Alice entered the Ascot greenhouse. She sighed as she sat down, then pulled out her father's pocket watch. 

"Sign over the Wonder to become a clerk ... and just give up on the impossible?" she said to herself. She shook her head fiercely. The thought was unbearable¹. 

A flicker² of movement caught her eye as a blue butterfly landed on a nearby orchid³. As she turned to gaze at it, it lifted off and flew closer. Shimmering⁴ in the moonlight, the butterfly's wings flapped open and closed several times, as if it was trying to send her a message. 

What a curious creature, Alice thought. She'd never seen a butterfly behave this way. Its gorgeous, bright blue hue⁵ reminded her of Absolem's coloring. In fact, the last time she'd spoken to him, back in Underland, he'd been building a chrysalis, so it was possible this was him. It definitely wasn't impossible, anyway. 

"Absolem?" she asked tentatively. 

With a flutter, the insect launched into the air and hovered⁶ in front of her face, as if in confirmation⁷, before swooping⁸ toward the greenhouse exit. Alice got to her feet and followed it. If it was Absolem, perhaps he was trying to lead her back to Underland. But instead of heading for the woods and the rabbit hole, the butterfly flew steadily⁹ toward the mansion¹⁰. 

Well, even if he's not leading me to Underland, I've nothing better to do, Alice thought with a shrug¹¹. 

Wading¹² across the grass, Alice let the butterfly lead her up to the mansion's wide stone steps and back through the open patio¹³ doors. Now she was almost positive it was Absolem and that he needed her to follow him. Why else would a butterfly brave the noise and lights of a party? 

Scanning the room carefully, she noticed a bright spot of blue on the chandelier above the dining room table. Alice hurried over and, heedless of propriety¹⁴, climbed up onto first a chair and then the table itself. What could Absolem want? It must be important for him to have left Underland. She stepped over the silverware, which was fanned out on the runner, and edged past arranged plates of fruit, cupcakes, and petit fours and the rose centerpieces lining¹⁵ the table. 

She had almost reached the crystal chandelier when her mother rushed over. 

"Alice! Get down from there," Helen ordered in a hushed voice. But it was too late. Already the other guests were falling silent, dumbfounded at the sight of Alice trooping through the desserts. 

Perhaps startled by Helen's movement, the butterfly fluttered farther down the table toward the only person who hadn't noticed Alice. 

Hamish was busy holding court with the board at the far end of the table. While he didn't see Alice, the butterfly's bright blue wings caught his eye. 

"Bloody¹⁶ moths," Hamish complained. He slammed his hand down on the table to smash the insect flat. 

"Absolem! No!" Alice shouted. Without thinking, she launched herself off the table onto Hamish, and they both tumbled to the ground. 

"Help! Assault! Police! Mother!" Hamish shrieked¹⁷ as Alice's fists pummeled him. 

A pair of footmen managed to pull Alice off Hamish. Alice saw a flutter of blue near the grand staircase. 

Keeping her gaze fixed¹⁸ on the footmen and the stairway beyond, Alice ran her hands over the table behind her. With a surge of hope, she felt a salt and pepper shaker set. She grabbed a shaker in each hand and flung them forward, coating the footmen in the spices. The men doubled over, sneezing fiercely. Alice ducked past them and bounded up the stairs, calling for Absolem to wait for her. 

Alice rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, but the butterfly had disappeared. She dashed down the hallway, but at the sound of men thumping¹⁹ up the stairs behind her, she ducked into the nearest room and locked the door. 

Alice waited as the men pounded down the hall, their footfalls making the floor vibrate. As they passed, she let out her breath. Only then did she turn to survey the room. 

It was a parlor²⁰, but clearly one that hadn't been used in a long while. A cluttered²¹ desk sat to the side; a chess set on a table was covered in dust; and the woven rugs let off a moldering smell. 

Dominating one wall were two oil portraits and a giant antique mirror, which hung above a fireplace. The immense white marble mantelpiece was inlaid with green stone. On top, the exposed silver cogs of a clock ticked under a bell-shaped glass. 

A movement in the mirror caught her eye. The blue butterfly flitted toward her. 

As Alice twisted to watch the butterfly, she noticed that something was happening to the mirror above the fireplace. Before her eyes, the glass began to fog up and evaporate into a glowing silvery mist. 

Absolem flew toward it, and instead of slamming against the surface, he made his way straight into the swirling²² looking glass. 

"Curious," she whispered to herself. Nearing the fireplace, she reached toward the mirror. 

The glass felt like a cool pond of water, her fingers passing through it with no resistance. When she pulled her hand back, she was surprised to find it was dry. 

Someone rattled²³ the doorknob of the parlor and Alice whirled. Through the thick oak of the door, she could hear men in the hallway calling for the key. 

Not wanting to face them, Alice quickly climbed up onto the mantelpiece, careful not to jar the surely priceless vase balanced on the edge. She hesitated before the mirror, the clock next to her ticking much more loudly all of a sudden. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the looking glass just as a key jingled²⁴ in the lock behind her. 

A ripple²⁵ of coolness broke over Alice's skin as she passed through the mirror, but no droplets²⁶ of water or mist clung to her. She emerged on the other side, where the room was much larger than she'd anticipated—a giant replica²⁷ of the parlor she had just left—and where she was the size of a large insect. She was standing²⁸ on the marble mantelpiece, her head reaching only halfway²⁹ up the clock. The walls and ceiling—not to mention the floor—seemed impossibly far away. 

"Curiouser and curiouser," she said, a bolt of déjà vu flowing through her as the words left her mouth. Only Underland made her feel this excited and disoriented at the same time. 

"Hello again, Alice!" chimed a voice. 

Alice turned to discover the clock on that side of the mirror featured an old man's face. As he smiled at her, the numbers next to his mouth lifted higher. 

"You shouldn't be here," the lady in the oil painting whined³⁰. "You're too old for this nonsense!" 

"Oh, hush," countered the man in the painting opposite her. "One is never too old!" 

Ignoring the woman, Alice smiled gratefully at the two gentlemen. She gathered a deep breath and stepped off the mantelpiece, then plummeted³¹ to the cushioned bench surrounding the fireplace. Her feet sank into the soft cloth as she made her way toward the distant chess table. 

The butterfly landed on the floor beside her. His blue wings shimmered³², but his face held its usual disapproving³³ frown. "Clumsy as always, and twice as dim," he drawled. "I thought you'd never get the idea." 

"Oh, Absolem," Alice cried happily. "It is you!" She flung her arms around him, and the Butterfly's face softened³⁴ even as he wriggled³⁵ away. 

"You've been gone too long, Alice. Friends cannot be neglected," he said. 

"Why? What has happened?" asked Alice in alarm. 

Absolem lifted off into the air. "All will become clear in the fullness of time. For now, hurry, follow that passage." His antennae³⁶ waved toward the far door. 

Shaking her head at his vagueness, she started across the room. Clearly Absolem's metamorphosis into a butterfly had not made him more forthright³⁷. As she reached the door, Alice felt her luck turn. The door was just her size. As she opened it, she heard Absolem's voice, and she turned to look over her shoulder. 

"Do mind your step," Absolem called out as Alice stepped through the doorway³⁸ ... and straight into thin air. 

 

爱丽丝来到阿斯科特家的玻璃暖房。她坐下来，叹了一口气，掏出父亲的怀表。 

“签字转让‘仙境号’，然后做一名职员……难道就这样放弃不可能的事吗？”爱丽丝对自己说。她使劲摇了摇头，这个想法实在是让人难以忍受。 

突然，一道影子闪过，引起了爱丽丝的注意。一只蓝色的蝴蝶落在旁边的兰花上。爱丽丝转头盯着它，就在这时，蝴蝶又飞了起来，飞得离爱丽丝更近了。蝴蝶的翅膀在月光中闪烁着，拍打了几次，似乎想给爱丽丝传达什么信息。 

多古怪的小家伙啊，爱丽丝心想。她从没见过一只蝴蝶这样。蝴蝶绚丽的亮蓝色让她想起了阿布索伦。事实上，爱丽丝上一次和阿布索伦聊天还是在地下世界，那时阿布索伦正在造一个蛹，这个蝴蝶有可能就是他。不管怎样，这也不是不可能。 

“阿布索伦？”爱丽丝试探性地问了一声。 

蝴蝶拍着翅膀飞到了空中，在爱丽丝面前盘旋，仿佛证实了她的猜测，接着就朝温室的出口猛扑过去。爱丽丝站起身，紧紧跟在蝴蝶后面。如果他真的是阿布索伦，那么他可能正试着引领自己回到地下世界呢。但是蝴蝶并没有飞向树丛，也没有飞向兔子洞，而是径直朝公馆飞去。 

好吧。就算他不是要带我去地下世界，我现在也没什么事儿可做。爱丽丝耸耸肩，想道。 

爱丽丝好不容易穿过草丛，跟着蝴蝶来到了公馆宽阔的石砌台阶上，穿过院门，回到了房子里。现在爱丽丝几乎可以确定这只蝴蝶就是阿布索伦了，而他需要自己跟着他。否则，一只蝴蝶怎么会勇敢地面对宴会的噪声和灯光呢？ 

爱丽丝仔细地观察着屋子，注意到餐厅桌子正上方的枝形吊灯上有一个明亮的蓝点。她赶忙跑过去，不顾礼节地踩上椅子，然后再爬上桌子。阿布索伦想干什么？他离开地下世界肯定有重要的事情。爱丽丝跨过银质餐具，餐具被她弄得乱七八糟；接着她慢慢地跨过摆放整齐的盘子，盘子里装着水果、纸杯蛋糕和花式小蛋糕；接着她又跨过摆在桌子中间装饰用的玫瑰花。 

爱丽丝差一点就够到水晶吊灯了，这时母亲突然跑了过来。 

“爱丽丝！下来！”海伦低声命令道。但已经太迟了。其他宾客早已安静下来，目瞪口呆地看着爱丽丝在甜点上跨来跨去。 

也许是被海伦的举动吓到了，蝴蝶沿着桌子向更远的地方扑腾着翅膀，朝着唯一那个没有注意到爱丽丝的人飞过去。 

在桌子的远端，哈米什正忙着和董事会的成员处理事情。他没有看到爱丽丝，但蝴蝶亮蓝色的翅膀引起了他的注意。 

“讨厌的蛾子。”哈米什抱怨道。接着他用手啪地打在桌子上，一掌就把蝴蝶拍扁了。 

“阿布索伦！不要啊！”爱丽丝大叫道。接着，她不假思索地从桌上纵身一跃，往哈米什身上跳去，两个人都摔倒在地。 

爱丽丝的拳头不停地打在哈米什身上，哈米什尖叫着：“救命啊！打人啦！警察！母亲！” 

两名男仆跑过来，设法把爱丽丝从哈米什身上拉开。这时，爱丽丝看见大楼梯旁有个蓝色的东西一闪而过。 

爱丽丝的眼睛盯着男仆和远处的台阶，手却悄悄伸到自己身后的桌子上。她满怀希望地够到了一对调味瓶，里面装着盐和胡椒粉。接着，爱丽丝两只手各抓起一个调味瓶，用力朝前面撒去，撒得男仆满身调料。两名男仆被呛得直不起腰来，不停地打喷嚏。爱丽丝一边躲过他们大步跳上楼梯，一边大喊着让阿布索伦等等自己。 

爱丽丝绕到楼梯最上面的拐角，但是蝴蝶已经不见了。她沿着走廊一路猛冲，但听到身后其他人咚咚的上楼声，便立刻躲进离自己最近的房间里，一把将房门锁上。 

那些人脚步沉重地沿着走廊走动，脚步声震得地板都颤动起来，而爱丽丝则在静静等着。待他们离开后，爱丽丝长舒了一口气，这才转过身来打量这间屋子。 

这是一间会客厅，不过很明显已经许久没人用了。房间一边摆着一张杂乱的办公桌；另一张桌子上的国际象棋积满了灰尘；地上的织毯也散发出腐烂的气味。 

房间的一面墙上挂着两幅肖像油画和一面古老的大镜子，镜子就挂在壁炉上方。白色大理石的巨大壁炉台中镶嵌着绿色的石头。壁炉台上，一座钟的银质齿轮清晰可见，发出嘀嗒的声响，外面是一只钟形的玻璃罩。 

突然，镜子中什么东西动了一下，引起了爱丽丝的注意。那只蓝色的蝴蝶正朝她飞来。 

爱丽丝转过身盯着蝴蝶，这时她突然注意到，壁炉上方的镜子似乎有什么变化。爱丽丝面前的玻璃开始起雾，慢慢地，整块玻璃蒸发成了一片发光的银色薄雾。 

阿布索伦朝着镜子飞去，但他并没有撞到镜子表面，而是直接飞入了漩涡般的镜子中。 

“真古怪。”爱丽丝小声嘀咕。然后她慢慢靠近壁炉，伸手去摸镜子。 

这面镜子摸起来就像一汪清凉的池水，爱丽丝的手指可以轻易地穿过去，没有一点阻碍。但她把手拿出来时，却惊奇地发现手还是干干的。 

突然，有人在外面拽得门把手咔咔直响，爱丽丝一下子惊慌起来。隔着这么厚的橡木门，她都能听到走廊上的人们大喊着让别人拿钥匙。 

爱丽丝不想面对他们，于是快步爬上壁炉台，小心翼翼地避开那个放在台边上的贵重花瓶，尽量不让它震动。爱丽丝在镜子前犹豫着，突然，身边的钟发出了十分响亮的嘀嗒声。爱丽丝深吸一口气，走进了镜子中。与此同时，身后橡木门的锁孔传来了钥匙转动的声音。 

穿过镜子时，一丝凉意浸入爱丽丝体内，但是爱丽丝身上却没有一点儿水珠或是薄雾。她出现在了镜子的另一面。这里的会客厅是她刚刚离开那间的巨形放大版，可比她想的大多了，就连她的身材也变得如大型昆虫般大小。爱丽丝站在大理石壁炉台上，她的头只到钟表一半那么高。墙面和天花板都看起来无比遥远，就更不用说地板了。 

“越来越奇怪，越来越奇怪了。”爱丽丝说着，一种似曾相识的感觉席卷了她的全身。只有地下世界才能让她既如此兴奋，又不知所往。 

“爱丽丝，又见面了！”一个声音响了起来。 

爱丽丝转过头，看到镜子这边的钟面出现了一张男人的脸。他对着爱丽丝笑了笑，嘴边的数字又升高了一点。 

“你不应该在这儿。”油画里的女士抱怨道，“你年纪太大了，不适合来这么荒谬的地方。” 

“嘘。”对面油画里的男士反对道，“没有年纪太大这一说！” 

爱丽丝没有理会那位女士，而是感激地向两位男士笑了笑。她深吸一口气，从壁炉台上走下来，然后跳到壁炉周围带垫的长椅上，接着她朝着远处的棋桌走去，双脚陷进了软乎乎的布垫里。 

蝴蝶落在爱丽丝身旁的地板上，蓝色的翅膀一闪一闪的，但是脸上却像往常一样不高兴地皱着眉头。“总是这么笨，比以前更傻了。”他慢吞吞地说道，“我还以为你永远明白不了我的意思呢。” 

“哦，阿布索伦。”爱丽丝开心地喊道，“真的是你！”她用手臂环抱着他。蝴蝶的表情温和了一点，然后扭着身子飞走了。 

“你离开得太久了，爱丽丝。朋友可不容忽视。”阿布索伦说道。 

“怎么了？发生什么事了？”爱丽丝担心地问道。 

阿布索伦飞到空中说：“等到时机成熟，一切都会清楚的。现在要做的，就是顺着走廊走，快点。”他的触须朝远处的门晃动着。 

爱丽丝对阿布索伦模糊的说辞摇了摇头，立刻朝屋子另一边跑去。很明显，阿布索伦变成了一只蝴蝶，但这并没有让他变得更直率。爱丽丝来到门口，觉得她的运气来了，因为门的大小正好能让她穿过去。爱丽丝打开门时，听见阿布索伦的声音，便回头看了看。 

“一定注意脚下。”阿布索伦喊道，只见爱丽丝一脚踏出了房门……直接踩了个空。 

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