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A Matter of Appearances by Lindelea	6 Review(s)
Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 8/15/2006
Glad Bell can read, at least; and now the message is at last passed on. And the poor children.... Author Reply: Yes, things might have gone quite differently if neither Bell nor her husband could read! Yikes!

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 8/8/2006
Good thing Bell found that message when she did! And Hilly will get that message back to the Smials as quickly as anyone can. And the poor kids. Of course, having Ferdi in the family must always have offered the prospect of disaster - since he is so good at ending up in trouble - but what a terrible night for them all. Author Reply: Huh, missed replying to this earlier, and wouldn't want you to get the impression that I take reviews for granted. Hilly loves fast ponies... and he won't be "sparing the horses" on his way back to the Smials, knowing what he knows about ruffians and kidnapping, thanks to Pippin's briefings ahead of time. Perhaps Ferdi's family need some sort of Ferdi-insurance. Or perhaps Nell just needs to tie the hobbit to a chair. Keep him at home. That sort of thing.

Pearl Took	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 8/7/2006
Whew! A nice bit of respite from the ciff hangers of doom ;-) Very exciting and energetic. I love the scene in Percy and Bell's hole; her insisting on tinking about tea, everyone getting roused, Hilly thinking he didn't really have time to be standing about. Bell thinking of tea is particularly well done, a fairly normal reaction to a great upset is for our brain to seek something normal and everyday on which to focus. Thank you for the bit of a breather :) Well done!!! Author Reply: You're welcome. It might get a little grisly in the near future. Editor-friend wanted to go for maximum angst, setting things up so that the reader was left in a state of uncertainty (she's a glutton for punishment) even though one who'd read later stories would know what the outcome had to be. However, I deem it too much torture for those unfamiliar with the later stories, who might be horrified at what they read. It would be very easy to write the next part as horror, but I can't bring myself to it. So EF doesn't quite get her birthday wish. I told her to go and read Stephen King, if she really wants to screw her insides up in knots. So you get a story that's a bit milder than it might have been, though still horrific in its implications. (How I despise those who prey on innocents, those who are smaller and weaker and often unable to defend themselves, at least physically.) /soapbox In short, you're welcome! (And if any horror fans happen to read reviews, I extend my apologies for any disappointment. Perhaps you might employ your imagination, for in the draft the next few chapters were much more graphic and, honestly, disturbing.)

demeter d	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 8/7/2006
Another late night at work. But this is nice to come home to. poor Bell! it is a good thing she is observant. With only an hour's head start, perhaps things might go differently than the ruffians would want. But will the Tooks fall for the intended deception? Poor Nell. All of her children are waking up to find how their Father came home. I hope that Tolly and his wife can stay as long as they are needed. Thinking good thoughts! Author Reply: O those late nights. I actually had an early night last night and don't know quite what to do with myself this morning. (Actually, I slept in until 6:30. Probably needed the full night's sleep. It keeps me from being grumpy as the little hobbits cluster around, imitating all sorts of bird and animal sounds, until it sounds like a combination barnyard and forest here in the computer corner. Tolly is a sort of "best man" in this ritual, so he's slated to stay at Ferdi's side right up to the burial. I figured there'd have to be such a thing. Don't know what they'd call it now. Head pallbearer? Honorary pallbearer? Except that his role is much more than just bearing the body to the grave. And Meadowsweet is Pimpernel's closest friend, especially after the events in "Runaway" bound them even closer together, so she'll be there as well, to fill any needs that she can.

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 8/7/2006
Well I went to bed and now am a little more coherent. (Well, I wish anyway!) It was nice to get a number of chapters at one sitting last night. And wonderful to get an equal number replies this morning! It is good to be back but I enjoyed the Summer School. I love this phrase.... 'for letters and me, we have only a passing acquaintance.’ g I have just remembered that you have posted a character deather warning on the front of this story so now you are getting me worried about Ferdi. I still have faith that the muse won't be so cruel to his poor family, not to mention all the virtual 'honourary hobbits' out here. Author Reply: I figure Percy just might, with a great deal of concentration, be able to scratch his own name. He can weave beautiful patterns, he has all sorts of oral knowledge, but he never had a need to write or read in his life, and when he married Bell, she was there to do any needed spelling out. You know, the character death warning could apply to Ferdi, seeing as he is at the moment "dead" for all practical purposes, and in very real danger of being buried at dawn, and all the talk of preparation of the dead might be upsetting to more sensitive readers. But yes, there is a death hanging over the draft of the story, one that I'm a little ambivalent about, yet I can't say more as I'm not one to give away plot points unnecessarily.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 8/6/2006
eeps! But less than an hour since the note was left...the Ruffians are going to find some angry Tooks on their tails sooner than they expect! You are certainly dragging the reader-torture out with the angst and anticipation this time, O Mistress of Cliffies! Author Reply: Guilty as charged. But I do hope it makes for diverting reading. I'd write longer chapters if I had more uninterrupted writing time... but I post what I type out, often these days, as soon as it's typed out, if I can get to a stopping place before being interrupted, for it's a "back up" of sorts. I always get these fits of caution after the latest computer woes. And posting bits helps me buy time to untangle the timeline. I'm afraid if I just let it sit while I pondered, I'd lose interest in the story and leave it to stew. I have such a short attention span... So hope the reader-torture is not too too awful. Thanks for bearing with me!

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