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.

But it didn’t rain. Christopher Robin had made a long table out of some long pieces of wood, and they all sat around 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.

“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.”

“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. Tomorrow.”

Eeyore shook his head slowly.

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