PerhapsI'llneverseeheragain!'

Shesatdownandstartedtocryagain.Afteratime,sheheardthesoundofsmallfeetandlookedup.

'Perhapsit'stheMouse,'shethought.

CHAPTERFOUR

TheWhiteRabbit'sHouse

Itwasnot theMouse. Itwas theWhiteRabbit.Hecameslowly into theroom.

'Oh,myearsandnose!'hesaidquietly.'TheDuchess!TheDuchess!She'llbeangry!They'llcutoffmyhead,Iknow!Oh,whereisit?Wherediditfall?'

'He'slookingforhishat,'thoughtAlice.

Shewantedtohelphim,butshecouldn'tseethehatanywhere.Shelookedround.Everythingwasdifferentnow.Shewasn'tinthelongroomanymore,andtherewasnotableorwater.Shewasoutsideagain,inthecountry.

TheWhiteRabbitsawher. 'Whatareyoudoingouthere,MaryAnn?'heaskedangrily.'Runhomethisminuteandbringmeahat.Quick,now!'

Alicedidn'tsay, 'I'mnotMaryAnn.'Shefelt tooafraid.Sheranfastandafter a short time, she came to a pretty little house.Above the doorwere thewords'W.RABBIT'.Shewentinandranupthestairs.

'Thisisverystrange,'shethought.'IhopeIdon'tmeetMaryAnn.WhyamIbringinga rabbithishat?Perhapswhen Igethome, I'lldo things forDinah.PerhapsI'llwatchmouse-holesforher!'

Shewentintoasmallroom.There,onatable,wasahatandalittlebottle.Alicetookthehatandlookedatthebottle.Itdidn'thavethewords'DRINKME'onit,butshedrankfromit.

'I know something interesting will happen,' she thought. 'When I eat ordrinksomethinghere, italwaysdoes.IhopeIgetbigger this time.Idon't likebeingsmall.'

Shedrankhalfthebottle.'Oh,I'mgettingmuchtaller!'shecried.'Oh!'Herheadhitthetopofthehouseandsheputthebottledownquickly.

'Ohno!'shethought.'IhopeIdon'tgettaller!'

Shesatdown.Butafteraveryshorttimeshewastoobigfortheroom.Shehadtoputonearmoutofthewindowandonefootinthefireplace.

'Ican'tdoanymore,' she thought. 'Whatwillhappen tome?'Shewaitedforsometime,butshedidn'tgetbigger.'Well,that'sgood,'shethought.Butthenshetriedtomoveandcouldn't.Shedidn'tfeelwellandshewasveryunhappy.

'I'm never going to get out of here,' she thought. 'It was much nicer athome.FirstIgetlarger,thenIgetsmaller,thenlarger...Oh,whydidIgodownthe rabbit-hole?But it is interestinghere.Perhapssomebodywillwriteabookabout this place - and about me! Perhaps I will, when I'm bigger.' Then sheremembered.'ButI'mbiggernow!'

She heard somebody outside. 'Mary Ann, Mary Ann! Where are you?Bringmemyhat!'Thewordscamefromthegarden,outsidethewindow.ItwastheWhiteRabbit.

Hecameinsideandranupthestairstotheroom.Hetriedtoopenthedoor.Buthecouldn'tbecauseAlice'sbackwasnexttoit.

'I'llclimbinthroughthewindow,'theRabbitsaid.

'Oh no, you won't,' thought Alice. She waited and listened. One of herarms was outside the window. When she could hear the Rabbit outside thewindow,shemovedherarmupanddown.Therewasalittlecry.

'Pat,Pat,whereareyou?Comehere!'shoutedtheRabbit.

'Coming,Sir,'somebody-orsomething-answered.

'What'sthatinthewindow?'askedtheRabbit.

'It'sanarm,Sir,'Patanswered.

'Don'tbestupid!Howcanitbeanarm?It'stoobig!'

'Itisverybig,butitisanarm,sir.'

'Well,what'sitdoingupthere?Takeitaway!'saidtheRabbitangrily.

Alicemoved her arm again.Now therewere two little cries.Everythingwasquietforashorttime,thensomethinghardhitherarm.

'Thathurt!'saidAlice.

Something came through thewindowand fell on the floor.Alice lookeddown.Itwasalittlecake.

'Acake?Whydidtheythrowacake?'shewondered.

Thenshe thought, 'I'lleat itandperhapsI'llgetsmalleragain. Ican'tgetbigger!'Sosheatethecakeandtwoorthreeminuteslatershewassmallagain.Sheranoutofthehouseasquicklyasshecould.

TheWhiteRabbitsawher.HeranafterherbutAlicerantoofastforhim.Aftersometime,shecametoawood.Shewastiredbecauseshewasverysmallnow.

'I have to get bigger again,' saidAlice. 'But how? I have to eat or drinksomething,butthequestionis-what?'

That was the question. She looked all round her, but she couldn't seeanythingwith 'EATME' or 'DRINKME' on it. Therewere somemushroomsnearher.Somewerewhiteandsomewerebrown.

'I eatmushrooms for dinner,' she thought. 'I'll eat somemushrooms andperhapsI'llgetbiggeragain.'

Onewhitemushroomwas as big asAlice. She stood up tall and lookedoverthetop.There,ontopofthemushroom,wasalargegreencaterpillar.

CHAPTERFIVE

TheCaterpillar

TheCaterpillarlookedatAliceforsometimebeforeitspoke.Thenitsaidslowly,'Whoareyou?'

Itwasadifficultquestion. 'I... Idon't reallyknow,Sir,'Alicesaid. 'IwasAlicewhenIgotupthismorning.ButthenIchanged-andthenIchangedagain-andagain.'

'Whatdoyoumean?'theCaterpillarasked.

'Idon'tknow,'Aliceanswered.'Yousee,I'mnotmenow.'

'Idon'tunderstand,'saidtheCaterpillar.

'I'll tryand tellyou,' saidAlice. 'Yousee, I changeall the time. It'sverydifficultforme.'

'Why?Icanchangeveryeasily.'

'Well,perhapsit'snotdifficultforyou,butitisforme,'saidAlice.

'Foryou?Whoareyou?'saidtheCaterpillarandlaughed.Alicefeltangry.'It askedme thatquestionbefore,' she thought.She stoodvery tall and said, 'Iwilltellyou,butfirst,youtellme.Whoareyou?'

'WhydoIhavetotellyou?'askedtheCaterpillar.

ThiswasanotherdifficultquestionandAlicecouldnotanswerit.

'Thiscaterpillarisn'tveryfriendly,'shethought.Soshewalkedaway.

'Come back!' the Caterpillar called. 'I want to tell you somethingimportant.'Aliceturnedandcamebackagain.

'Don'tgetangry,'saidtheCaterpillar.

'Isthatall?'Aliceasked.ShefeltveryangrywiththeCaterpillar.

'No,'saidtheCaterpillar.

It did not speak for someminutes, then it said, 'So you're different, areyou?'

'Yes,Iam,Sir,'saidAlice. 'Ican'trememberthings,andmysizechangesallthetime.SometimesIgetbiggerandthenIgetsmalleragain.'

'Soyoucan'trememberthings,'saidtheCaterpillar.'Trythis.Repeat,"Youareold,FatherWilliam."'

Aliceputherhandsbehindherbackandrepeated:

'Youareold,FatherWilliam,'theyoungmansaid,

'Andyourhairisnowverywhite;

Sowhydoyouoftenstandonyourhead-

Doyouthinkatyourageitisright?'

'Youareold,FatherWilliam,'theyoungmansaid,

'Youareoldandreallyquitefat;

Butyoujumpupanddownandturnroundandround,

Nowwhatistheanswertothat?'

'That is not right,' said the Caterpillar. 'I know. Some of the words aredifferent,'saidAlice.

'It'swrongfrombeginning toend,' said theCaterpillar. Itwasquiet foratime.Thenitasked,'Whatsizewouldyouliketobe?'

'I'dliketobetaller,'saidAlice.'Sevencentimetresistoosmall.'

'Sevencentimetresisaverygoodsize,'saidtheCaterpillarangrily.Itstoodupverytall.

'It'sagoodsizeforyou,butnotforme,'saidAlice.Andshethought,'Whydoesitgetangryallthetime?'

The Caterpillar was quiet for some minutes. Then it climbed down themushroom. 'Eatfrommymushroomandyou'llgetbigger.Eatfromthatbrownmushroomthereandyou'llgetsmaller,'itsaid.Itstartedtomoveawayaminutelater,itvanishedbehindaflowerandAliceneversawitagain.

Alice looked at the twomushrooms and thought for aminute.Then shewenttotheCaterpillarsmushroomandbrokeoffsomeofitwithherrighthand.Shewenttothebrownmushroomanddidthesamewithherlefthand.

Sheatesomeofthebrownmushroom.Suddenly,herheadhitherfoot.

'Oh!'shecried.'I'mreallysmall!'

She quickly ate a little from the white mushroom in her left hand. Shestarted togetbigger.Sheatesomemore,andgotvery tall.Thensheatesomefromonehandandsomefromtheother.Inashorttime,shewasherrightsizeagain.

Shefeltquitestrange. 'Whatshall Idonow?' shewondered. 'Iknow! I'lllookforthatbeautifulgarden.'

Shebegantowalkthroughthewood.Aftersometime,shecametoalittlehouse.Itwasaboutonemeterhigh.

'Ican'tgoinside,I'mtoobig,'Alicethought.'Thepeopleinthehousewillbeafraidofme.Iknow!I'lleatsomeofthebrownmushroom.'

Whenshewas18centimetreshigh,shewalkedtothehouse.Sheopenedthedoorandwentin.

CHAPTERSIX

TheDuchessandtheCheshireCat

Inside,alarge,uglywomansatwithababyinherarms.Therewasacookbythefireandtherewasfoodonthetable.Nearthefire, therewasalargecatwithabigsmile.Thissmilewentfromeartoearonitsface.

'I think that woman is the Duchess,' thought Alice. 'Can girls speak toDuchesses?'shewondered.

ButtheDuchessdidnotsayanythingtoher,soAliceasked,'Please,whyisyourcatsmiling?'

'Becauseit'saCheshireCat,that'swhy,'saidtheDuchess.

'SoCheshireCatscansmile.Ididn'tknowthat,'saidAlice.

'Youdon'tknowmuch,'saidtheDuchess.

'That'snotverypolite,'thoughtAlice.

She started to say something. Suddenly, the cook threw a plate at theDuchess.TheDuchessdidn'tmove.Thecookthrewmorethings-plates,cups,spoons.SomeofthemhittheDuchessandthebaby.TheDuchessdidnothing,but the baby started to cry. 'Oh, don't throw things at the baby!' cried Alice.'You'llhititsprettynose!'

'Youbequiet,itisn'tyourbaby!'theDuchessshouted.Shebegantosingtoit.Thesewerethewordsofthesong:

Beangrywithyourlittleboy,

Andhithimwhenhecries:

Hehastoknowthathe'sachild,

He'sreallynotyoursize!

Thecooksangthesongtoo.Whentheyfinished, theysangitagain.TheDuchess started to throw the baby up and down.At the end of the song, shethrewthebabytoAlice.

'Here,youcanhaveitnow,'sitesaid.'Ihavetogetready.I'mgoingtoseetheQueen.'

ThecookthrewanotherplateattheDuchess.Itdidn'thither,butshelefttheroomquickly.

Alicelookedat thebaby.Itwasastrangelittle thingandnotverypretty.Shetookitoutside.'I'llhavetotakethischildawayfromhere,orthey'llkillit!'shethought.Thebabymadeastrangelittlesoundandshelookedatitagain.

'Itsnoseischanging!'shecried.Shelookedatitverycarefully.'Itsfaceischanging,everythingischanging!Oh!It'snotababyanymore,it'sapig!'

Itwasverystrange,butthebabywasnowapig.

'What am I going to do with it?' Alice thought. The pig made another,loudersound.Aliceputthelittleanimaldownanditranhappilyawayintothewood.

'Itwasn'taprettybaby,butit'squiteaprettypig,'thoughtAlice.

Shelookedroundherandjumped.TheCheshireCatwasupinoneofthetrees.TheCatsmiledatAlice.

'It looks kind, but perhaps it will get angry. They all get angry in thisplace,' thoughtAlice.Soshespoke to itverypolitely. 'CheshireCat,dear,' shesaid.

TheCat'ssmilegotbigger.

'Please,canyouhelpme?Iwanttogosomewherenew,'saidAlice.

'Wheredoyouwanttogo?'askedtheCat.

'Somewheredifferent,'Alicesaid.

'Somewhere different,' repeated the Cat. It thought for aminute or two.Thenitsaid, 'Walkthatwayandyou'llcometoahouse.Amanlivesthere.Hemakeshatsandhe'sverystrange.Wecallhimthe"MadHatter".'

'ButIdon'twanttomeetastrangeman,'saidAlice.

Thecatdidn'tanswerher.Itsaid,'Walkthiswayandyou'llfindtheMarchHare.He'sstrangetoo.'

'ButItoldyou,Idon'twanttomeetstrangeanimals.'

'Oh,youcan'thelp that,' said thecat. 'We'reallstrangehere. I'mstrange.You'restrange.'

'HowdoyouknowI'mstrange?'askedAlice.

'Of course you are,' the Cat said. 'Everybody's strange here. I'm verystrange.IlaughwhenI'msad,andIcrywhenI'mhappy.That'sstrange.AreyougoingtoseetheQueentoday?She'squitestrangetoo?'

'I'dliketoseetheQueen,'Alicesaid,'butIhaven'tgotaninvitation?'

'You'llseemeintheQueen'sgarden?'saidtheCheshireCat,andvanished.

'That's strange, but not very strange,' thoughtAlice. Shewaited for twominutes,andtheCatcamebackagain.

'Whathappenedtothebaby?'itasked.

'Itchangedintoapig?Alicesaid.

'Iknewit!'saidtheCatandvanishedagain.

Alice stayed under the tree for a short time. 'Perhaps it will come backagain?'shethought.'Butitdidn't.'

'IthinkI'llgoandvisittheMarchHare?'saidAlice.Shestartedtowalktohishome.Aftersomeminutes,sheheardasound.Shelookedup,andtherewastheCheshireCatinatree-adifferenttree.

'Didyousay"pig"?'askedtheCat.

'Yes?'Aliceanswered.Thenshesaid,'CheshireCat,oneminuteyouvanishandthenextminuteyou'rethereagain.Idon'tlikeit?'

'Iknow?'saidthecat.Andthistimeitvanishedquiteslowly.Firstitsbodywent,thenitslegs.Thenallofitvanished,andtherewasonlyitssmile.

'There are a lot of catswithout a smile, but a smilewithout a cat!Nowthat'sverystrange!'Alicesaid.

Slowly, theCheshire Cat's smile vanished too, andAlice began towalkagain.ShesawtheMarchHare'shousethroughthetrees.ItwasbiggerthantheDuchess'shouse.

Aliceatesomeof thewhitemushrooms.Shegotbiggeragain. Inashorttimeshewasabout60centimetreshigh.Shefeltafraid,butwalkedtothehouse.

'IhopetheMarchHareisn'ttoostrange,'shethought.

CHAPTERSEVEN

ATeaParty

Therewasatreeinfrontofthehouse.Underthetreewasabigtablewithalotofchairsroundit.Buttherewereonlythreeatthetable:theMadHatter,theMarchHareandalargebrownmouse.TheMousesatbetweentheMadHatterandtheMarchHare.Itwasasleep,sotheytalkedoveritshead.

WhentheysawAlice,theycried,'No,no,youcan'tsithere!Thereisn'taplaceforyou!'

'Therearealotofplaces,'Alicesaid.Shesatdowninachairatoneendofthetable.

'Havesomewine,'theMadHattersaidpolitely.

Alicelookedroundthetablebuttherewasonlytea.

'Idon'tseeanywine,'sheanswered.

'Thereisn'tany,'saidtheMarchHare.

'Thenwhydidyousay,"Havesomewine"?Itwasn'tverypoliteofyou,'Alicesaidangrily.

'Wedidn'tinviteyoutotea,butyoucame.Thatwasn'tverypoliteofyou,'saidtheMarchHare.

'No,itwasn't.Cutyourhair!'saidtheMadHatter.

'Oh,bequiet,'saidAlice.

TheMadHatteropenedhiseyesverywide,buthesaidnothing.Thenhetookouthiswatchandlookedatit.'Whatdayisit?'heasked.

Alicethoughtforalittle.'Wednesday,Ithink,'shesaid.

'MywatchsaysMonday,'theMadHattersaid.'Yousee,Iwasright.Butterisn'tgoodforawatch.'HelookedangrilyattheMarchHare.

'Butitwasthebestbutter,'answeredtheMarchHare.

'Yes,butyouputitinwiththebreadknife.Perhapssomebreadgotin.'

The March Hare took the watch from the Mad Hatter and looked at itsadly.Thenheputitinhistea.Hetookitoutandlookedatitagain.'Itwasthebestbutter,youknow,'herepeated.

Alicelookedatthewatch. 'It'sastrangewatch!'shesaid. 'It tellsyoutheday,butitdoesn'ttellyouthetime.'

'So?Doesyourwatchtellyoutheyear?'askedtheMadHatter.

'No,'Aliceanswered,'butit'sthesameyearforaverylongtime.'

'Andmywatchdoesn'ttellthetimebecauseit'salwaystea-time.'

Alicethoughtaboutthat. 'Idon'treallyunderstandyou,'shesaidpolitely.Shelookedroundthetable.Therewerealotofteacupsonthetable.

'Wemovefromplacetoplace,'saidtheMadHatter.

'Don'tyouwashthecups?'askedAlice.

'No,wedon'thavetime,'saidtheMadHatter.

'Whynot?'askedAlice.

'It'salongstory,'saidtheMadHatter. 'Timewasmyfriend,yousee.ButheandIaren'tfriendsnow.Sohedoesn'tdoanythingforme.AndIdon'thavetimeforanything.'

'Isee,'saidAliceandsmiledpolitely.Butshedidn'treallyunderstand.

'Oh, look!TheMouse is asleep again,' said theMadHatter.He tookhisteacupandputalittlehotteaontheMouse'snose.Itwokeupandstartedtosing.

'Be quiet!' the Mad Hatter said very loudly, and the Mouse stopped

singing.

'Havesomemoretea,'theMarchHaresaidtoAlice.

'Thankyou,butIhaven'tgotanytea.SohowcanIhavesomemore?'

'You can have more,' the Mad Hatter said. 'You can have more thannothing.'

'Idon'tthink-'Alicebegan.

'Thendon'tspeak,'theMadHattersaid.

Alicegotupangrilyandwalkedawayfromthetableintothewoods.

'Perhapsthey'llcallmeback,'shethought.'Andthenthey'llbenicetomeandgivemesometeaandbread-and-butter.'

Buttheydidn'tsayanything.

Whenshelookedback,theMousewasasleepwithitsheadonitsplate.

"I'llnevergothereagain,'Alicesaid.'Thatwasastupidteaparty!'

She looked round and saw a door in one of the trees. 'Adoor in a tree?That'sstrange!'shethought.Andsheopenedthedoorandwentinside.

'Oh,good!'shecried.Shewasbackinthelongroom,nearthelittletable!'I'msmallnow.Icangetthroughthelittledoorintothegarden.'

Thekeywasonthetable.Shetookitandopenedthelittledoor.Thensheate some of the brownmushroom. She started to get smaller.When she wasabout30centimetershigh,shewalkedthroughthedoorintothegarden.

CHAPTEREIGHT

InsidetheGarden

NearAlicewasasmalltreewithflowersonit.Therewerethreegardenersbythetree.

'Becareful,Five!'oneofthemsaid.

'I'malwayscareful,Seven,'answeredFive.

Alicewenttothem.'Whatareyoudoing?'sheasked.

'We'remakingtheflowersred,'oneofthegardenerssaid.

'That'sstrange!'thoughtAlice.'Why?'sheasked.

Thethreemenlookedunhappy.

'Youtellher,Seven,'Fivesaid.

'No,'saidSeven,'Youtellher,Two.'

'Well,Miss, theQueenwanted treeswith red flowers on them. But thistree'sgotwhiteflowers!Wedon'twanttheQueentoseeit.She'llbeveryangryandcutoffourheads.Sowe'remakingtheflowersredbeforesheseesthem.'

'Ohno!'Fiveshoutedsuddenly.'TheQueen!TheQueen!'

Thethreegardenersfelltotheground,withtheirfacesdown.Aliceheardthesoundofmanyfeetandturnedround.

'Ohgood!'shethought.'NowI'llseetheQueen.'

First, tenmenwithclubsintheirhandscameintothegarden.NextcametheKing'smen. Therewere ten of them, and they had red diamonds on theirclothes.ThechildrenoftheKingandQueencamenext,allwithredhearts.Afterthemtherewerealotmorepeople.MostofthemwereKingsandQueens.The

WhiteRabbitwasthere,buthedidn'tseeAlice.TheKnaveofHeartscamenext.LastofallweretheKingandQueenofHearts.

When these people saw Alice, they all stopped. The Queen said to theKnaveofHearts,'Whoisthis?'

TheKnaveofHeartsdidn'tknow.Sohesmiledandsaidnothing.

'Stupid man!' shouted the Queen. She turned to Alice and said, 'What'syourname,child?'

'MynameisAlice,Madam,'Aliceanswered.

Shedidn'tfeelveryafraidoftheQueen.'They'reonlycards,'shethought.

The Queen looked at the gardeners. They were on the ground and shecouldn'tseetheirfaces.Whoarethesemen?'sheasked.

'Don'taskme!Idon'tknow,'answeredAlice,notverypolitely.

TheQueen'sfacegotredderandredder.ShelookedatAliceandshouted,'Cutoffherhead!Cut-'

'Oh,bequiet!'saidAlice.

TheQueenstoppedshouting.TheKingputhishandonherarm.Hesaidquietly,'Don'tbeangry,mydear.She'sonlyachild.'

TheQueenturnedawayfromhimangrily.'Turnthosemenover!'shesaidtotheKnaveofHearts.TheKnavedidthisverycarefully,withonefoot.

'Getup!'theQueenshouted.

The three gardeners jumped up. The Queen turned to the little tree andlooked at it carefully. 'What's wrong with these flowers?' she asked thegardeners.

'Well,yousee,M-M-Madam,'saidTwo.'Theywerewhite,and-and-'

TheQueen lookedfromthe flowers to themen. 'I see,' shesaid. 'Cutofftheirheads!'

Everybody startedwalking again. The gardeners ran toAlice. 'Help us!'theycried.Aliceputthembehindsometrees.

'Don'tbeafraid,'shesaid.'They'renotgoingtocutoffyourheads.'

TheKingsmenlookedforthegardenersbutcouldn'tfindthem.'Aretheirheadsoff?'shoutedtheQueen.

'Yes,Madam,'shoutedtheKing'smen.

'Good!'shoutedtheQueen.

EverybodystartedwalkingagainandAlicewalkedwiththem.

'It'saveryfineday,'somebodysaid.AliceturnedroundandtherewastheWhiteRabbitnexttoher.

'Very,'saidAlice.'Where'stheDuchess?'

'Quiet!'saidtheRabbitandlookedallroundhim.ThenheputhismouthneartoAlice'sear.'They'regoingtocutoffherhead!'hesaid.

'Why?'askedAlice.

'Didyousay,"Ohno!"?'askedtheWhiteRabbit.

'No,Ididn't.Isaid,"Why?"'

'ShehittheQueen,'theRabbitsaid.Alicestartedtolaugh.

'Quiet!' said the Rabbit again. 'The Queen will hear you, she hearseverything.Yousee,theDuchesscamelate.Whenshearrived,theQueensaid-'

Suddenly,theQueenshoutedveryloudly,'Cutofftheirheads!'

'Who'sgoing to lose theirheadnow?'Alicewondered.Shebegan to feelafraid. 'TheQueenisn'tangrywithmenow,'shethought. 'But itwillhappen.Iwouldliketospeaktosomebodyaboutit.'

She looked round.TheWhiteRabbitwasn't there.She lookedup.Therewassomethingaboveherhead.

'What is it?' she wondered. She watched for a minute or two. It was asmile!'It'stheCheshireCat,'shethought.'NowIcantalktosomebody.'

'Howareyou?'theCheshireCatasked.

Alicewaited. She thought, 'Iwon't speak to it before it has its ears - orperhapsoneear.'

Inanotherminute,shecouldseeitsearsandeyes.

'DoyouliketheQueen?'theCatasked.

'Idon't,'saidAlice.ButthenshesawtheQueen.ShewasverynearAlice.'She'swonderful,'saidAlice.TheQueensmiledandmovedaway.ButtheKingsawtheCat'sheadandcametoAlice.

'Whoareyoutalkingto?'heasked.

'It'safriend-aCheshireCat,'answeredAlice.

TheKinglookedcarefullyattheCat.'Idon'tlikeit,'saidtheKing.

'Well,Idon'tlikeyou,'saidtheCat.

'That'snotpolite,'saidtheKingandgotbehindAlice.

Alicesaid,'AcatcanlookataKing.Ireadthatinabook,Ithink.'

'Well,thiscathastogo,'saidtheKing.HecalledtotheQueen,'Mydear,Idon'tlikethiscat.'

The Queen had only one answer to problems. 'Cut off its head!' sheshoutedloudly.Shedidn'tlookattheCat.TheKingsmiledhappily.

Afterashorttime,therewerealotofpeopleroundtheCat.TherewastheKingandQueen,andamanwithaverylongknifeinhishand.

'HowcanIcutoffitshead?'askedthemanwiththeknife.'Ican'tdoitandI'mnotgoingto.'

'Ohyesyouare,'saidtheKing.'It'sgotahead,soyoucancutitoff.'

'Do something now, or I'll cut off everybody's head!' said the Queenangrily.

'Whatdoyouthink?'theKingaskedAlice.

Alicethoughtforaminute.Thenshesaid,'It'stheDuchess'sCat.Askheraboutit.'

'BringtheDuchesshere,'theQueensaid.

ThentheCheshireCat'sheadstartedtovanish.SomebodycamebackwiththeDuchess.ButnowtherewasnothingaboveAliceshead-notaneyeoranearor a smile.TheKing looked for theCat for some time,buthecouldn't find itanywhere.

'Comeforawalk,youdearthing,'theDuchesssaidtoAlice.SheputherarmthroughAlice'sandtheywalkedthroughthegarden.

'She's very friendly to me,' thought Alice. 'Perhaps when the cook isn'tthere,she'snice.WhenI'maDuchess,I'mgoingtobekindtomychildren.'

'Areyouthinking?'askedtheDuchess.'Youhavetotalktome,youknow.'

'All right,' saidAlice. She could hear theQueen at the other end of thegarden. 'Cut off her head! Cut off his head!' she shouted, every two or threeminutes.

'Willtheycutoffyourhead?'AliceaskedtheDuchess.

'Ohno,theynevercutoffanybody'shead.TheQueenlikessayingit,butsheneverdoesit.'

Alice wanted to ask more questions but they heard a cry: "The trial isbeginning!"

'What trial is it?'Alice asked. TheDuchess didn't answer and started torun.HerarmwasinAlice's,soAlicerantoo.

CHAPTERNINE

WhoTooktheTarts?

Alice and the Duchess followed everybody into a house with one verylargeroom.TheKingandQueenwerethere.Theysatonbigchairsabovealltheanimals andbirds.All the cardswere there too.Near theKingwas theWhiteRabbit.He had a paper in his hand and looked very important.TheKnave ofHeartsstoodinfrontoftheKingandQueen.Hestoodbetweentwomenandhisheadwasdown. Itwashis trial. In themiddleof the roomwasa tablewithalargeplateoftartsonit.

Alicefoundaplaceandsatdown.Shelookedround.

'I know a lot of the animals and birds here,' she thought. She lookedhungrilyatthetarts.

'Ihopetheyfinishthetrialquickly,'shethought.'Thenwecaneatthetarts.'

Suddenly,theWhiteRabbitcried,'Quietplease!'

The King looked round the room. 'Read the paper!' he said. TheWhiteRabbitstoodupandreadfromaverylongpaper:

TheQueenofHearts,shemadesometarts,

Onelovelysunnyday;

TheKnaveofHearts,hetookthosetarts,

Hetookthemallaway.

'Cutoffhishead!'criedtheQueen.

'No,no,' said theRabbit. 'Wehave to call people into the room, andaskthemquestions.'

'Allrightthen.CalltheMadHatter!'saidtheKing.

TheMadHatter came into the room.He had a teacup in one hand, andsomebread-and-butterintheotherhand.

'Whydidyoucallme?Iwantedtofinishmytea,'hesaid.

'Whendidyoubeginyourtea?'askedtheKing.

TheMad Hatter thought for a minute. TheMarch Hare and theMousewerequitenearhimandhelookedat themfor ideas.Thenhesaid, 'Marchthefourteenth-Ithink.'

'Fifteenth,'saidtheMarchHare.

'Sixteenth,'saidtheMouse.

'Writethatdown,'saidtheKingtotheWhiteRabbit.ThenhesaidtotheMadHatter,'Takeoffyourhat.'

'Itisn'tmine,'saidtheMadHatter.

'Oh,soyoutookitfromsomebody,youbadman,'saidtheKing.

'No,no!Isellhats.I'maHatter,'answeredtheMadHatter.Helookedveryafraid.

'Don'tbeafraidorI'llcutoffyourhead!'saidtheKing.

'I'mnotabadman!'theMadHattercried.'ButtheMarchHaretoldme-'

'Ididn't!'theMarchHaresaidquickly.

'Well,theMousesaid...'TheMadHatterstoppedandlookedattheMouse.ButtheMousedidn'tsayanything,becausehewasasleep.

'Afterthat,'saidtheMadHatter,'Icutsomemorebread-and-butter.'

'ButwhatdidtheMousesay?'askedtheKing.

'Ican'tremember,'theMadHattersaid.

'Youhavetoremember,'theKingsaid,'orI'llcutoffyourhead.'

'I'magoodman,Sir...'theunhappyMadHatterbegan.ButtheKingwasn'tinterestednow.

'Youcango,'hesaidtotheMadHatter.

TheMadHatterranoutoftheroom.

'Takehisheadoffoutside!'shoutedtheQueen.Twomenranafterhim.ButtheMadHatterranveryfastandtheycouldnotcatchhim.

Alicedidnotfeelverywell. 'What'swrongwithme?'shewondered.Andthensheunderstood.'I'mgettingbiggeragain,'shethought.

She was between the Duchess and the Mouse. 'You're hurting me,' theDuchesssaid.

'Ican'tdoanything,'saidAlice.'I'mgettingbigger.'

'Youcan'tgetbiggerhere,'saidtheMouse.

'Yes,Ican,'saidAlice.'You'regettingbiggertoo.'

'Yes, but not as fast as you,' said the Mouse. He got up and sat in adifferentplace.

'Callthenextperson!'saidtheKing.

Thenextpersoncamein.ItwastheDuchess'scook.

TheKinglookedather. 'Whatdoyouknowabout these tarts?'heasked.Thecookdidn'tanswer.

'Speak!'saidtheKing.

'No!'saidthecook.

'Askhersomequestions,'theWhiteRabbitsaidtotheKing.

'Allright,allright,'saidtheKing.'Whatwasinthosetarts?'

'Fish,'saidthecook.

'Don'tbestupid,'saidtheKing.'Callthenextperson!'

Alicelookedround.'Whocanitbe?'shewondered.

TheWhiteRabbitlookedathispaperandreadthenextname:'Alice!'

CHAPTERTEN

TheEndoftheTrial

'Here!'criedAliceandstoodupquickly.Butshewastallnow,andchairs,tablesandpeoplefellhere,thereandeverywhere.

'Puteverythingandeverybodyback!'saidtheKingloudly.Aliceputthemallback in theirplaces.Then theKingasked, 'Whatdoyouknowabout thesetarts?'

'Nothing,'answeredAlice.

'That'sveryimportant,'saidtheKing.

'You mean, unimportant, Sir,' said the White Rabbit. 'Unimportant - ofcourse,' said theKing. 'Important - unimportant - important - unimportant,' herepeated.

He looked atAlice carefully.He took a book and read from it. 'Alice ismorethanakilometerhigh.Soshehastoleavetheroom!'hesaid.

'I'mnotmorethanakilometerhigh-Alicebegan.

'Youare,'saidtheKing.

'Morethantwokilometershigh,'saidtheQueen.

'Well,I'mnotleavingthisroom,'saidAlice.

TheKing'sfacewentwhite.

'Cutoffherhead!'shoutedtheQueen.Nobodymoved.

'You stupidwoman,' saidAlice. Shewas very large now and shewasn'tafraidofanybody.

'Cutoffherhead!'shoutedtheQueen.

'Don't be stupid!' Alice said. 'Who's afraid of you? I'm not. You're onlycards!'

The cards - all fifty-two of them - came downon top ofAlice. She feltafraidandangryandstartedtofightthem.Thensheopenedhereyes...

She saw a tree, a big old tree. Shewas under it, next to her sister. Hersister'shandwasonherhair.

'Wakeup,Alicedear,'hersistersaid.'Yousleptforalongtime!'

'Oh!' saidAlice, and then she understood. She sat up and told her sisterabout theWhite Rabbit and the rabbit-hole.When she finished her story, hersisterlaughed.

'Let'sgohometotea,'shesaid.'It'sgettinglate.'

'Ohyes!I'dlikesometea!'criedAlice.Andshegotupandranhome.

-THEEND-

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