Alice in the white Rabbit’s house

Chapter Six

ALICE IN THE WHITE RABBIT’S HOUSE

But it was the White Rabbit again. He was looking for something. And again Alice heard the same words: “The Duchess, the Duchess! She will be so angry! I am sure she will tell her soldiers to kill me. But I must find my gloves. Where did I drop them?”

Very soon the Rabbit noticed Alice. He said in an angry tone:

“Mary Ann, what are you doing here? Run home and bring me my white gloves and my fan!”

Alice was so frightened that she ran off at once.

“He is taking me for[1] his servant-girl,” she thought as she ran. “How can I know where his house is? But I shall try.”

She ran as quickly as she could. After some time she saw a pretty little house. On its door she read the name “W. Rabbit”.

Alice was afraid to meet Mary Ann, the Rabbit’s real servant-girl. She did not knock at the door, but quickly opened it and went in.

She was in a pretty little room now. There was a table at the window. On the table she saw very small white gloves and a fan.

She quickly took the gloves and the fan and was ready to go out when she noticed a little bottle that stood near the mirror.

This time she didn’t see the words “DRINK ME” on it. But still she opened the bottle.

“I am sure something will happen to me,” she thought. “Shall I grow larger now?”

Alice was right. She began to grow larger and larger. Then her head hit the ceiling.

The room was too small for her now. She lay down on the floor. Then she opened the window and put one arm out of it.

“Oh, what will happen to me now?” said poor Alice. “It was much nicer at home. There I did not grow larger or smaller every minute. Mice and rabbits didn’t tell me to bring them gloves and fans. Why did I go down that rabbit-hole? What shall I do? How shall I get out of this house?”

After a few minutes she heard a voice. She listened. It was the Rabbit’s voice.

“Mary Ann, Mary Ann,” said the Rabbit. “Where are you? Bring me my gloves at once.” Poor Alice was very much afraid of the Rabbit. She forgot that now she was hundred times larger than the Rabbit.

The Rabbit came up to the door and tried to open it but the door didn’t open. Alice was lying on the floor and her back was against the door[2]. The Rabbit pushed and pushed the door but it did not open. Then Alice heard the Rabbit’s voice again. The voice came from under the window.

“I shall get into the room through the window.”

“Oh, no, you won’t,” thought Alice.

She put her hand out of the window and tried to catch the Rabbit by the ear. She did not catch it but she heard a cry and a fall.

Then she heard the Rabbit’s angry voice: “Pat! Pat! Where are you?”

Another voice answered: “I am working in the garden, sir!”

“Pat is the gardener,” thought Alice.

“Come here,” cried the Rabbit. “Now tell me, Pat, what’s that in the window?”

“It is an arm, sir!”

“An arm! What a silly answer!”

“I am sure, sir, it is an arm!”

“Go and take it away,” said the Rabbit. There was no answer from the gardener for a long time. Then Alice heard his voice:

“I’m sorry, sir, I can’t do it! I am sure, I can’t!”

“Do what I tell you, you stupid thing!” said the Rabbit.

Alice put her hand out of the window again and tried to catch one of them by the ear.

But the master of the house and the gardener were not there. After some time they came back and began to talk again.

“What will they do now?” thought Alice. “Will they try to pull me out of the window?”

Suddenly somebody began to throw little stones through the window. Some of them hit her in the face.

“I’ll put a stop to this[3],” she said to herself, and shouted out: “Don’t do that again, or you will be sorry for that. My cat Dinah will catch you and eat you up!”

Alice looked at the stones which were lying on the floor around her.

“What is this?” she said. “They are not stones but cakes now!”

A bright idea came into her head[4]. “I’ll try one little cake. I am sure something will happen to me.”

She ate one of the cakes and began to grow smaller. When she was quite small again, she ran out of the house. A lot of little animals and birds were waiting at the door and started after her. Alice ran off as quickly as she could and soon she was out of sight.

Alice ran for some time and at last came to a dark forest. She was very hot and tired. She wanted to rest a little. So she sat down under a tree. Then she took a green leaf and began to fan her hot face with it. When Alice rested a little, she said to herself: “What shall I do now? First I must grow a little larger again. I must be as large as I was at home. Then I must find that beautiful garden with the pretty flowers in it. I think that will be the best plan.”

[1] Не is taking me for — Он принимает меня за

[2] her back was against [э geinst] the door — спина ее была прижата к двери

[3] I’ll put a stop to this — Я положу конец этому

[4] A bright idea came into her head. — Блестящая мысль пришла ей в голову.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04