by Lewis Carroll
Available in 44 free installments
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Thus slowly, one by one,
Its quaint events were hammered out--
And now the tale is done,
And home we steer, a merry crew,
Beneath the setting sun.
Alice! a childish story take,
And with a gentle hand
Lay it where Childhood's dreams are twined
In Memory's mystic band,
Like pilgrim's wither'd wreath of flowers
Pluck'd in a far-off land.
CONTENTS
I. DOWN THE RABBIT-HOLE 1
II. THE POOL OF TEARS 13
III. A CAUCUS-RACE AND A LONG TALE 24
IV. THE RABBIT SENDS IN A LITTLE BILL 35
V. ADVICE FROM A CATERPILLAR 49
VI. PIG AND PEPPER 64
VII. A MAD TEA-PARTY 82
VIII. THE QUEEN'S CROQUET-GROUND 96
IX. THE MOCK TURTLE'S STORY 111
X. THE LOBSTER QUADRILLE 126
XI. WHO STOLE THE TARTS? 139
XII. ALICE'S EVIDENCE 150
LIST OF THE PLATES
To face page
Alice Frontispiece
The Pool of Tears 22
They all crowded round it panting and asking, "But who has won?" 28
"Why, Mary Ann, what are you doing out here?" 36
Advice from a Caterpillar 50
An unusually large saucepan flew close by it, and very nearly carried it off 70
It grunted again so violently that she looked down into its face in some alarm 74
A Mad Tea-Party 84
The Queen turned angrily away from him and said to the Knave, "Turn them over" 100
The Queen never left off quarrelling with the other players, and shouting "Off with his head!" or, "Off with her head!" 116
The Mock Turtle drew a long breath and said, "That's very curious" 132
Who stole the Tarts? 140
At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her 158
[Sidenote: Down the Rabbit-Hole]
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 conversations?"
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 too 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 was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.
In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.
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 what seemed to be a very deep well.
[Illustration]
