Alan Alexander Miln. The house at Pooh Corner -
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stick's stuck. Is your stick stuck, Piglet?"
"They always take longer than you think," said Rabbit.
"How long do you think they'll take?" asked Roo.
"I can see yours, Piglet," said Pooh suddenly.
"Mine's a sort of greyish one," said Piglet, not daring
to lean too far over in case he fell in.
"Yes, that's what I can see. It's coming over on to my
side."
Rabbit leant over further than ever, looking for his,
and Roo wriggled up and down, calling out "Come on, stick!
Stick, stick, stick!" and Piglet got very excited because his
was the only one which had been seen, and that meant that he
was winning. "It's coming!" said Pooh.
"Are you sure it's mine?" squeaked Piglet excitedly.
"Yes, because it's grey. A big grey one. Here it comes!
A very--big--grey---- Oh, no, it isn't, it's Eeyore."
And out floated Eeyore.
"Eeyore!" cried everybody.
Looking very calm, very dignified, with his legs in the
air, came Eeyore from beneath the bridge.
"It's Eeyore!" cried Roo, terribly excited.
"Is that so?" said Eeyore, getting caught up by a
little eddy, and turning slowly round three times. "I
wondered."
"I didn't know you were playing," said Roo.
"I'm not," said Eeyore.
"Eeyore, what are you doing there?" said Rabbit.
"I'll give you three guesses, Rabbit. Digging holes in
the ground? Wrong. Leaping from branch to branch of a young
oak-tree? Wrong. Waiting for somebody to help me out of the
river? Right. Give Rabbit time, and he'll always get the
answer."
"But, Eeyore," said Pooh in distress, "what can we--I
mean, how shall we--do you think if we--"
"Yes," said Eeyore. "One of those would be just the