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Eleventy-one Years: Too Short a Time   by Dreamflower

Chapter 41: A Day in the Life

4 Halimath, S.R. 1332

Bilbo looked up as his mother entered the kitchen. He was nearly finished cooking first breakfast: porridge with dried fruit and honey, toast, and a plate of sliced peaches from the hothouse at the Great Smials. There was, of course, tea. Bilbo poured his mother a cup, refilled his own, and set the food out.

Belladonna spied a stack of letters on the corner of the table. "The post came early today, I see!"

"Yes, he was earlier than usual. We've the both of us letters from Buckland; I've one from Rory and you've one from Aunt Mirabella. I wonder what the Brandybucks have been up to?"

His mother chuckled. "There is no telling with them! But we shall find out soon enough."

They finished eating in an appreciative silence, and then Bilbo rose and collected the dishes. He took the kettle of hot water from the hob to fill the dishpan, and pumped in a bit of cool water to temper it. He recalled how proud his father had been of having a pump in the kitchen! It was quite handy. Belladonna had reached for her sister's letter and begun to read it.

"Good heavens!" she exclaimed.

"Is it bad news?" Bilbo asked with concern.

"To the contrary, although it is most unexpected! Rory and Menegilda have become betrothed!"

"But they are three years short of coming-of-age!" Bilbo exclaimed. "That's most unusual."

"Apparently they managed to convince their fathers it was for the best. But come, see what young Rory has to say in his letter to you!"

Bilbo sat down and picked up the letter, broke the seal and opened it. His eyes scanned his cousin's clear round hand. "Aha!" he laughed. "So that's it!" He passed it over to his mother to read:

"29 Wedmath, S.R. 1332
Brandy Hall
Buckland

Dear Bilbo,

I'm sure my mum's writing to your mum, but I wanted to let you know myself. Gilda and I are officially betrothed!

It's been dreadfully tiresome with her off in Overhill and me here in Buckland. We only ever get to see one another when our fathers get together on business. Letters are not the same thing at all!

You know I gave her yellow ribbons on my last birthday, and she gave me the family receipt for her grandmother's famous fig preserves cake.* That should be enough to let anyone know we are serious. Even so, she's had at least two other lads over there who keep sniffing round her, and though she's told both them over and over she's already spoken for, they don't seem to believe it and are being horrible pests.

I know it's not normally considered proper to announce a betrothal this soon. It's still three years till I'm of age, and nearly four till she is. But this way the world will have to believe us, that our intentions won't be changed. I just wish we could go ahead and get married now!

Anyway, I just wanted you to know!

I have to tell you about this. I nearly laughed myself sick the other day. Prim's taken to togging herself up in Dinny's outgrown breeches, as they don't hamper her fun the way skirts do. Well, when Chop's daughter Primrose came to visit (Primmie and Primmie! They've decided they are best friends!) she garbed her up in another pair. Off they go to get into mischief together. So, Primrose decided to teach Primula to climb a tree. Our Prim got up to the second limb and decided she didn't like it up there. She decided to leap down and her braces caught on the limb, and there she hung, head down, swinging in the wind! Saradas rescued her, for Primrose wasn't strong enough. Trees don't bother him; he's very Tookish that way. It's good fortune she wasn't wearing a frock, because her petticoats would have been down around her ears. Amaranth scolded her thoroughly, but Mum just thought it was funny! I'll wager Aunt Belladonna's laughing right now if you are letting her read this! (Hullo, Aunt Bella! Was I right?)" Belladonna's snort of laughter let Bilbo know right where his mother was in her reading.

"Cheeky young Brandybuck," she chuckled.

"Well, I hope everyone at Bag End is well! I'll see you on your birthday!

Love,
Your cousin,

Rory"

Bilbo stood up and kissed his mother on the forehead. "Don't try to do too much, Mama. Mrs. Button will be in to do the cleaning and take the laundry down to the Rumbles. I will see you at second breakfast. I need to finish those lesson plans."

"I'll be fine. Dora is coming to practice her crochet today." Dora no longer took lessons from Bilbo; she thought that she'd learned all that a proper young hobbitess needed to know, at least that Bilbo could teach her. But she still came up with her brothers sometimes and kept Belladonna company and learned various sorts of needlework.

Bilbo usually spent the time between first and second breakfast working on lesson plans. Except for Dudo, his pupils now were all nearly out of their tweens, and as they neared the end of their schooling it was becoming a challenge to hold their interest and to make certain that what he taught them would be useful in their chosen path in life. He had the feeling that Drogo would come to him right up to his majority; Drogo had that scholastic bent that both Bilbo and his father had. Bilbo had every intention that Drogo would one day follow him as the Baggins family tutor. Then there was Uncle Rudigar's nephew Adalbert, who already had professed interest in becoming a tutor for the Bolgers, and most of Bilbo's lessons for him consisted of teaching him to teach. Cousin Posco, who would turn thirty on his next birthday, had hopes of apprenticing to a lawyer. But he'd been told he needed to learn more history before old Jago Boffin would accept him. Posco's sister Prisca was only twenty-six, but Bilbo doubted she'd come to him much longer. Her interest was already on the lads.

He finished the plans, and even had time to begin a reply to Rory's letter when a tap on the door let him know his mother had second breakfast ready. When she cracked the door to tell him so, he could smell the aroma of eggs, bacon, scones and fried potatoes with mushrooms wafting through. As they were eating, Mrs. Button arrived at the back door and joined them for a cup of tea and a scone, and then she did the washing up. Dora and Dudo had arrived; Drogo would come later in the day, at the same time Adelbert Bolger would be there. Posco and Prisca did not come until the next day.

Dora, with her needlework basket, joined Belladonna in the parlour, while Bilbo and Dudo went to the study. It was Dudo's day for botany, but he also had been given some sums to do for homework, which Bilbo wished to go over before they began to start on the herb-lore.

"May I see your sums, Dudo?"

The youngster shook his head. "I didn't get them done, Cousin Bilbo. I had a terrible headache last night."

Bilbo did not dispute the excuse. Dudo had always been frail and prone to illness since infancy (being born during the worst of the Fell Winter when his mother was so ill herself, it was no wonder), but it often seemed to him that the child appreciated a ready excuse and that he enjoyed the attention he received when he was sick. Still, all he said was, "Well, it can't be helped; you will need to do them now, before we go on to your plant studies."

Clearly Dudo had not expected this response. He sighed heavily as he sat down at the student's table and took out the paper with his assigned arithmetic.

His pupils joined Bilbo, his mother and Mrs. Button for elevenses, a simple meal of tea, bread and cheese, pickles and fruit. Then they left, and Bilbo was free until after luncheon. When the weather was fine, as it was today, he would often go for a walk before lunch, which was what he planned today. But he got no further than the bench by the front gate; he spotted his friend and cousin Tolo Goodbody, who was strolling along the road.

Tolo waved, and the two sat on the bench. They both brought out pipes and blew a few smoke-rings. Bilbo asked after his wife Columbine and his sons Taro and Togo, who were as yet too young for a tutor, although the lads would probably be coming to him in a few more years. The time passed pleasantly enough, and when Bilbo realized it was near lunchtime, he invited Tolo to join them.

"Ah, no!" he said, "My wife promised me mushroom pie for lunch, and as that's my favourite meal I can scarcely disappoint her!"

Bilbo felt a twinge of envy; he was more than tolerably fond of mushroom pie himself. But the two said farewell at the gate, and Bilbo went back up to Bag End to see what his mother and Mrs. Button had made. He laughed when he opened the door and sniffed the aroma of mushrooms!

After luncheon, Belladonna went to her room to lie down for a while. She had put a seedcake in the oven before luncheon for their tea later on, and Bilbo took it out when it was ready-just before his pupils arrived.

Drogo and Adalbert had come together, as they often did. Adelbert had to pass right by Greenbriars on the way. Bilbo set Drogo to working on his essay on the settling of the Northfarthing, and gave Adelbert some of Dudo's work to mark; since he knew he wanted to teach, it was good practice. The time passed quietly and quickly. Both his students were true scholars and needed little interference from him, though he was there if they needed him.

After they left, Bilbo went to check on his mother. Belladonna was still sleeping, and Bilbo's heart gave a clench as he saw how frail she looked; her once dark chestnut hair was as white and wispy as a cloud now. He shook off his mood and left her to her rest and went to prepare tea. He put the kettle on, sliced the seedcake and made some cucumber sandwiches, and took the tray into the parlour. It was growing cooler, so he laid a fire in the hearth.

His mother soon joined him, and they had a pleasant tea, and then sat companionably, Belladonna reading a book and Bilbo writing letters, including finishing his reply to Rory. As the fire began to die down, Bilbo said "I suppose that it's time for supper, Mama."

She smiled, and put down her book, and they went to the kitchen. A pot of lentil soup had been simmering on the back of the hob, and toasted bread and cheese made a light supper. Afterwards, Belladonna gave Bilbo a kiss on the forehead and bid him good-night.

Bilbo made some dough to put bread on to rise for baking in the morning, did the washing up. Then he went outside for a pipe, a sniff of air, and a late evening stroll around the garden. Above the stars glittered against the purple night, and the Moon was just peeking his face above the far off woods to the east. Down in the village, lights glowed yellow in the round windows, and the smoke of the chimney pots were sprinkled with sparkling red embers. Bilbo stood at his gate for a few minutes, gazing down on the Water, where the Moon's reflection shone back. The Shire, Hobbiton, the Hill, Bag End...this was where he was meant to be, where he would be content to spend the rest of his life. He drew in a deep breath, knocked the ashes from his pipe, stowed it in his pocket, and went back inside, closing the round green door behind him.

Tomorrow would be another good day.    





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