Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Extracts 1 & 2 PDF

# Extract from Chapter One of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll ## Extract summary: Alice is sitting drowsily by a riverbank, bored by the book her older sister reads to her. A white rabbit runs past her, fretting as it will be late. The Rabbit pulls a watch out of his waistcoat poc...

# Extract from Chapter One of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll ## Extract summary: Alice is sitting drowsily by a riverbank, bored by the book her older sister reads to her. A white rabbit runs past her, fretting as it will be late. The Rabbit pulls a watch out of his waistcoat pocket and runs across the field and down a hole. Alice impulsively follows the rabbit and tumbles down the deep hole that resembles a well, falling slowly for a long time. ## Extract 1: Alice is beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do. She has peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it has no pictures or conversations. Alice thinks, "what is the use of a book, without pictures or conversations?". She considers whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth getting up and picking the daisies. Suddenly, a White Rabbit with pink eyes runs close by her. Alice does not think it remarkable to hear the Rabbit say to itself "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!". However, she is startled when the Rabbit takes a watch out of its waistcoat pocket and looks at it. She realizes she has never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it. Burning with curiosity she runs across the field after the Rabbit and is just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge. ## Extract 2: Alice follows the Rabbit, not considering how in the world she is to get out again. The rabbit-hole goes straight on like a tunnel and then dips suddenly down. Alice has no time to think about stopping herself before she finds herself falling down a very deep well. The well may be very deep or she may be falling very slowly, as she has plenty of time to wonder what will happen next. She tries to look down to see what she is coming to, but it's too dark. She looks at the sides of the well and notices that they are filled with cupboards and book-shelves. She sees maps and pictures hung upon pegs. Alice picks up a jar labelled 'ORANGE MARMALADE', but it is empty. She doesn't want to drop the jar for fear of killing somebody, so she manages to put it into one of the cupboards before she falls past it. Alice thinks, "After such a fall, I shall think nothing of tumbling downstairs! How brave they'll all think me at home! I wouldn't say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of the house!" She continues falling until she lands with a thump on a heap of sticks and dry leaves. Alice is unharmed and jumps to her feet. It is dark overhead and there is another long passage in front of her. The White Rabbit is still in sight, hurrying down the passage. Alice follows as fast as she can, just in time to hear the Rabbit say, as it turns a corner, "Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting!" Alice is close behind the Rabbit, but it's no longer to be seen.