The House at Pooh Corner - A. A. Milne [27]
“We’ve come to wish you a Very Happy Thursday,” said Pooh, when he had gone in and out once or twice just to make sure that he could get out again.
“Why, what’s going to happen on Thursday?” asked Rabbit, and when Pooh had explained, and Rabbit, whose life was made up of Important Things, said, “Oh, I thought you’d really come about something,” they sat down for a little…and by-and-by Pooh and Piglet went on again. The wind was behind them now, so they didn’t have to shout.
“Rabbit’s clever,” said Pooh thoughtfully.
“Yes,” said Piglet, “Rabbit’s clever.”
“And he has Brain.”
“Yes,” said Piglet, “Rabbit has Brain.”
There was a long silence.
“I suppose,” said Pooh, “that that’s why he never understands anything.”
Christopher Robin was at home by this time, because it was the afternoon, and he was so glad to see them that they stayed there until very nearly tea-time, and then they had a Very Nearly tea, which is one you forget about afterwards, and hurried on to Pooh Corner, so as to see Eeyore before it was too late to have a Proper Tea with Owl.
“Hallo, Eeyore,” they called out cheerfully.
“Ah!” said Eeyore. “Lost your way?”
“We just came to see you,” said Piglet. “And to see how your house was. Look, Pooh, it’s still standing!”
“I know,” said Eeyore. “Very odd. Somebody ought to have come down and pushed it over.”
“We wondered whether the wind would blow it down,” said Pooh.
“Ah, that’s why nobody’s bothered, I suppose. I thought perhaps they’d forgotten.”
“Well, we’re very glad to see you, Eeyore, and now we’re going on to see Owl.”
“That’s right. You’ll like Owl. He flew past a day or two ago and noticed me. He didn’t actually say anything, mind you, but he knew it was me. Very friendly of him, I thought. Encouraging.”
Pooh and Piglet shuffled about a little and said, “Well, good-bye, Eeyore,” as lingeringly as they could, but they had a long way to go, and wanted to be getting on.
“Good-bye,” said Eeyore. “Mind you don’t get blown away, little Piglet. You’d be missed. People would say ‘Where’s little Piglet been blown to?’—really wanting to know. Well, good-bye. And thank you for happening to pass me.”
“Good-bye,” said Pooh and Piglet for the last time, and they pushed on to Owl’s house.
The wind was against them now, and Piglet’s ears streamed behind him like banners as he fought his way along, and it seemed hours before he got them into the shelter of the Hundred Acre Wood and they stood up straight again, to listen, a little nervously, to the roaring of the gale among the tree-tops.
“Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?”
“Supposing it didn’t,” said Pooh after careful thought.
Piglet was comforted by this, and in a little while they were knocking and ringing very cheerfully at Owl’s door.
“Hallo, Owl,” said Pooh. “I hope we’re not too late for—I mean, how are you, Owl? Piglet and I just came to see how you were, because it’s Thursday.”
“Sit down, Pooh, sit down, Piglet,” said Owl kindly. “Make yourselves comfortable.”
They thanked him, and made themselves as comfortable as they could.
“Because, you see, Owl,” said Pooh, “we’ve been hurrying, so as to be in time for—so as to see you before we went away again.”
Owl nodded solemnly.
“Correct me if I am wrong,” he said, “but am I right in supposing that it is a very Blusterous day outside?”
“Very,” said Piglet, who was quietly thawing his ears, and wishing that he was safely back in his own house.
“I thought so,” said Owl. “It was on just such a blusterous day as this that my Uncle Robert, a portrait of whom you see upon the wall on your right, Piglet, while returning in the late forenoon from a—What’s that?”
There was a loud cracking noise.
“Look out!” cried Pooh. “Mind the clock! Out of the way, Piglet! Piglet, I’m falling on you!”
“Help!” cried Piglet.
Pooh’s side of the room was slowly tilting upwards and his chair began sliding down on Piglet’s. The clock slithered gently along the mantelpiece, collecting vases on the