‘I remember my uncle saying once that he had seen cheese just this colour.’ So he put his tongue in, and took a large lick. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘it is. No doubt about that. And honey, I should say, right down to the bottom of the jar. Unless, of course,’ he said, ‘somebody put cheese in at the bottom just for a joke. Perhaps I had better go a little further … just in case … in case Heffalumps don’t like cheese … same as me … Ah!’ And he gave a deep sigh. ‘I was right. It is honey, right the way down.’

Having made certain of this, he took the jar back to Piglet, and Piglet looked up from the bottom of his Very Deep Pit, and said, ‘Got it?’ and Pooh said, ‘Yes, but it isn’t quite a full jar,’ and he threw it down to Piglet, and Piglet said, ‘No, it isn’t! Is that all you’ve got left?’ and Pooh said, ‘Yes.’ Because it was. So Piglet put the jar at the bottom of the Pit, and climbed out, and they went off home together.

‘Well, good night, Pooh,’ said Piglet, when they had got to Pooh’s house. ‘And we meet at six o’clock to-morrow morning by the Pine Trees, and see how many Heffalumps we’ve got in our Trap.’

‘Six o’clock, Piglet. And have you got any string?’

‘No. Why do you want string?’

‘To lead them home with.’

‘Oh! … I think Heffalumps come if you whistle.’

‘Some do and some don’t. You never can tell with Heffalumps. Well, good night!’

‘Good night!’

And off Piglet trotted to his house TRESPASSERS W, while Pooh made his preparations for bed.

Some hours later, just as the night was beginning to steal away, Pooh woke up suddenly with a sinking feeling. He had had that sinking feeling before, and he knew what it meant. He was hungry. So he went to the larder, and he stood on a chair and reached up to the top shelf, and found – nothing.

‘That’s funny,’ he thought. ‘I know I had a jar of honey there.