You Are Cordially Invited, Part One 8 Astron, S.R. 1315 "Are we going?" Bilbo hung over his mother's shoulder as she read the Invitation. His voice was wistful, as though he knew the answer would probably be "no". 6 Astron, S.R. 1315 Whitwell Dear Bungo and Belladonna, You, and your son Bilbo, are hereby cordially invited to attend the Wedding of your Nephew, Adalgrim, and his Betrothed, Periwinkle Goldworthy. The Wedding will take place at Noon, on the fourth day of Forelithe, at the home of the Groom’s Parents, Hildigrim and Rosa Took at the Great Smials. Please let us know as soon as possible if you will be attending. Cordially yours, Lettice Goldworthy, Cousin of the Bride Belladonna was silent. She wished to go as well; but she had found that she did not care to be apart from Bungo, and he'd not been up to travelling since the Fell Winter. She did not want her voice to betray her. It would hurt him dreadfully to know that she would stay home on his account. Bungo glanced up from his own letter from his factor in Bywater. "I've been feeling much better lately, my dear. If Mistress Rose approves, then I think we should all go. I must confess I have missed the, er, bustle, of the Great Smials. And I should like to see your father again." Bilbo gave a whoop of joy, but Belladonna patted his hand. She smiled at her husband. "Well, we shall see what Mistress Rose says." It turned out that Mistress Rose thought the change would do Bungo good. "Mind you, travel the long way round, not by the Post Road and stop over in Waymeet!" And so it was that Belladonna penned the family's acceptance, provisionally, for she still feared Bungo might have a turn for the worse. Dear Periwinkle, We are very pleased to hear of your upcoming wedding to our beloved nephew Adalgrim, and the three of us will be happy to attend, if Bungo's health allows. Please accept our heartiest best wishes upon your impending nuptials, and we look forward to meeting you at the ceremony. We plan to arrive at the Great Smials by the first of Forelithe, to be in time for your Sitting for the Gifts. Affectionately yours, Belladonna, Bungo and Bilbo Baggins Instead of a pony trap, the Bagginses hired a coach from The Ivy Bush, as well as young Jackdaw Twofoot to drive it for them. In the past, Bungo had always driven the pony trap, but Mistress Rose advised him against the exertion of driving; Bilbo had offered to drive, but his mother suggested the coach and driver instead. "Your father and I will be far more comfortable in the coach," she said. "And if you wish and the weather is fine, you may ride up front with Jack." Bilbo was beyond excitement over the journey; while Siggy had paid the Bagginses a brief visit with his parents last year, he'd not seen any other Took relatives since he and his mother had gone to the Great Smials the summer after the Fell Winter. There had been letters--he had a few from Chop, most of them singing the praises of his Periwinkle, and of course he and Siggy kept up a lively correspondence. But it wasn't the same as seeing them. He missed his grandfather as well, for all of Gerontius' letters were to the family as a whole, and not just to Bilbo. Jack and Bilbo loaded the luggage into the coach, and then Jack assisted the two older Bagginses into it. Bilbo felt a wave of concern to notice how heavily his father was breathing after only the light exertion of entering the coach, and how pale his mother was after she was finally seated. How frail they were now! But he shook his head. No gloomy thoughts! They were off to a fine and happy occasion. He clambered up to the driver's seat, and grinned at Jack when he joined him. Jack took up the reins and gave them a pull and a shake, and the four smart black ponies that pulled the coach set off. They first had to go southeast to Bywater to meet the Road at the Three-Farthing Stone, and then they turned West towards Waymeet, a journey of some twenty-five miles. Bilbo had been quite young when the family had last been to Waymeet, and he recalled little of the route there, so the scenery was all new to him. He gazed about and he and Jack talked--Jack had never been to Waymeet at all, and he was as pleased as punch that the Squire's family had chosen him as a driver! The two lads found much to talk about as the coach rolled along. Bilbo felt as though he were on top of the world in his high seat looking down. About halfway there, Bilbo's mother shouted through the coach window, and asked Jack to find a spot to pull over. She had packed a basket that would serve them all as a late elevenses or an early luncheon. Jack spotted a grassy verge beneath the shade of a large apple tree. The tree grew on the other side of a meadow and overhung the rail fence that ran parallel to the Road. Bilbo spread a blanket on the ground and fetched the cushions for his parents out of the back of the coach. The hobbits enjoyed their picnic as the ponies cropped the grass. After a light repast of chicken, boiled eggs, bread, cheese, pickles and small cakes, of which not a crumb was left, they returned to the coach and drove on. His mother handed him a small sack of gingersnaps before he and Jack had climbed up again, for she knew that it would be past teatime before they finally stopped at the inn in Waymeet. The two talked a while, and then as hobbits of all stations enjoy, began to play at a game of riddles. Jack started it with an old familiar:  A box without hinges, key, or lid, Yet golden treasure inside is hid* Bilbo grinned. It was traditional to start with a really easy one. "Egg", he answered, and then offered up his own. White above, brown below Only in the dark I grow, A fine treasure For your pleasure. Jack chuckled. "Mushrooms. I wisht we had some now." Bilbo patted his stomach. "So do I." Jack thought for a minute, as he tried to remember all of a riddle he'd heard from his uncle from Needlehole. Bilbo thought he had given up when Jack finally spoke: Comes in one color, but not one size, stuck at the bottom, and yet it flies; found in sunshine, but not in rain; never does harm, and never feels pain. Bilbo pursed his lips and thought hard. What could it be? He'd never heard this one at all before. Jack grinned and gave him a sideways look, and began to whistle. "'Stuck at the bottom...found in sunshine'...no...no, that's in rain, too," He began to look down at the road as they drove and just then the Sun hid herself behind a cloud, and the sky darkened slightly..."Shadow!" he shouted. "That was a good one, Jack! But then I noticed our shadow on the Road." He thought briefly, and then remembered one he had heard from Uncle Gorbadoc once: I run but never walk; I have a mouth but never talk; I have a bed but never lie; What am I? Now it was Jack's turn to be stumped. He thought and thought, and finally said, "I will have to give up, Master Bilbo! I just can't think of the answer!" Bilbo smiled smugly. "A river!" he said. "Oh, I'll have to remember that one, Master Bilbo. That's a really good one, that's a stumper that is!"   The two sang a few songs, and then grew silent. Bilbo was getting tired, for they had left quite early; he must have nodded off for a while, because suddenly Jack elbowed him. "Master Bilbo! Look, I think we are at Waymeet!" They were on the downside of a long low hill, and the village was spread out before them. Waymeet was more of a town than a village, a little bigger than Hobbiton, for it truly was where several roads met, and so much business was conducted there. Bilbo noticed there were many more houses visible than smials. Soon they came to the four-way crossing, where the North-South Road crossed the Great East-West Road. While the East-West Road continued straight on, the road to the north and to the south angled to the west at the crossroads. There were three inns: The Golden Mushroom, The Sleepy Badger, and The Running Fox. "Mrs. Belladonna said The Golden Mushroom," said Jack, as he drove the coach towards that establishment. Bilbo nodded. "Mama said it was the largest and most well-appointed." He looked it over--it certainly was prosperous, with its wide stone and half-timbered wings stretching out from the center to form a courtyard, partially bounded on the fourth by a large stable. The whitewash gleamed in the Sun, and the thatch looked like spun gold. The round door was not painted but stained a golden brown, and there was a beautiful mushroom carved right into it, just above the shining brass doorknob in the center. Another carving of a mushroom hung from the eaves, with a small sign hung from it by two short chains. The sign said "The Golden Mushroom est. S.R. 1071, G. Gawkrogers, prop." Jack and Bilbo climbed down and opened the doors to help Belladonna and Bungo out. Hobbit grooms came running to take the coach and ponies, and other hobbits came to assist with the luggage. They were greeted by a cheerfully plump hobbitess with a mass of grey curls and a pair of spectacles perched on her nose. She kept up a cheerful chatter as she showed them to a large and well appointed room. In one corner a large screen had been set up, and Bilbo glimpsed the edge of a copper tub behind it. There was a large bed, with a smaller one tucked beneath it on wheeled legs, and by the hearth a small mattress lay upon the floor with a blanket covering it. "As you asked for, Mrs. Baggins, a trundle for your son and a pallet for your driver. You are too late for tea, but we can have an early supper sent to your room, and then bring your baths, or you can have your baths now and take supper in the common room." Belladonna chose to have the early supper sent to the room. Bilbo found he was disappointed, for he wanted to see more of the inn than just their room, however nicely appointed it was. Usually when the family had travelled they had stayed with relatives; an inn was a novelty to him. But of course his father was not up to that. He could see that Bungo was very tired. However, all of them were considerably revived when the maidservant tapped on the door, and then wheeled in a trolley laden with covered dishes and plates and cups and a steaming teapot. There was a little table in the room with four chairs, and the maidservant began to lay the table. Jack made a feeble protest about eating with them, but Bilbo's mother just waved that aside.  "Of course you will eat with us, Jackdaw! I promised your parents to take good care of you on this journey!" she said firmly. So they all sat down to a nice supper of leek soup, a pot roast with mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, parsnips and onions, bread, cheese, butter and honey, and a plate of strawberry tarts. The fare went a long way towards erasing Bilbo's disappointment about exploring the inn! After the meal, Jack and Bilbo went out—Jack to check the ponies and make sure the coach would be all right for the next day's travel, and Bilbo to give his parents some privacy for their baths. He went to the stables with Jack, and then they strolled up the road a short distance before turning back. The water was warm, but not hot, by the time Bilbo got his own bath, and it was no more than lukewarm by the time Jack got to it. But Bilbo thought if felt good to be clean of the dust of travel, and while the truckle bed was not so comfortable as his own bed at home, he soon was sleeping soundly. xxxxx *The first riddle, is of course, found in The Hobbit, Chapter V, "Riddles in the Dark", but the others are well-known traditional riddles, slightly altered to be more hobbity.