"'Winney the Pooh

"'chapter 1,

"'in which we are introduced to Winnie the Pooh,

"'and some bees and the stories begin.

"'Here is Edward Baer, coming downstairs now,

"'bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head,

"'behind Christopher Robin.

It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs,

but sometimes he feels that there really is another way,

if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.

And then he feels that perhaps there isn't.

Anyhow, here he is at the bottom and ready to be introduced to you, Winnie the Pooh. When I first heard his name, I said, just as you are going to

say, but I thought he was a boy. So did I, said Christopher Robin. Then you can't call him Winnie. I don't. But you said,

he's Winnie their poo. Don't you know what there means? Ah, yes, now I do, I said quickly,

and I hope you do too, because it is all the explanation you are going to get.

Sometimes Winnie the Pooh likes a game of some sort when he comes downstairs,

and sometimes he likes to sit quietly in front of the fire and listen to a story.

This evening, what about a story, said Christopher Robin. What about a story, I said. Could you very

sweetly tell Winnie the Pooh one? I suppose I could, I said. What sort of stories does he like?

About himself, because he's that sort of bear.

"'Oh, I see. So could you very sweetly?' "'I'll try,' I said. So I tried.'

"'Once upon a time, a very long time ago now, about last Friday,

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