"
"I don't know," said the bird, "but if they do, why then they're a kind
of snake, that's all I can say."
This was such a new thing to Al-ice that at first, she did not speak,
which gave the bird a chance to add, "You want eggs now, I know that
quite well."
"But I don't want eggs, and if I did I should-n't want yours. I don't
like them raw."
"Well, be off, then!" said the bird as it sat down in its nest.
Al-ice crouched down through the trees as well as she could, for her
neck would twist round the boughs, and now and then she had to stop to
get it off. At last, she thought of the mush-room in her hands, and set
to work with great care, to take a small bite first from the right hand,
then from the left, till at length she brought her-self down to the
right size.
It was so long since she had been this height, that it felt quite
strange, at first, but she soon got used to it.
"Come, there's half my plan done now!" she said. "How strange all these
things are! I'm not sure one hour, what I shall be the next! I'm glad
I'm back to my right size: the next thing is, to get in-to that
gar-den--how is that to be done, I should like to know?" As she said
this, she saw in front of her, a small house, not more than four feet
high. "Who lives there?" thought Al-ice, "it'll not do at all to come
up-on them this size: why I should scare them out of their wits!"
So she ate some of the right hand bit, a-gain and did not dare to go
near the house till she had brought her-self down to nine inch-es high.
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