This was such a new idea to Alice, that she was quite silent for a minute or

two, which gave the Pigeon the opportunity of adding, “You’re

looking for eggs, I know that well enough; and what does it matter to me

whether you’re a little girl or a serpent?”


“It matters a good deal to me,” said Alice hastily;

“but I’m not looking for eggs, as it happens; and if I was, I

shouldn’t want yours: I don’t like them raw.”


“Well, be off, then!” said the Pigeon in a sulky tone, as it

settled down again into its nest. Alice crouched down among the trees as well

as she could, for her neck kept getting entangled among the branches, and every

now and then she had to stop and untwist it. After a while she remembered that

she still held the pieces of mushroom in her hands, and she set to work very

carefully, nibbling first at one and then at the other, and growing sometimes

taller and sometimes shorter, until she had succeeded in bringing herself down

to her usual height.


It was so long since she had been anything near the right size, that it felt

quite strange at first; but she got used to it in a few minutes, and began

talking to herself, as usual. “Come, there’s half my plan done now!

How puzzling all these changes are! I’m never sure what I’m going

to be, from one minute to another! However, I’ve got back to my right

size: the next thing is, to get into that beautiful garden—how is

that to be done, I wonder?” As she said this, she came suddenly upon an

open place, with a little house in it about four feet high. “Whoever

lives there,” thought Alice, “it’ll never do to come upon

them this size: why, I should frighten them out of their wits!” So

she began nibbling at the righthand bit again, and did not venture to go near

the house till she had brought herself down to nine inches high.


CHAPTER VI.

Pig and Pepper


For a minute or two she stood looking at the house, and wondering what to do