Eeyore nodded gloomily at him. тАЬIt will rain soon, you see if it doesnтАЩt,тАЭ he said.
Roo looked to see if it didnтАЩt, and it didnтАЩt, so he said тАЬHallo, Owl!тАЭтБатАФand Owl said тАЬHallo, my little fellow,тАЭ in a kindly way, and went on telling Christopher Robin about an accident which had nearly happened to a friend of his whom Christopher Robin didnтАЩt know, and Kanga said to Roo, тАЬDrink up your milk first, dear, and talk afterwards.тАЭ So Roo, who was drinking his milk, tried to say that he could do both at onceтБатАКтБатАж and had to be patted on the back and dried for quite a long time afterwards.
When they had all nearly eaten enough, Christopher Robin banged on the table with his spoon, and everybody stopped talking and was very silent, except Roo who was just finishing a loud attack of hiccups and trying to look as if it was one of RabbitтАЩs relations.
тАЬThis party,тАЭ said Christopher Robin, тАЬis a party because of what someone did, and we all know who it was, and itтАЩs his party, because of what he did, and IтАЩve got a present for him and here it is.тАЭ Then he felt about a little and whispered, тАЬWhere is it?тАЭ
While he was looking, Eeyore coughed in an impressive way and began to speak.
тАЬFriends,тАЭ he said, тАЬincluding oddments, it is a great pleasure, or perhaps I had better say it has been a pleasure so far, to see you at my party. What I did was nothing. Any of youтБатАФexcept Rabbit and Owl and KangaтБатАФwould have done the same. Oh, and Pooh. My remarks do not, of course, apply to Piglet and Roo, because they are too small. Any of you would have done the same. But it just happened to be Me. It was not, I need hardly say, with an idea of getting what Christopher Robin is looking for nowтАЭтБатАФand he put his front leg to his mouth and said in a loud whisper, тАЬTry under the tableтАЭтБатАФтАЬthat I did what I didтБатАФbut because I feel that we should all do what we can to help. I feel that we should allтБатАФтАЭ
тАЬ HтБатАФhup! тАЭ said Roo accidentally.
тАЬRoo, dear!тАЭ said Kanga reproachfully.
тАЬWas it me?тАЭ asked Roo, a little surprised.
тАЬWhatтАЩs Eeyore talking about?тАЭ Piglet whispered to Pooh.
тАЬI donтАЩt know,тАЭ said Pooh rather dolefully.
тАЬI thought this was your party.тАЭ