The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill

The first thing she heard was a general chorus of

then the Rabbit’s voice along—

White Rabbit:

Catch him, you by the hedge!

then silence, and then another confusion of voices—

Last came a little feeble, squeaking voice, (“That’s Bill,” thought Alice,)

Bill:

Well, I hardly know—No more, thank ye; I’m better now—

Bill:

but I’m a deal too flustered to tell you—all I know is, something comes at me like a Jack-in-the-box, and up I goes like a sky-rocket!

White Rabbit:

We must burn the house down!

said the Rabbit’s voice;

and Alice called out as loud as she could,

Alice:

If you do, I’ll set Dinah at you!

There was a dead silence instantly,

and Alice thought to herself,

Alice:

I wonder what they will do next! If they had any sense, they’d take the roof off.

After a minute or two, they began moving about again,

and Alice heard the Rabbit say,

White Rabbit:

A barrowful will do, to begin with.

Alice:

A barrowful of what?

thought Alice;

but she had not long to doubt, for the next moment a shower of little pebbles came rattling in at the window, and some of them hit her in the face.

Alice:

I’ll put a stop to this,

she said to herself,

and shouted out,

Alice:

You’d better not do that again!

which produced another dead silence.

Alice noticed with some surprise that the pebbles were all turning into little cakes as they lay on the floor, and a bright idea came into her head.

Collect

Alice:

If I eat one of these cakes,

she thought,

it’s sure to make some change in my size;

Alice:

and as it can’t possibly make me larger, it must make me smaller, I suppose.