“Then why bend a perfectly good one?” asked Eeyore.
“But you said,” began Pooh—“you said that Tiggers liked everything except honey and haycorns.”
“ And thistles,” said Tigger, who was now running round in circles with his tongue hanging out.
Pooh looked at him sadly.
“What are we going to do?” he asked Piglet.
Piglet knew the answer to that, and he said at once that they must go and see Christopher Robin.
“You’ll find him with Kanga,” said Eeyore. He came close to Pooh, and said in a loud whisper:
“ Could you ask your friend to do his exercises somewhere else? I shall be having lunch directly, and don’t want it bounced on just before I begin. A trifling matter, and fussy of me, but we all have our little ways.”
Pooh nodded solemnly and called to Tigger.
“Come along and we’ll go and see Kanga. She’s sure to have lots of breakfast for you.”
Tigger finished his last circle and came up to Pooh and Piglet.
“Hot!” he explained with a large and friendly smile. “Come on!” and he rushed off.
Pooh and Piglet walked slowly after him. And as they walked Piglet said nothing, because he couldn’t think of anything, and Pooh said nothing, because he was thinking of a poem. And when he had thought of it he began:
What shall we do about poor little Tigger? If he never eats nothing he’ll never get bigger. He doesn’t like honey and haycorns and thistles Because of the taste and because of the bristles. And all the good things which an animal likes Have the wrong sort of swallow or too many spikes.
“He’s quite big enough anyhow,” said Piglet.
“He isn’t really very big.”