The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill (Alice in Wonderland (Full Cast))

01Chapter 4.

02The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill.

03It was the white rabbit trotting slowly back again, and looking anxiously about as it went, as if it had lost something, and she heard it muttering to itself, The Duchess, the Duchess, O my dear paws, O my fur and whiskers!

04She'll get me executed, as sure as ferrets are ferrets.

05Where can I have dropped them, I wonder?

06Alice guessed in a moment that it was looking for the fan in the pair of white kid gloves, and she very good-naturedly began hunting about for them, but they were nowhere to be seen.

07Everything seemed to have changed since her swim in the pool, and the great hall, what the glass table and the little door, had vanished completely.

08Very soon the Rabbit noticed Alice as she went hunting about, and called out to her in an angry tone.

09Why, Mary Anne, what are you doing out here?

10Run home this moment, and fetch me a pair of gloves, and a fan.

11Quick now!

12And Alice was so much frightened that she ran off at once in the direction it pointed to, without trying to explain the mistake it had made.

13He took me for his housemate, she said to herself as she ran.

14How surprised he'll be when he finds out who I am!

15But I'd better take him as fan and gloves, that is, if I can find them.

16As she said this, she came upon a neat little house, on the door of which was a bright brass plate, with the name W.

17Rabbit engraved upon it.

18She went in without knocking, and hurried upstairs, in great fear lest she should meet the real Mary Anne, and be turned out of the house before she had found the fan and gloves.

19How queer it seems, Alice said to herself.

20To be going messages, for a rabbit.

21I suppose Dine will be sending me on messages next.

22And she began fancying the sort of thing that would happen.

23Miss Alice, come here directly and get ready for your walk.

24Coming in a minute, nurse, but I've got to see that the mouse doesn't get out.

25Only I don't think, Alice went on, That they'd let Dinah stop in the house, if it began ordering people about like that.

26By this time she had found her way into a tidy little room with a table in the window, and on it, as she had hoped, a fan, and two or three pairs of tiny white kid gloves.

27She took up the fan and a pair of the gloves, and was just going to leave the room when her eye fell upon a little bottle that stood near the looking-glass.

28There was no label this time with the words, Drink Me, but nevertheless she uncorked it, and put it to her lips.

29I know something interesting is sure to happen, she said to herself.

30Whenever I eat or drink anything, so I'll just see what this bottle does.

31I do hope it'll make me grow large again, for really I'm quite tired of being such a tiny little thing.

32It did so indeed, and much sooner than she had expected.

33Before 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.

34She hastily put down the bottle, saying to herself, That's quite enough.

35I hope I shan't grow any more.

36As it is, I can't get out at the door.

37I do wish I hadn't drunk quite so much.

38Alas, it was too late to wish that.

39She went on growing and growing, and very soon had to kneel down on the floor.

40In 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.

41Still 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.

42What will become of me?

43Luckily for Alice, the little magic bottle had now had its full effect, and she grew no larger.

44Still 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.

45It was much pleasanter at home, thought poor Alice.

46When 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.

47And yet… and yet it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life.

48I do wonder what can have happened to me.

49When I used to read fairy tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one.

50There ought to be a book written about me, that there ought.

51And when I grow up, I'll write one.

52But I'm grown up now, she added in a sorrowful tone.

53At least there's no room to grow up any more here.

54But then, thought Alice, shall I never get any older than I am now?

55That'll be a comfort one way, never to be an old woman.

56But then, always to have lessons to learn.

57Oh, I shouldn't like that.

58Oh, you foolish Alice!

59she answered herself.

60How can you learn lessons in here?

61Why, there's hardly room for you, and no room at all for any lesson-books.

62And so she went on, taking first one side and then the other, and making quite a conversation of it altogether.

63But after a few minutes she heard a voice outside, and stopped to listen.

64Mary Anne!

65Mary Anne!

66said the voice.

67Fetch me my gloves this moment!

68Then came a little pattering of feet on the stairs.

69Alice 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.

70Presently the rabbit came up to the door and tried to open it, but as the door opened inwards, and Alice's elbow was pressed hard against it, that attempt proved a failure.

71Alice heard it say to itself, Then I'll go around and get in at the window.

72That you won't, thought Alice, and after waiting till she fancied she heard the rabbit just under the window, she suddenly spread out her hand and made a snatch in the air.

73She did not get hold of anything, but she heard a little shriek and a fall and a crash of broken glass, from which she concluded that it was just possible it had fallen into a cucumber frame or something of the sort.

74Next came an angry voice, the rabbit's.

75Pat!

76Pat!

77Where are you?

78And then a voice she had never heard before.

79Sure, then, I'm here, digging for apples, Your Honor.

80Digging for apples, indeed, said the rabbit angrily.

81Here, come and help me out of this, sounds of more broken glass.

82Now tell me, Pat, what's that in the window?

83Sure, it's an arm, Your Honor.

84He pronounced it Arum.

85An arm, you goose!

86Who ever saw one that size?

87Why, it fills the whole window.

88Sure, it does, Your Honor.

89But it's an arm for all that.

90Well, it's got no business there, at any rate.

91Go and take it away.

92There was a long silence after this, and Alice could only hear whispers now and then, such as, Sure, I don't like it, Your Honor, at all, at all.

93Do as I tell you, you coward.

94And at last she spread out her hand again and made another snatch in the air.

95This time there were two little shrieks and more sounds of broken glass.

96What a number of cucumber frames there must be, thought Alice.

97I wonder what they'll do next.

98As for pulling me out of the window, I only wish they could.

99I'm sure I don't want to stay in here any longer.

100She waited for some time without hearing anything more.

101At last came a rumbling of little cartwheels, and the sound of a good many voices all talking together.

102She made out the words, Where's the other ladder?

103Why, I hadn't to bring but one.

104Bill's got the other.

105Bill, fetch it here, lad.

106Here, put them up at this corner.

107No, time together first.

108They don't reach half high enough yet.

109Oh, they'll do well enough.

110Don't be particular.

111Here, Bill, catch hold of this rope.

112Will the roof bear?

113Mind that loose slate.

114Oh, it's coming down.

115Heads below.

116A loud crash.

117Now, who did that?

118It was Bill, I fancy.

119Who's to go down the chimney?

120Nay, I shan't.

121You do it.

122That I won't, then.

123Bill's to go down.

124Here, Bill.

125The master says you're to go down the chimney.

126Oh, so Bill's got to come down the chimney, has he?

127Said Alice to herself.

128Shy.

129They seem to put everything upon Bill.

130I wouldn't be in Bill's place for a good deal.

131This fireplace is narrow, to be sure, but I think I can kick a little.

132She drew her foot as far down the chimney as she could, and waited till she heard a little animal.

133She couldn't guess of what sort it was, scratching and scrambling about in the chimney close above her, then saying to herself, This is Bill.

134She gave one sharp kick, and waited to see what would happen next.

135The first thing she heard was a general chorus of, There goes Bill.

136Then the rabbit's voice along.

137Catch him!

138You by the hedge!

139Then silence, and then another confusion of voices.

140Hold up his head!

141Brandy now!

142Don't choke him!

143How was it, old fellow?

144What happened to you?

145Tell us all about it.

146Last came a little feeble, squeaking voice.

147That's Bill, thought Alice.

148Well, I hardly know.

149No more thank you.

150I'm better now.

151But I'm a good deal too flustered to tell you.

152All I know is, something comes at me like a jack-in-a-box, and up I goes like a sky-rocket.

153So you did, old fellow.

154Said the others.

155We must burn the house, doll!

156Said the rabbit's voice, and Alice called out as loud as she could.

157If you do, I'll set Dinah at you.

158There was a dead silence instantly, and Alice thought to herself, I wonder what they will do next.

159If they had any sense, they'd take the roof off.

160After a minute or two they began moving about again, and Alice heard the rabbit say, A barrelful will do, to begin with.

161A barrelful of what?

162Thought Alice.

163But she had not long to doubt.

164For the next moment a shower of little pebbles came rattling in at the window, and some of them hit her in the face.

165I'll put a stop to this, she said to herself, and shouted out.

166You better not do that again.

167Which produced another dead silence.

168Alice 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.

169If I eat one of these cakes, she thought, it's sure to make some change in my size, and as it can't possibly make me larger, it must make me smaller, I suppose.

170So she swallowed one of the cakes, and was delighted to find that she began shrinking directly.

171As soon as she was small enough to get through the door, she ran out of the house, and found quite a crowd of little animals and birds waiting outside.

172The poor little lizard, Bill, was in the middle, being held up by two guinea pigs, who were giving it something out of a bottle.

173They all made a rush at Alice the moment she appeared, but she ran off as hard as she could, and soon found herself safe in a thick wood.

174The first thing I've got to do, said Alice to herself, as she wandered about in the wood, is to grow to my right size again, and the second thing is to find my way into that lovely garden.

175I think that will be the best plan.

176It sounded an excellent plan, no doubt, and very neatly and simply arranged.

177The only difficulty was that she had not the smallest idea how to set about it, and while she was peering about anxiously among the trees, a little sharp bark just over her head made her look up in a great hurry.

178An enormous puppy was looking down at her with large round eyes, and feebly stretching out one paw, trying to touch her.

179Poor little thing, said Alice in a coaxing tone, and she tried hard to whistle to it, but she was terribly frightened all the time at the thought that it might be hungry, in which case it would be very likely to eat her up, in spite of all her coaxing.

180Hardly knowing what she did, she picked up a little bit of stick and held it out to the puppy, whereupon the puppy jumped into the air off all its feet at once with a yelp of delight, and rushed at the stick and made believe to worry it.

181Then Alice dodged behind a great thistle to keep herself from being run over, and the moment she appeared on the other side, the puppy made another rush at the stick and tumbled head over heels in its hurry to get hold of it.

182Then Alice, thinking it was very like having a game of play with a cart-horse, and expecting every moment to be trampled under its feet, ran round the thistle again.

183Then the puppy began a series of short charges at the stick, running a very little way forwards each time and a long way back, and barking hoarsely all the while, till at last it sat down a good way off panting, with its tongue hanging out of its mouth and its great eyes half shut.

184This seemed to Alice a good opportunity for making her escape, so she set off at once and ran till she was quite tired and out of breath, and till the puppy's bark sounded quite faint in the distance.

185And yet what a dear little puppy it was, said Alice, as she leaned against a buttercup to rest herself and fanned herself with one of the leaves.

186I should have liked teaching it tricks very much, if I'd only been the right size to do it.

187Oh, dear, I'd nearly forgotten that I've got to grow up again.

188Let me see.

189How is it to be managed?

190I suppose I ought to eat or drink something or other, but the great question is, what?

191The great question certainly was, what?

192Alice looked all round her at the flowers and the blades of grass, but she did not see anything that looked like the right thing to eat or drink under the circumstances.

193There was a large mushroom growing near her, about the same height as herself, and when she had looked under it and on both sides of it and behind it, it occurred to her that she might as well look and see what was on the top of it.

194She stretched herself up on tiptoe and peeped over the edge of the mushroom, and her eyes immediately met those of a large caterpillar that was sitting on the top with its arms folded, quietly smoking a long hookah and taking not the smallest notice of her or of anything else.

195End of chapter 4