"I'm afraid no meals," said Christopher Robin, "because of getting thin quicker.
But we will read to you."
Bear began to sigh, and then found he couldn't because he was so tightly stuck; and a tear rolled down his eye, as he said:
"Then would you read a Sustaining Book, such as would help and comfort a Wedged Bear in Great Tightness?"
So for a week Christopher Robin read that sort of book at the North end of Pooh, and Rabbit hung his washing on the South end . . . and in between Bear felt himself getting slenderer and slenderer.
And at the end of the week Christopher Robin said,
"Now!"
So he took hold of Pooh's front paws and Rabbit took hold of Christopher Robin, and all Rabbit's friends and relations took hold of Rabbit, and they all pulled together....
And for a long time Pooh only said
"Ow!" . . .
And
"Oh!" . . .
And then, all of a sudden, he said
"Pop!" just as if a cork were coming out of bottle.
And Christopher Robin and Rabbit and all Rabbit's friends and relations went head-over-heels backwards . . . and on the top of them came Winnie-the-Pooh -- free!
So, with a nod of thanks to his friends, he went on with his walk through the forest, humming proudly to himself.
But, Christopher Robin looked after him lovingly, and said to himself,
"Silly old Bear!"
Chapter 3
...in which Pooh and piglet go hunting and nearly catch a woozle
THE Piglet lived in a very grand house in the middle of a beech-tree, and the beech-tree was in the middle of the forest, and the Piglet lived in the middle of the house.
Next to his house was a piece of broken board which had: "TRESPASSERS W" on it.
When Christopher Robin asked the Piglet what it meant, he said it was his grandfather's name, and had been in the family for a long time.
Christopher Robin said you couldn't be called Trespassers W, and Piglet said yes, you could, because his grandfather was, and it was short for Trespassers Will, which was short for Trespassers William. And his grandfather had had two names in case he lost one -- Trespassers after an uncle, and William after Trespassers.
"I've got two names," said Christopher Robin carelessly.
"Well, there you are, that proves it," said Piglet.
One fine winter's day when Piglet was brushing away the snow in front of his house, he happened to look up, and there was Winnie-the-Pooh.
Pooh was walking round and round in a circle, thinking of something else, and when Piglet called to him, he just went on walking.
"Hallo!" said Piglet, "what are you doing?"
"Hunting," said Pooh.
"Hunting what?"
"Tracking something," said Winnie-the-Pooh very mysteriously.
"Tracking what?" said Piglet, coming closer
"That's just what I ask myself.
I ask myself, What?"
"What do you think you'll answer?"
"I shall have to wait until I catch up with it," said Winnie-the-Pooh.
"Now, look there."
He pointed to the ground in front of him.
"What do you see there?"
"Tracks," said Piglet. "Paw-marks."
He gave a little squeak of excitement.
"Oh, Pooh!
Do you think it's a -- a -- a Woozle?"
"It may be," said Pooh. "Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't.
You never can tell with paw-marks."
With these few words he went on tracking, and Piglet, after watching him for a minute or two, ran after him.
Winnie-the-Pooh had come to a sudden stop, and was bending over the tracks in a puzzled sort of way.
"What's the matter?" asked Piglet.
"It's a very funny thing," said Bear, "but there seem to be two animals now.