| 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 shan'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.
`It was much pleasanter at home,' thought poor Alice, `when one wasn't
always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice and
rabbits. I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit-hole--and yet--and
yet--it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life! I do wonder what
CAN have happened to me! When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that
kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one! There
ought to be a book written about me, that there ought! And when I grow
up, I'll write one--but I'm grown up now,' she added in a sorrowful tone;
`at least there's no room to grow up any more HERE.'
`But then,' thought Alice, `shall I NEVER get any older than I am now?
That' ll be a comfort, one way--never to be an old woman- -but then--always
to have lessons to learn! Oh, I shouldn't like THAT!'
`Oh, you foolish Alice!' she answered herself. `How can you learn lessons
in here? Why, there's hardly room for YOU, and no room at all for any lesson-books!
'
And so she went on, taking first one side and then the other, and making
quite a conversation of it altogether; but after a few minutes she heard
a voice outside, and stopped to listen.
`Mary Ann! Mary Ann!' said the voice. `Fetch me my gloves this moment!'
Then came a little pattering of feet on the stairs. Alice knew it was the
Rabbit coming to look for her, and she trembled till she shook the house,
quite forgetting that she was now about a thousand times as large as the
Rabbit, and had no reason to be afraid of it. |