Алиса в Стране чудес / Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland - стр. 2

Soon she saw a little glass box that was lying under the table: she opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on which she noticed the words 'EAT ME'. 'Well, I'll eat it,' said Alice, 'and if I grow larger, I can reach the key; and if I grow smaller, I can creep under the door!'

She soon ate all the cake.

'How strange!' cried Alice; 'how tall I am! Good-bye, my feet! Oh, my poor little feet, who will put on your shoes and stockings for you now, dears?'

When she looked down at her feet they were so far off.

'Let me see. I'll give my feet a new pair of shoes every Christmas.'

She stopped to think: how to send them?

'They must go by mail,' she thought; 'how funny! I'll send shoes to my own feet! How strange the address will be!'

Just then her head struck against the roof of the hall: in fact she was now more than nine feet high, and she at once took up the little golden key. But she can't open the door, she is too big. Poor Alice! She sat down and began to cry again.

'Shame on you,' said Alice, 'a big girl like you! Don't cry! Stop at once, I tell you!'

She was shedding gallons[1] of tears, until there was a large pool all round her, about four inches deep and reaching half down the hall.

After a time she heard some noise. She hastily dried her eyes to see what was coming. It was the White Rabbit. He was returning, with a pair of white gloves in one hand and a large fan in the other. He was muttering to himself, 'Oh! the Duchess, the Duchess! She will be angry. Oh! I can't be late!'

Alice began, in a low, timid voice, 'If you please, sir-'

The Rabbit dropped the white gloves and the fan, and ran away into the darkness.

Alice took up the fan and gloves. 'Dear, dear! How queer everything is today! And yesterday everything was as usual. Was I changed in the night? Let me think, who am I? Do I know the things that I used to know? Let me see: four times five is twelve, and four times six is thirteen, and four times seven is-oh dear! I shall never get to twenty at that rate[2]. Let's try Geography. London is the capital of Paris, and Paris is the capital of Rome, and Rome-no, that's all wrong, I'm certain! Who am I then?' cried Alice with tears, 'I am so tired!'

As she said this she looked down at her hands, and was surprised. She put on one of the Rabbit's little white gloves. 'How could I do that?' she thought. 'I am growing small again.'

She got up and went to the table. She was now about two feet high. The cause of this was the fan that she was holding, and she dropped it hastily.

And she ran back to the little door: but, alas! the little door was shut again, and the little golden key was lying on the glass table as before. Her foot slipped, and in another moment, splash! she was in salt water. She was in the pool of her own tears!

'I am drowning in my own tears!' said Alice, 'everything is queer today.'

Just then she heard a splash: at first she thought it was a walrus or hippopotamus, but then she remembered how small she was now, and she soon understood that it was only a mouse.

'Shall I' thought Alice, 'speak to this mouse? I'll try.' So she began: 'O Mouse, do you know the way out of this pool? I am very tired, O Mouse!'

The Mouse looked at her, but it said nothing.