f high enough yet--Oh! they'll do
well enough; don't be particular--Here, Bill! catch hold of this
rope--Will the roof bear?--Mind that loose slate--Oh, it's coming down!
Heads below!" (a loud crash)--"Now, who did that?--It was Bill, I
fancy--Who's to go down the chimney?--Nay, _I_ sha'n't! _You_ do
it!--_That_ I won't, then! Bill's to go down--Here, Bill! the master
says you've to go down the chimney!"

"Oh! So Bill's got to come down the chimney, has he?" said Alice to
herself. "Why, they seem to put everything upon Bill! I wouldn't be in
Bill's place for a good deal: this fireplace is narrow, to be sure; but
I _think_ I can kick a little!"

She drew her foot as far down the chimney as she could, and waited till
she heard a little animal (she couldn't guess of what sort it was)
scratching and scrambling about in the chimney close above her: then,
saying to herself "This is Bill," she gave one sharp kick, and waited to
see what would happen next.

The first thing she heard was a general chorus of "There goes Bill!"
then the Rabbit's voice alone--"Catch him, you by the hedge!" then
silence, and then another confusion of voices--"Hold up his head--Brandy
now--Don't choke him--How was it, old fellow? What happened to you? Tell
us all about it!"

At last came a little feeble, squeaking voice, ("That's Bill," thought
Alice,) "Well, I hardly know--No more, thank ye; I'm better now--but I'm
a deal too flustered to tell you--all I know is, something comes at me
like a Jack-in-the-box, and up I goes like a sky-rocket!"

"So you did, old fellow!" said the others.

"We must burn the house down!" said the Rabbit's voice. And Alice
called out as loud as she could, "If you do, I'll set Dinah at you!"

There was a dead silence instantly, and Alice thought to herself "I
wonder what they _will_ do next! If they had any sense, they'd take the
roof off." After a minute or two they began moving about again, and
Alice heard the Rabbit say "A barrowful will do, to begin with."

"A barrowful of _what_?" thought Alice. But she had not long to doubt,
for the next moment a shower of little pebbles came rattling in at the
window, and some of them hit her in the face. "I'll put a stop to this,"
she said to herself, and shouted out "You'd better not do that again!"
which produced another dead silence.

Alice noticed with some surprise that the pebbles were all turning into
little cakes as they lay on the floor, and a bright idea came in