and," issued
in 1865, which has been translated into many languages. No
modern fairy-tale has approached it in popularity. The charms
of the book are its unstrained humour and its childlike fancy,
held in check by the discretion of a particularly clear and
analytical mind. Though it seems strange that an authority on
Euclid and logic should have been the inventor of so diverting
and irresponsible a tale, if we examine his story critically
we shall see that only a logical mind could have derived so
much genuine humour from a deliberate attack on reason, in
which a considerable element of fun arises from efforts to
reconcile the irreconcilable. The book has probably been read
as much by grown-ups as by young people, and no work of humour
is more heartily to be commended as a banisher of care. The
original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel are almost as
famous as the book itself.

_I.--What Happened Down the Rabbit-Hole_

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the
bank, and of having nothing to do; once or twice she had peeped into the
book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in
it, "and what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or
conversations?"

So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the
hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid) whether the pleasure of
making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and
picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran
close by her.

There was nothing so _very_ remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it
so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to himself: "Oh,
dear! Oh, dear! I shall be too late!" But when the Rabbit actually _took
a watch out of his waistcoat pocket_, and looked at it, and then hurried
on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she
had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat pocket or a watch
to take out of it, and, burning with curiosity, she ran across the field
after him, and was just in time to see him pop down a large rabbit-hole
under the hedge.

In another moment down went Alice after him, never once considering how
in the world she was to get out again.

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then
dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think
ab