Winnie-the-Pooh

when nothing goes right. And the dream began to sing itself over in his head until it became a sort of song. It was an

ANXIOUS POOH SONG

3 Cheers for Pooh!

(For who?)

For Pooh –

(Why what did he do?)

I thought you knew;

He saved his friend from a wetting!

3 Cheers for Bear!

(For where?)

For Bear –

He couldn’t swim,

But he rescued him!

(He rescued who?)

Oh, listen, do!

I am talking of Pooh –

(Of who?)

Of Pooh!

(I’m sorry I keep forgetting.)

Well, Pooh was a Bear of Enormous Brain –

(Just say it again!)

Of enormous brain –

(Of enormous what?)

Well, he ate a lot,

And I don’t know if he could swim or not,

But he managed to float

On a sort of boat

(On a sort of what?)

Well, a sort of pot –

So now let’s give him three hearty cheers

(So now let’s give him three hearty whiches?)

And hope he’ll be with us for years and years,

And grow in health and wisdom and riches!

3 Cheers for Pooh!

(For who?)

For Pooh –

3 Cheers for Bear!

(For where?)

For Bear –

3 Cheers for the wonderful Winnie-the-Pooh!

(Just tell me, somebody – WHAT DID HE DO?)

While this was going on inside him, Owl was talking to Eeyore.

‘Eeyore,’ said Owl, ‘Christopher Robin is giving a party.’

‘Very interesting,’ said Eeyore. I suppose they will be sending me down the odd bits which got trodden on. Kind and Thoughtful. Not at all, don’t mention it.’

‘There is an Invitation for you.’

‘What’s that like?’

‘An Invitation!’

‘Yes, I heard you. Who dropped it?’

‘This isn’t anything to eat, it’s asking you to the party. To-morrow.’

Eeyore shook his head slowly.

‘You mean Piglet. The little fellow with the excited ears. That’s Piglet. I’ll tell him.’

‘No, no,’ said Owl, getting quite fussy. ‘It’s you!’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Of course I’m sure.Christopher Robin said “All of them! Tell all of them.” ’

‘All of them, except Eeyore?’

‘All of them,’ said Owl sulkily.

‘Ah!’ said Eeyore. ‘A mistake, no doubt, but still, I shall come. Only don’t blame me if it rains.’

But it didn’t rain. Christopher Robin had made a long table out of some long pieces of wood, and they all sat round it. Christopher Robin sat at one end, and Pooh sat at the other, and between them on one side were Owl and Eeyore and Piglet, and between them on the other side were Rabbit, and Roo and Kanga. And all Rabbit’s friends and relations spread themselves about on the grass, and waited hopefully in case anybody spoke to them, or dropped anything, or asked them the time.

It was the first party to which Roo had ever been, and he was very excited. As soon as ever they had sat down he began to talk.

‘Hallo, Pooh!’ he squeaked.

‘Hallo, Roo!’ said Pooh.

Roo jumped up and down in his seat for a little while and then began again.

‘Hallo, Piglet!’ he squeaked.

Piglet waved a paw at him, being too busy to say anything.

‘Hallo, Eeyore!’ said Roo.

Eeyore nodded gloomily at him. ‘It will rain soon, you see if it doesn’t,’ he said.

Roo looked to see if it didn’t, and it didn’t, so he said ‘Hallo, Owl!’ – and Owl said ‘Hallo, my little fellow,’ in a kindly way, and went on telling Christopher Robin about an accident which had nearly happened to a friend of his whom Christopher Robin didn’t know, and Kanga said to Roo, ‘Drink up your milk first, dear, and talk afterwards.’ So Roo, who was drinking his milk, tried to say that he could do both at once … and had to be patted on the back and dried for quite a long time afterwards.

When they had all nearly eaten enough, Christopher Robin banged on the table with his spoon, and everybody stopped talking and was very silent, except Roo who was just finishing a loud attack of hiccups and trying to look as if it was one of Rabbit’s relations.