“What didn’t?” said Rabbit.
“Didn’t what?” said Piglet.
Pooh shook his head.
“I don’t know,” he said. “It just didn’t. What are we talking about?”
“Pooh,” said Piglet reproachfully, “haven’t you been listening to what Rabbit was saying?”
“I listened, but I had a small piece of fluff in my ear. Could you say it again, please, Rabbit?”
Rabbit never minded saying things again, so he asked where he should begin from; and when Pooh had said from the moment when the fluff got in his ear, and Rabbit had asked when that was, and Pooh had said he didn’t know because he hadn’t heard properly, Piglet settled it all by saying that what they were trying to do was, they were just trying to think of a way to get the bounces out of Tigger, because however much you liked him, you couldn’t deny it, he did bounce.
“Oh, I see,” said Pooh.
“There’s too much of him,” said Rabbit, “that’s what it comes to.”
Pooh tried to think, and all he could think of was something which didn’t help at all. So he hummed it very quietly to himself.
If Rabbit Was bigger And fatter And stronger, Or bigger Than Tigger, If Tigger was smaller, Then Tigger’s bad habit Of bouncing at Rabbit Would matter No longer, If Rabbit Was taller.
“What was Pooh saying?” asked Rabbit. “Any good?”
“No,” said Pooh sadly. “No good.”
“Well, I’ve got an idea,” said Rabbit, “and here it is. We take Tigger for a long explore, somewhere where he’s never been, and we lose him there, and next morning we find him again, and—mark my words—he’ll be a different Tigger altogether.”
“Why?” said Pooh.