Lord of the rings - J.R.R Tolkien

?~How bright your garden looks!?T said Gandalf.
?~Yes,?T said Bilbo. I am very fond indeed of it, and of all the dear old Shire; but I think I need a holiday.?T
?~You mean to go on with your plan then??T
?~I do. I made up my mind months ago, and I haven?Tt changed it.?T
?~Very well. It is no good saying any more. Stick to your plan - your whole plan, mind - and I hope it will turn out for the best, for you, and for all of us.?T
?~I hope so. Anyway I mean to enjoy myself on Thursday, and have my little joke.?T
?~Who will laugh, I wonder??T said Gandalf, shaking his head.
?~We shall see,?T said Bilbo.
The next day more carts rolled up the Hill, and still more carts. There might have been some grumbling about ?~dealing locally?T, but that very week orders began to pour out of Bag End for every kind of provision, commo***y, or luxury that could be obtained in Hobbiton or Bywater or anywhere in the neighbourhood. People became enthusiastic; and they began to tick off the days on the calendar; and they watched eagerly for the postman, hoping for invitations.
Before long the invitations began pouring out, and the Hobbiton post-office was blocked, and the Bywater post-office was snowed under, and voluntary assistant postmen were called for. There was a constant stream of them going up the Hill, carrying hundreds of polite variations on Thank you, I shall certainly come.
A notice appeared on the gate at Bag End: NO ADMITTANCE EXCEPT ON PARTY BUSINESS. Even those who had, or pretended to have Party Business were seldom allowed inside. Bilbo was busy: writing invitations, ticking off answers, packing up presents, and making some private preparations of his own. From the time of Gandalf?Ts arrival he remained hidden from view.
One morning the hobbits woke to find the large field, south of Bilbô?Ts front door, covered with ropes and poles for tents and pavilions. A special entrance was cut into the bank leading to the road, and wide steps and a large white gate were built there. The three hobbit-families of Bagshot Row, adjoining the field, were intensely interested and generally envied. Old Gaffer Gamgee stopped even pretending to work in his garden.
The tents began to go up. There was a specially large pavilion, so big that the tree that grew in the field was right inside it, and stood proudly near one end, at the head of the chief table. Lanterns were hung on all its branches. More promising still (to the hobbits?T mind): an enormous open-air kitchen was erected in the north corner of the field. A draught of cooks, from every inn and eating-house for miles around, arrived *****pplement the dwarves and other odd folk that were quartered at Bag End. Excitement rose to its height.
Then the weather clouded over. That was on Wednesday the eve of the Party. Anxiety was intense. Then Thursday, September the 22nd, actually dawned. The sun got up, the clouds vanished, flags were unfurled and the fun began.
Bilbo Baggins called it a party, but it was really a variety of entertainments rolled into one. Practically everybody living near was invited. A very few were overlooked by accident, but as they turned up all the same, that did not matter. Many people from other parts of the Shire were also asked; and there were even a few from outside the borders. Bilbo met the guests (and ad***ions) at the new white gate in person. He gave away presents to all and sundry - the latter were those who went out again by a back way and came in again by the gate. Hobbits give presents to other people on their own birthdays. Not very expensive ones, as a rule, and not so lavishly as on this occasion; but it was not a bad system. Actually in Hobbiton and Bywater every day in the year it was somebody?Ts birthday, so that every hobbit in those parts had a fair chance of at least one present at least once a week. But they never got tired of them.
On this occasion the presents were unusually good. The hobbit-children were so excited that for a while they almost forgot about eating. There were toys the like of which they had never seen before, all beautiful and some obviously magical. Many of them had indeed been ordered a year before, and had come all the way from the Mountain and from Dale, and were of real dwarf-make.
When every guest had been welcomed and was finally inside the gate, there were songs, dances, music, games, and, of course, food and drink. There were three official meals: lunch, tea, and dinner (or supper). But lunch and tea were marked chiefly by the fact that at those times all the guests were sitting down and eating together. At other times there were merely lots of people eating and drinking - continuously from elevenses until six-thirty, when the fireworks started.
The fireworks were by Gandalf: they were not only brought by him, but designed and made by him; and the special effects, set pieces, and flights of rockets were let off by him. But there was also a generous distribution of squibs, crackers, backarappers, sparklers, torches, dwarf-candles, elf-fountains, goblin-barkers and thunder-claps. They were all superb. The art of Gandalf improved with age.
There were rockets like a flight of scintillating birds singing with sweet voices. There were green trees with trunks of dark smoke: their leaves opened like a whole spring unfolding in a moment, and their shining branches dropped glowing flowers down upon the astonished hobbits, disappearing with a sweet scent just before they touched their upturned faces. There were fountains of butterflies that flew glittering into the trees; there were pillars of coloured fires that rose and turned into eagles, or sailing ships, or a phalanx of flying swans; there was a red thunderstorm and a shower of yellow rain; there was a forest of silver spears that sprang suddenly into the air with a yell like an embattled army, and came down again into the Water with a hiss like a hundred hot snakes. And there was also one last surprise, in honour of Bilbo, and it startled the hobbits exceedingly, as Gandalf intended. The lights went out. A great smoke went up. It shaped itself like a mountain seen in the distance, and began to glow at the summit. It spouted green and scarlet flames. Out flew a red-golden dragon - not life-size, but terribly life-like: fire came from his jaws, his eyes glared down; there was a roar, and he whizzed three times over the heads of the crowd. They all ducked, and many fell flat on their faces. The dragon passed like an express train, turned a somersault, and burst over Bywater with a deafening explosion.

TO BE A ROCK AND NOT TO ROLL​

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?~That is the signal for supper!?T said Bilbo. The pain and alarm vanished at once, and the prostrate hobbits leaped to their feet. There was a splendid supper for everyone; for everyone, that is, except those invited to the special family dinner-party. This was held in the great pavilion with the tree. The invitations were limited to twelve dozen (a number also called by the hobbits one Gross, though the word was not considered proper to use of people); and the guests were selected from all the families to which Bilbo and Frodo were related, with the ad***ion of a few special unrelated friends (such as Gandalf). Many young hobbits were included, and present by parental permission; for hobbits were easy-going with their children in the matter of sitting up late, especially when there was a chance of getting them a free meal. Bringing up young hobbits took a lot of provender.
There were many Bagginses and Boffins, and also many Tooks and Brandybucks; there were various Grubbs (relations of Bilbo Baggins?T grandmother), and various Chubbs (connexions of his Took grandfather); and a selection of Burrowses, Bolgers, Bracegirdles, Brockhouses, Goodbodies, Hornblowers and Proudfoots. Some of these were only very distantly connected with Bilbo, and some of them had hardly ever been in Hobbiton before, as they lived in remote corners of the Shire. The Sackville-Bagginses were not forgotten. Otho and his wife Lobelia were present. They disliked Bilbo and detested Frodo, but so magnificent was the invitation card, written in golden ink, that they had felt it was impossible to refuse. Besides, their cousin, Bilbo, had been specializing in food for many years and his table had a high reputation.
All the one hundred and forty-four guests expected a pleasant feast; though they rather dreaded the after-dinner speech of their host (an inevitable item). He was liable to drag in bits of what he called poetry; and sometimes, after a glass or two, would allude to the absurd adventures of his mysterious journey. The guests were not disappointed: they had a very pleasant feast, in fact an engrossing entertainment: rich, abundant, varied, and prolonged. The purchase of provisions fell almost to nothing throughout the district in the ensuing weeks; but as Bilbô?Ts catering had depleted the stocks of most stores, cellars and warehouses for miles around, that did not matter much.
After the feast (more or less) came the Speech. Most of the company were, however, now in a tolerant mood, at that delightful stage which they called ?~filling up the corners?T. They were sipping their favourite drinks, and nibbling at their favourite dainties, and their fears were forgotten. They were prepared to listen to anything, and to cheer at every full stop.
My dear People, began Bilbo, rising in his place. ?~Hear! Hear! Hear!?T they shouted, and kept on repeating it in chorus, seeming reluctant to follow their own advice. Bilbo left his place and went and stood on a chair under the illuminated tree. The light of the lanterns fell on his beaming face; the golden buttons shone on his embroidered silk waistcoat. They could all see him standing, waving one hand in the air, the other was in his trouser-pocket.
My dear Bagginses and Boffins, he began again; and my dear Tooks and Brandybucks, and Grubbs, and Chubbs, and Burrowses, and Hornblowers, and Bolgers, Bracegirdles, Goodbodies, Brockhouses and Proudfoots. ?~ProudFEET!?T shouted an elderly hobbit from the back of the pavilion. His name, of course, was Proudfoot, and well merited; his feet were large, exceptionally furry, and both were on the table.
Proudfoots, repeated Bilbo. Also my good Sackville-Bagginses that I welcome back at last to Bag End. Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday: I am eleventy-one today! ?~Hurray! Hurray! Many Happy Returns!?T they shouted, and they hammered joyously on the tables. Bilbo was doing splendidly. This was the sort of stuff they liked: short and obvious.
/ hope you are all enjoying yourselves as much as I am. Deafening cheers. Cries of Yes (and No). Noises of trumpets and horns, pipes and flutes, and other musical instruments. There were, as has been said, many young hobbits present. Hundreds of musical crackers had been pulled. Most of them bore the mark DALE on them; which did not convey much to most of the hobbits, but they all agreed they were marvellous crackers. They contained instruments, small, but of perfect make and enchanting tones. Indeed, in one corner some of the young Tooks and Brandybucks, supposing Uncle Bilbo to have finished (since he had plainly said all that was necessary), now got up an impromptu orchestra, and began a merry dance-tune. Master Everard Took and Miss Melilot Brandybuck got on a table and with bells in their hands began to dance the Springle-ring: a pretty dance, but rather vigorous.
But Bilbo had not finished. Seizing a horn from a youngster near by, he blew three loud hoots. The noise subsided. / shall not keep you long, he cried. Cheers from all the assembly. / have called you all together for a Purpose. Something in the way that he said this made an impression. There was almost silence, and one or two of the Tooks pricked up their ears.
Indeed, for Three Purposes! First of all, to tell you that I am immensely fond of you all, and that eleventy-one years is too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits. Tremendous outburst of approval.
/ don?Tt know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve. This was unexpected and rather difficult. There was some scattered clapping, but most of them were trying to work it out and see if it came to a compliment.
Secondly, to celebrate my birthday. Cheers again. / should say: OUR birthday. For it is, of course, also the birthday of my heir and nephew, Frodo. He comes of age and into his inheritance today. Some perfunctory clapping by the elders; and some loud shouts of ?~Frodo! Frodo! Jolly old Frodo,?T from the juniors. The Sackville-Bagginses scowled, and wondered what was meant by ?~coming into his inheritancê?T. Together we score one hundred and forty-four. Your numbers were chosen to fit this remarkable total: One Gross, if I may use the expression. No cheers. This was ridiculous. Many of his guests, and especially the Sackville-Bagginses, were insulted, feeling sure they had only been asked to fill up the required number, like goods in a package. ?~One Gross, indeed! Vulgar expression.?T

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It is also, if I may be allowed to refer to ancient history, the anniversary of my arrival by barrel at Esgaroth on the Long Lake; though the fact that it was my birthday slipped my memory on that occasion. I was only fifty-one then, and birthdays did not seem so important. The banquet was very splendid, however, though I had a bad cold at the time, I remember, and could only say ?~thag you very buch?T. I now repeat it more correctly: Thank you very much for coming to my little party. Obstinate silence. They all feared that a song or some poetry was now imminent; and they were getting bored. Why couldn?Tt he stop talking and let them drink his health? But Bilbo did not sing or recite. He paused for a moment.
Thirdly and finally, he said, I wish to make an ANNOUNCEMENT. He spoke this last word so loudly and suddenly that everyone sat up who still could. I regret to announce that - though, as I said, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to spend among you - this is the END. I am going. I am leaving NOW. GOOD-BYE!
He stepped down and vanished. There was a blinding flash of light, and the guests all blinked. When they opened their eyes Bilbo was nowhere to be seen. One hundred and forty-four flabbergasted hobbits sat back speechless. Old Odo Proudfoot removed his feet from the table and stamped. Then there was a dead silence, until suddenly, after several deep breaths, every Baggins, Boffin, Took, Brandybuck, Grubb, Chubb, Burrows, Bolger, Bracegirdle, Brockhouse, Goodbody, Hornblower, and Proudfoot began to talk at once.
It was generally agreed that the joke was in very bad taste, and more food and drink were needed to cure the guests of shock and annoyance. ?~Hê?Ts mad. I always said so,?T was probably the most popular comment. Even the Tooks (with a few exceptions) thought Bilbô?Ts behaviour was absurd. For the moment most of them took it for granted that his disappearance was nothing more than a ridiculous prank.
But old Rory Brandybuck was not so sure. Neither age nor an enormous dinner had clouded his wits, and he said to his daughter-in-law, Esmeralda: ?~Therê?Ts something fishy in this, my dear! I believe that mad Baggins is off again. Silly old fool. But why worry? He hasn?Tt taken the vittles with him.?T He called loudly to Frodo to send the wine round again.
Frodo was the only one present who had said nothing. For some time he had sat silent beside Bilbô?Ts empty chair, and ignored all remarks and questions. He had enjoyed the joke, of course, even though he had been in the know. He had difficulty in keeping from laughter at the indignant surprise of the guests. But at the same time he felt deeply troubled: he realized suddenly that he loved the old hobbit dearly. Most of the guests went on eating and drinking and discussing Bilbo Baggins?T od***ies, past and present; but the Sackville-Bagginses had already departed in wrath. Frodo did not want to have any more to do with the party. He gave orders for more wine to be served; then he got up and drained his own glass silently to the health of Bilbo, and slipped out of the pavilion.
As for Bilbo Baggins, even while he was making his speech, he had been fingering the golden ring in his pocket: his magic ring that he had kept secret for so many years. As he stepped down he slipped it on his finger, and he was never seen by any hobbit in Hobbiton again.
He walked briskly back to his hole, and stood for a moment listening with a smile to the din in the pavilion and to the sounds of merrymaking in other parts of the field. Then he went in. He took off his party clothes, folded up and wrapped in tissue-paper his embroidered silk waistcoat, and put it away. Then he put on quickly some old untidy garments, and fastened round his waist a worn leather belt. On it he hung a short sword in a battered black-leather scabbard. From a locked drawer, smelling of moth-balls, he took out an old cloak and hood. They had been locked up as if they were very precious, but they were so patched and weatherstained that their original colour could hardly be guessed: it might have been dark green. They were rather too large for him. He then went into his study, and from a large strong-box took out a bundle wrapped in old cloths, and a leather-bound manuscript; and also a large bulky envelope. The book and bundle he stuffed into the top of a heavy bag that was standing there, already nearly full. Into the envelope he slipped his golden ring, and its fine chain, and then sealed it, and addressed it to Frodo. At first he put it on the mantelpiece, but suddenly he removed it and stuck it in his pocket. At that moment the door opened and Gandalf came quickly in.
?~Hullo!?T said Bilbo. ''I wondered if you would turn up.?T
''I am glad to find you visible,?T replied the wizard, sitting down in a chair, ''I wanted to catch you and have a few final words. I suppose you feel that everything has gone off splendidly and according to plan??T
?~Yes, I do,?T said Bilbo. "Though that flash was surprising: it quite startled me, let alone the others. A little ad***ion of your own, I suppose??T
It was. You have wisely kept that ring secret all these years, and it seemed to me necessary to give your guests something else that would seem to explain your sudden vanishment.?T
?~And would spoil my joke. You are an interfering old busybody,?T laughed Bilbo, ?~but I expect you know best, as usual.?T
?~I do - when I know anything. But I don?Tt feel too sure about this whole affair. It has now come to the final point. You have had your joke, and alarmed or offended most of your relations, and given the whole Shire something to talk about for nine days, or ninety-nine more likely. Are you going any further??T
?~Yes, I am. I feel I need a holiday, a very long holiday, as I have told you before. Probably a permanent holiday: I don?Tt expect I shall return. In fact, I don?Tt mean to, and I have made all arrangements.
''I am old, Gandalf. I don?Tt look it, but I am beginning to feel it in my heart of hearts. Well-preserved indeed!?T he snorted. ?~Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. That can?Tt be right. I need a change, or something.?T
Gandalf looked curiously and closely at him. ?~No, it does not seem right,?T he said thoughtfully. ?~No, after all I believe your plan is probably the best.?T
?~Well, I?Tve made up my mind, anyway. I want to see mountains again, Gandalf, mountains, and then find somewhere where I can rest. In peace and quiet, without a lot of relatives prying around, and a string of confounded visitors hanging on the bell. I might find somewhere where I can finish my book. I have thought of a nice ending for it: and he lived happily ever after to the end of his days. ?~
Gandalf laughed. I hope he will. But nobody will read the book, however it ends.?T
?~Oh, they may, in years to come. Frodo has read some already, as far as it has gone. You?Tll keep an eye on Frodo, won?Tt you??T
?~Yes, I will - two eyes, as often as I can spare them.?T

TO BE A ROCK AND NOT TO ROLL​

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â?~He would come with me, of course, if I asked him. In fact he offered to once, just before the party. But he does not really want to, yet. I want to see the wild country again before I die, and the Mountains; but he is still in love with the Shire, with woods and fields and little rivers. He ought to be comfortable here. I am leaving everything to him, of course, except a few oddments. I hope he will be happy, when he gets used to being on his own. Itâ?Ts time he was his own master now.â?T
â?~Everything?â?T said Gandalf. â?~The ring as well? You agreed to that, you remember.â?T
â?~Well, er, yes, I suppose so,â?T stammered Bilbo.
â?~Where is it?â?T
â?~In an envelope, if you must know,â?T said Bilbo impatiently. â?~There on the mantelpiece. Well, no! Here it is in my pocket!â?T He hesitated. â?~Isnâ?Tt that odd now?â?T he said softly to himself. â?~Yet after all, why not? Why shouldnâ?Tt it stay there?â?T
Gandalf looked again very hard at Bilbo, and there was a gleam in his eyes. â?~I think, Bilbo,â?T he said quietly, â?~I should leave it behind. Donâ?Tt you want to?â?T
â?~Well yes - and no. Now it comes to it, I donâ?Tt like parting with it at all, I may say. And I donâ?Tt really see why I should. Why do you want me to?â?T he asked, and a curious change came over his voice. It was sharp with suspicion and annoyance. â?~You are always badgering me about my ring; but you have never bothered me about the other things that I got on my journey.â?T
â?~No, but I had to badger you,â?T said Gandalf. â?~I wanted the truth. It was important. Magic rings are - well, magical; and they are rare and curious. I was professionally interested in your ring, you may say; and I still am. I should like to know where it is, if you go wandering again. Also I think you have had it quite long enough. You wonâ?Tt need it any more. Bilbo, unless I am quite mistaken.â?T
Bilbo flushed, and there was an angry light in his eyes. His kindly face grew hard. â?~Why not?â?T he cried. â?~And what business is it of yours, anyway, to know what I do with my own things? It is my own. I found it. It came to me.â?T
â?~Yes, yes,â?T said Gandalf. â?~But there is no need to get angry.â?T
â?~If I am it is your fault,â?T said Bilbo. â?~It is mine, I tell you. My own. My precious. Yes, my precious.â?T
The wizardâ?Ts face remained grave and attentive, and only a flicker in his deep eyes showed that he was startled and indeed alarmed. â?~It has been called that before,â?T he said, â?~but not by you.â?T
â?~But I say it now. And why not? Even if Gollum said the same once. Itâ?Ts not his now, but mine. And I shall keep it, I say.â?T
Gandalf stood up. He spoke sternly. â?~You will be a fool if you do. Bilbo,â?T he said. â?~You make that clearer with every word you say. It has got far too much hold on you. Let it go! And then you can go yourself, and be free.â?T
â?~Iâ?Tll do as I choose and go as I please,â?T said Bilbo obstinately.
â?~Now, now, my dear hobbit! â?~ said Gandalf. â?~All your long life we have been friends, and you owe me something. Come! Do as you promised: give it up! â?~
â?~Well, if you want my ring yourself, say so!â?T cried Bilbo. â?~But you wonâ?Tt get it. I wonâ?Tt give my precious away, I tell you.â?T His hand strayed to the hilt of his small sword.
Gandalfâ?Ts eyes flashed. ''It will be my turn to get angry soon,â?T he said. ''If you say that again, I shall. Then you will see Gandalf the Grey uncloaked.â?T He took a step towards the hobbit, and he seemed to grow tall and menacing; his shadow filled the little room.
Bilbo backed away to the wall, breathing hard, his hand clutching at his pocket. They stood for a while facing one another, and the air of the room tingled. Gandalfâ?Ts eyes remained bent on the hobbit. Slowly his hands relaxed, and he began to tremble.
â?~I donâ?Tt know what has come over you, Gandalf,â?T he said. â?~You have never been like this before. What is it all about? It is mine isnâ?Tt it? I found it, and Gollum would have killed me, if I hadnâ?Tt kept it. Iâ?Tm not a thief, whatever he said.â?T
â?~I have never called you one,â?T Gandalf answered. â?~And I am not one either. I am not trying to rob you, but to help you. I wish you would trust me, as you used.â?T He turned away, and the shadow passed. He seemed to dwindle again to an old grey man, bent and troubled.
Bilbo drew his hand over his eyes. I am sorry,â?T he said. â?~But I felt so queer. And yet it would be a relief in a way not to be bothered with it any more. It has been so growing on my mind lately. Sometimes I have felt it was like an eye looking at me. And I am always wanting to put it on and disappear, donâ?Tt you know; or wondering if it is safe, and pulling it out to make sure. I tried locking it up, but I found I couldnâ?Tt rest without it in my pocket. I donâ?Tt know why. And I donâ?Tt seem able to make up my mind.â?T
â?~Then trust mine,â?T said Gandalf. â?~It is quite made up. Go away and leave it behind. Stop possessing it. Give it to Frodo, and I will look after him.â?T
Bilbo stood for a moment tense and undecided. Presently he sighed. â?~All right,â?T he said with an effort. I will.â?T Then he shrugged his shoulders, and smiled rather ruefully. â?~After all thatâ?Ts what this party business was all about, really: to give away lots of birthday presents, and somehow make it easier to give it away at the same time. It hasnâ?Tt made it any easier in the end, but it would be a pity to waste all my preparations. It would quite spoil the joke.â?T
â?~Indeed it would take away the only point I ever saw in the affair,â?T said Gandalf.

TO BE A ROCK AND NOT TO ROLL​

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?~Very well,?T said Bilbo, ?~it goes to Frodo with all the rest.?T He drew a deep breath. ?~And now I really must be starting, or somebody else will catch me. I have said good-bye, and I couldn?Tt bear to do it all over again.?T He picked up his bag and moved to the door.
?~You have still got the ring in your pocket,?T said the wizard. ?~Well, so I have!?T cried Bilbo. ?~And my will and all the other documents too. You had better take it and deliver it for me. That will be safest.?T
?~No, don?Tt give the ring to me,?T said Gandalf. ?~Put it on the mantelpiece. It will be safe enough there, till Frodo comes. I shall wait for him.?T
Bilbo took out the envelope, but just as he was about to set it by the clock, his hand jerked back, and the packet fell on the floor. Before he could pick it up, the wizard stooped and seized it and set it in its place. A spasm of anger passed swiftly over the hobbit?Ts face again. Suddenly it gave way to a look of relief and a laugh. ?~Well, that?Ts that,?T he said. ?~Now I?Tm off!?T
They went out into the hall. Bilbo chose his favourite stick from the stand; then he whistled. Three dwarves came out of different rooms where they had been busy.
?~Is everything ready??T asked Bilbo. ?~Everything packed and labelled??T
?~Everything,?T they answered.
?~Well, let?Ts start then!?T He stepped out of the front-door.
It was a fine night, and the black sky was dotted with stars. He looked up, sniffing the air. ?~What fun! What fun to be off again, off on the Road with dwarves! This is what I have really been longing for, for years! Good-bye! ?~ he said, looking at his old home and bowing to the door. ?~Good-bye, Gandalf!?T
?~Good-bye, for the present, Bilbo. Take care of yourself! You are old enough, and perhaps wise enough.?T
?~Take care! I don?Tt care. Don?Tt you worry about me! I am as happy now as I have ever been, and that is saying a great deal. But the time has come. I am being swept off my feet at last,?T he added, and then in a low voice, as if to himself, he sang softly in the dark:
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
He paused, silent for a moment. Then without another word he turned away from the lights and voices in the fields and tents, and followed by his three companions went round into his garden, and trotted down the long sloping path. He jumped over a low place in the hedge at the bottom, and took to the meadows, passing into the night like a rustle of wind in the grass.
Gandalf remained for a while staring after him into the darkness. ?~Goodbye, my dear Bilbo - until our next meeting!?T he said softly and went back indoors.
Frodo came in soon afterwards, and found him sitting in the dark, deep in thought. ?~Has he gone??T he asked.
?~Yes,?T answered Gandalf, ?~he has gone at last.?T
'' I wish - I mean, I hoped until this evening that it was only a joke,?T said Frodo. ?~But I knew in my heart that he really meant to go. He always used to joke about serious things. I wish I had come back sooner, just to see him off.?T
I think really he preferred slipping off quietly in the end,?T said Gandalf. ?~Don?Tt be too troubled. Hê?Tll be all right - now. He left a packet for you. There it is!?T
Frodo took the envelope from the mantelpiece, and glanced at it, but did not open it.
?~You?Tll find his will and all the other documents in there, I think,?T said the wizard. ?~You are the master of Bag End now. And also, I fancy, you?Tll find a golden ring.?T
?~The ring!?T exclaimed Frodo. ?~Has he left me that? I wonder why. Still, it may be useful.?T
?~It may, and it may not,?T said Gandalf. ?~I should not make use of it, if I were you. But keep it secret, and keep it safe! Now I am going to bed.?T
As master of Bag End Frodo felt it his painful duty to say good-bye to the guests. Rumours of strange events had by now spread all over the field, but Frodo would only say no doubt everything will be cleared up in the morning. About midnight carriages came for the important folk. One by one they rolled away, filled with full but very unsatisfied hobbits. Gardeners came by arrangement, and removed in wheel-barrows those that had inadvertently remained behind.
Night slowly passed. The sun rose. The hobbits rose rather later. Morning went on. People came and began (by orders) to clear away the pavilions and the tables and the chairs, and the spoons and knives and bottles and plates, and the lanterns, and the flowering shrubs in boxes, and the crumbs and cracker-paper, the forgotten bags and gloves and handkerchiefs, and the uneaten food (a very small item). Then a number of other people came (without orders): Bagginses, and Boffins, and Bolgers, and Tooks, and other guests that lived or were staying near. By mid-day, when even the best-fed were out and about again, there was a large crowd at Bag End, uninvited but not unexpected.
Frodo was waiting on the step, smiling, but looking rather tired and worried. He welcomed all the callers, but he had not much more to say than before. His reply to all inquiries was simply this: ?~Mr. Bilbo Baggins has gone away; as far as I know, for good.?T Some of the visitors he invited to come inside, as Bilbo had left ?~messages?T for them.

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Inside in the hall there was piled a large assortment of packages and parcels and small articles of furniture. On every item there was a label tied. There were several labels of this sort:
For ADELARD TOOK, for his VERY OWN, from Bilbo, on an umbrella. Adelard had carried off many unlabelled ones.
For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo, on a large waste-paper basket. Dora was Drogô?Ts sister and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century.
For MILO BURROWS, hoping it will be useful, from B.B., on a gold pen and ink-bottle. Milo never answered letters.
For ANGELICA?TS use, from Uncle Bilbo, on a round convex mirror. She was a young Baggins, and too obviously considered her face shapely.
For the collection of HUGO BRACEGIRDLE, from a contributor, on an (empty) book-case. Hugo was a great borrower of books, and worse than usual at returning them.
For LOBELIA SACKVILLE-BAGGINS, as a PRESENT, on a case of silver spoons. Bilbo believed that she had acquired a good many of his spoons, while he was away on his former journey. Lobelia knew that quite well. When she arrived later in the day, she took the point at once, but she also took the spoons.
This is only a small selection of the assembled presents. Bilbô?Ts residence had got rather cluttered up with things in the course of his long life. It was a tendency of hobbit-holes to get cluttered up: for which the custom of giving so many birthday-presents was largely responsible. Not, of course, that the birthday-presents were always new, there were one or two old mathoms of forgotten uses that had circulated all around the district; but Bilbo had usually given new presents, and kept those that he received. The old hole was now being cleared a little.
Every one of the various parting gifts had labels, written out personally by Bilbo, and several had some point, or some joke. But, of course, most of the things were given where they would be wanted and welcome. The poorer hobbits, and especially those of Bagshot Row, did very well. Old Gaffer Gamgee got two sacks of potatoes, a new spade, a woollen waistcoat, and a bottle of ointment for creaking joints. Old Rory Brandybuck, in return for much hospitality, got a dozen bottles of Old Winyards: a strong red wine from the Southfarthing, and now quite mature, as it had been laid down by Bilbô?Ts father. Rory quite forgave Bilbo, and voted him a capital fellow after the first bottle.
There was plenty of everything left for Frodo. And, of course, all the chief treasures, as well as the books, pictures, and more than enough furniture, were left in his possession. There was, however, no sign nor mention of money or jewellery: not a penny-piece or a glass bead was given away.
Frodo had a very trying time that afternoon. A false rumour that the whole household was being distributed free spread like wildfire; and before long the place was packed with people who had no business there, but could not be kept out. Labels got torn off and mixed, and quarrels broke out. Some people tried to do swaps and deals in the hall; and others tried to make off with minor items not addressed to them, or with anything that seemed unwanted or unwatched. The road to the gate was blocked with barrows and handcarts.
In the middle of the commotion the Sackville-Bagginses arrived. Frodo had retired for a while and left his friend Merry Brandybuck to keep an eye on things. When Otho loudly demanded to see Frodo, Merry bowed politely.
?~He is indisposed,?T he said. ?~He is resting.?T
?~Hiding, you mean,?T said Lobelia. ?~Anyway we want to see him and we mean to see him. Just go and tell him so!?T
Merry left them a long while in the hall, and they had time to discover their parting gift of spoons. It did not improve their tempers. Eventually they were shown into the study. Frodo was sitting at a table with a lot of papers in front of him. He looked indisposed - to see Sackville-Bagginses at any rate; and he stood up, fidgeting with something in his pocket. But he spoke quite politely.
The Sackville-Bagginses were rather offensive. They began by offering him bad bargain-prices (as between friends) for various valuable and unlabelled things. When Frodo replied that only the things specially directed by Bilbo were being given away, they said the whole affair was very fishy.
?~Only one thing is clear to me,?T said Otho, ?~and that is that you are doing exceedingly well out of it. I insist on seeing the will.?T
Otho would have been Bilbô?Ts heir, but for the adoption of Frodo. He read the will carefully and snorted. It was, unfortunately, very clear and correct (according to the legal customs of hobbits, which demand among other things seven signatures of witnesses in red ink).
?~Foiled again!?T he said to his wife. ?~And after waiting sixty years. Spoons? Fiddlesticks!?T He snapped his fingers under Frodô?Ts nose and slumped off. But Lobelia was not so easily got rid of. A little later Frodo came out of the study to see how things were going on and found her still about the place, investigating nooks and comers and tapping the floors. He escorted her firmly off the premises, after he had relieved her of several small (but rather valuable) articles that had somehow fallen inside her umbrella. Her face looked as if she was in the throes of thinking out a really crushing parting remark; but all she found to say, turning round on the step, was:
?~You?Tll live to regret it, young fellow! Why didn?Tt you go too? You don?Tt belong here; you?Tre no Baggins - you - you?Tre a Brandybuck!?T
?~Did you hear that, Merry? That was an insult, if you like,?T said Frodo as he shut the door on her.
?~It was a compliment,?T said Merry Brandybuck, ?~and so, of course, not true.?T
Then they went round the hole, and evicted three young hobbits (two Boffins and a Bolger) who were knocking holes in the walls of one of the cellars. Frodo also had a tussle with young Sancho Proudfoot (old Odo Proudfoot?Ts grandson), who had begun an excavation in the larger pantry, where he thought there was an echo. The legend of Bilbô?Ts gold excited both curiosity and hope; for legendary gold (mysteriously obtained, if not positively ill-gotten), is, as every one knows, any onê?Ts for the finding ?" unless the search is interrupted.

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When he had overcome Sancho and pushed him out, Frodo collapsed on a chair in the hall. It?Ts time to close the shop, Merry,?T he said. ?~Lock the door, and don?Tt open it to anyone today, not even if they bring a battering ram.?T Then he went to revive himself with a belated cup of tea.
He had hardly sat down, when there came a soft knock at the front-door. ?~Lobelia again most likely,?T he thought. ?~She must have thought of something really nasty, and have come back again to say it. It can wait.?T
He went on with his tea. The knock was repeated, much louder, but he took no notice. Suddenly the wizard?Ts head appeared at the window.
?~If you don?Tt let me in, Frodo, I shall blow your door right down your hole and out through the hill,?T he said.
?~My dear Gandalf! Half a minute!?T cried Frodo, running out of the room to the door. ?~Come in! Come in! I thought it was Lobelia.?T
?~Then I forgive you. But I saw her some time ago, driving a pony-trap towards Bywater with a face that would have curdled new milk.?T
?~She had already nearly curdled me. Honestly, I nearly tried on Bilbô?Ts ring. I longed to disappear.?T
?~Don?Tt do that!?T said Gandalf, sitting down. ?~Do be careful of that ring, Frodo! In fact, it is partly about that that I have come to say a last word.?T
?~Well, what about it??T
?~What do you know already??T
?~Only what Bilbo told me. I have heard his story: how he found it, and how he used it: on his journey, I mean.?T
?~Which story, I wonder,?T said Gandalf.
?~Oh, not what he told the dwarves and put in his book,?T said Frodo. ?~He told me the true story soon after I came to live here. He said you had pestered him till he told you, so I had better know too. "No secrets between us, Frodo," he said; "but they are not to go any further. It?Ts mine anyway."?~
?~That?Ts interesting,?T said Gandalf. ?~Well, what did you think of it all??T
?~If you mean, inventing all that about a "present", well, I thought the true story much more likely, and I couldn?Tt see the point of altering it at all. It was very unlike Bilbo to do so, anyway; and I thought it rather odd.?T
?~So did I. But odd things may happen to people that have such treasures - if they use them. Let it be a warning to you to be very careful with it. It may have other powers than just making you vanish when you wish to.?T
?~I don?Tt understand,?T said Frodo.
?~Neither do I,?T answered the wizard. ?~I have merely begun to wonder about the ring, especially since last night. No need to worry. But if you take my advice you will use it very seldom, or not at all. At least I beg you not to use it in any way that will cause talk or rouse suspicion. I say again: keep it safe, and keep it secret!?T
?~You are very mysterious! What are you afraid of??T
?~I am not certain, so I will say no more. I may be able to tell you something when I come back. I am going off at once: so this is good-bye for the present.?T He got up.
?~At once!?T cried Frodo. ?~Why, I thought you were staying on for at least a week. I was looking forward to your help.?T
?~I did mean to - but I have had to change my mind. I may be away for a good while; but I?Tll come and see you again, as soon as I can. Expect me when you see me! I shall slip in quietly. I shan?Tt often be visiting the Shire openly again. I find that I have become rather unpopular. They say I am a nuisance and a disturber of the peace. Some people are actually accusing me of spiriting Bilbo away, or worse. If you want to know, there is supposed to be a plot between you and me to get hold of his wealth.?T
?~Some people!?T exclaimed Frodo. ?~You mean Otho and Lobelia. How abominable! I would give them Bag End and everything else, if I could get Bilbo back and go off tramping in the country with him. I love the Shire. But I begin to wish, somehow, that I had gone too. I wonder if I shall ever see him again.?T
?~So do I,?T said Gandalf. ?~And I wonder many other things. Good-bye now! Take care of yourself! Look out for me, especially at unlikely times! Good-bye!?T
Frodo saw him to the door. He gave a final wave of his hand, and walked off at a surprising pace; but Frodo thought the old wizard looked unusually bent, almost as if he was carrying a great weight. The evening was closing in, and his cloaked figure quickly vanished into the twilight. Frodo did not see him again for a long time.
(end of chapter 1)

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Chapter 2
The Shadow of the Past
The talk did not die down in nine or even ninety-nine days. The second disappearance of Mr. Bilbo Baggins was discussed in Hobbiton, and indeed all over the Shire, for a year and a day, and was remembered much longer than that. It became a fireside-story for young hobbits; and eventually Mad Baggins, who used to vanish with a bang and a flash and reappear with bags of jewels and gold, became a favourite character of legend and lived on long after all the true events were forgotten.
But in the meantime, the general opinion in the neighbourhood was that Bilbo, who had always been rather cracked, had at last gone quite mad, and had run off into the Blue. There he had undoubtedly fallen into a pool or a river and come to a tragic, but hardly an untimely, end. The blame was mostly laid on Gandalf.
?~If only that dratted wizard will leave young Frodo alone, perhaps hê?Tll settle down and grow some hobbit-sense,?T they said. And to all appearance the wizard did leave Frodo alone, and he did settle down, but the growth of hobbit-sense was not very noticeable. Indeed, he at once began to carry on Bilbô?Ts reputation for od***y. He refused to go into mourning; and the next year he gave a party in honour of Bilbô?Ts hundred-and-twelfth birthday, which he called Hundred-weight Feast. But that was short of the mark, for twenty guests were invited and there were several meals at which it snowed food and rained drink, as hobbits say.
Some people were rather shocked; but Frodo kept up the custom of giving Bilbô?Ts Birthday Party year after year until they got used to it. He said that he did not think Bilbo was dead. When they asked: ?~Where is he then??T he shrugged his shoulders.
He lived alone, as Bilbo had done; but he had a good many friends, especially among the younger hobbits (mostly descendants of the Old Took) who had as children been fond of Bilbo and often in and out of Bag End. Folco Boffin and Fredegar Bolger were two of these; but his closest friends were Peregrin Took (usually called Pippin), and Merry Brandybuck (his real name was Meriadoc, but that was seldom remembered). Frodo went tramping all over the Shire with them; but more often he wandered by himself, and to the amazement of sensible folk he was sometimes seen far from home walking in the hills and woods under the starlight. Merry and Pippin suspected that he visited the Elves at times, as Bilbo had done.
As time went on, people began to notice that Frodo also showed signs of good ?~preservation?T: outwardly he retained the appearance of a robust and energetic hobbit just out of his tweens. ?~Some folk have all the luck,?T they said; but it was not until Frodo approached the usually more sober age of fifty that they began to think it queer.
Frodo himself, after the first shock, found that being his own master and the Mr. Baggins of Bag End was rather pleasant. For some years he was quite happy and did not worry much about the future. But half unknown to himself the regret that he had not gone with Bilbo was steadily growing. He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams. He began to say to himself: ?~Perhaps I shall cross the River myself one day.?T To which the other half of his mind always replied: ?~Not yet.?T
So it went on, until his forties were running out, and his fiftieth birthday was drawing near: fifty was a number that he felt was somehow significant (or ominous); it was at any rate at that age that adventure had suddenly befallen Bilbo. Frodo began to feel restless, and the old paths seemed too well-trodden. He looked at maps, and wondered what lay beyond their edges: maps made in the Shire showed mostly white spaces beyond its borders. He took to wandering further afield and more often by himself; and Merry and his other friends watched him anxiously. Often he was seen walking and talking with the strange wayfarers that began at this time to appear in the Shire.
There were rumours of strange things happening in the world outside; and as Gandalf had not at that time appeared or sent any message for several years, Frodo gathered all the news he could. Elves, who seldom walked in the Shire, could now be seen passing westward through the woods in the evening, passing and not returning; but they were leaving Middle-earth and were no longer concerned with its troubles. There were, however, dwarves on the road in unusual numbers. The ancient East-West Road ran through the Shire to its end at the Grey Havens, and dwarves had always used it on their way to their mines in the Blue Mountains. They were the hobbits?T chief source of news from distant parts - if they wanted any: as a rule dwarves said little and hobbits asked no more. But now Frodo often met strange dwarves of far countries, seeking refuge in the West. They were troubled, and some spoke in whispers of the Enemy and of the Land of Mordor.
That name the hobbits only knew in legends of the dark past, like a shadow in the background of their memories; but it was ominous and disquieting. It seemed that the evil power in Mirkwood had been driven out by the White Council only to reappear in greater strength in the old strongholds of Mordor. The Dark Tower had been rebuilt, it was said. From there the power was spreading far and wide, and away far east and south there were wars and growing fear. Orcs were multiplying again in the mountains. Trolls were abroad, no longer dull-witted, but cunning and armed with dreadful weapons. And there were murmured hints of creatures more terrible than all these, but they had no name.
Little of all this, of course, reached the ears of ordinary hobbits. But even the deafest and most stay-at-home began to hear queer tales; and those whose business took them to the borders saw strange things. The conversation in The Green Dragon at Bywater, one evening in the spring of Frodô?Ts fiftieth year, showed that even in the comfortable heart of the Shire rumours had been heard, though most hobbits still laughed at them.
Sam Gamgee was sitting in one corner near the fire, and opposite him was Ted Sandyman, the miller?Ts son; and there were various other rustic hobbits listening to their talk.
?~Queer things you do hear these days, to be sure,?T said Sam.
?~Ah,?T said Ted, ?~you do, if you listen. But I can hear fireside-tales and children?Ts stories at home, if I want to.?T
?~No doubt you can,?T retorted Sam, ?~and I daresay therê?Ts more truth in some of them than you reckon. Who invented the stories anyway? Take dragons now.?T
?~No thank ?Tee,?T said Ted, ?~I won?Tt. I heard tell of them when I was a youngster, but therê?Ts no call to believe in them now. Therê?Ts only one Dragon in Bywater, and that?Ts Green,?T he said, getting a general laugh.
?~All right,?T said Sam, laughing with the rest. ?~But what about these Tree-men, these giants, as you might call them? They do say that one bigger than a tree was seen up away beyond the North Moors not long back.?T
?~Whô?Ts they??T
?~My cousin Hal for one. He works for Mr. Boffin at Overhill and goes up to the Northfarthing for the hunting. He saw one.?T
?~Says he did, perhaps. Your Hal?Ts always saying hê?Ts seen things; and maybe he sees things that ain?Tt there.?T
?~But this one was as big as an elm tree, and walking - walking seven yards to a stride, if it was an inch.?T
?~Then I bet it wasn?Tt an inch. What he saw was an elm tree, as like as not.?T
?~But this one was walking, I tell you; and there ain?Tt no elm tree on the North Moors.?T
?~Then Hal can?Tt have seen one,?T said Ted. There was some laughing and clapping: the audience seemed to think that Ted had scored a point.
?~All the same,?T said Sam, ?~you can?Tt deny that others besides our Halfast have seen queer folk crossing the Shire - crossing it, mind you: there are more that are turned back at the borders. The Bounders have never been so busy before.

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?~And I?Tve heard tell that Elves are moving west. They do say they are going to the harbours, out away beyond the White Towers.?T Sam waved his arm vaguely: neither he nor any of them knew how far it was to the Sea, past the old towers beyond the western borders of the Shire. But it was an old tra***ion that away over there stood the Grey Havens, from which at times elven-ships set sail, never to return.
?~They are sailing, sailing, sailing over the Sea, they are going into the West and leaving us,?T said Sam, half chanting the words, shaking his head sadly and solemnly. But Ted laughed.
?~Well, that isn?Tt anything new, if you believe the old tales. And I don?Tt see what it matters to me or you. Let them sail! But I warrant you haven?Tt seen them doing it; nor any one else in the Shire.?T
?~Well I don?Tt know,?T said Sam thoughtfully. He believed he had once seen an Elf in the woods, and still hoped to see more one day. Of all the legends that he had heard in his early years such fragments of tales and half-remembered stories about the Elves as the hobbits knew, had always moved him most deeply. ?~There are some, even in these parts, as know the Fair Folk and get news of them,?T he said. ?~Therê?Ts Mr. Baggins now, that I work for. He told me that they were sailing and he knows a bit about Elves. And old Mr. Bilbo knew more: many?Ts the talk I had with him when I was a little lad.?T
?~Oh, they?Tre both cracked,?T said Ted. ?~Leastways old Bilbo was cracked, and Frodô?Ts cracking. If that?Ts where you get your news from, you?Tll never want for moonshine. Well, friends, I?Tm off home. Your good health!?T He drained his mug and went out noisily.
Sam sat silent and said no more. He had a good deal to think about. For one thing, there was a lot to do up in the Bag End garden, and he would have a busy day tomorrow, if the weather cleared. The grass was growing fast. But Sam had more on his mind than gardening. After a while he sighed, and got up and went out.
It was early April and the sky was now clearing after heavy rain. The sun was down, and a cool pale evening was quietly fading into night. He walked home under the early stars through Hobbiton and up the Hill, whistling softly and thoughtfully.
It was just at this time that Gandalf reappeared after his long absence. For three years after the Party he had been away. Then he paid Frodo a brief visit, and after taking a good look at him he went off again. During the next year or two he had turned up fairly often, coming unexpectedly after dusk, and going off without warning before sunrise. He would not discuss his own business and journeys, and seemed chiefly interested in small news about Frodô?Ts health and doings.
Then suddenly his visits had ceased. It was over nine years since Frodo had seen or heard of him, and he had begun to think that the wizard would never return and had given up all interest in hobbits. But that evening, as Sam was walking home and twilight was fading, there came the once familiar tap on the study window.
Frodo welcomed his old friend with surprise and great delight. They looked hard at one another.
?~Ah well eh??T said Gandalf. ?~You look the same as ever, Frodo!?T
?~So do you,?T Frodo replied; but secretly he thought that Gandalf looked older and more careworn. He pressed him for news of himself and of the wide world, and soon they were deep in talk, and they stayed up far into the night.
Next morning after a late breakfast, the wizard was sitting with Frodo by the open window of the study. A bright fire was on the hearth, but the sun was warm, and the wind was in the South. Everything looked fresh, and the new green of Spring was shimmering in the fields and on the tips of the trees?T fingers.
Gandalf was thinking of a spring, nearly eighty years before, when Bilbo had run out of Bag End without a handkerchief. His hair was perhaps whiter than it had been then, and his beard and eyebrows were perhaps longer, and his face more lined with care and wisdom; but his eyes were as bright as ever, and he smoked and blew smoke-rings with the same vigour and delight.
He was smoking now in silence, for Frodo was sitting still, deep in thought. Even in the light of morning he felt the dark shadow of the tidings that Gandalf had brought. At last he broke the silence.
?~Last night you began to tell me strange things about my ring, Gandalf,?T he said. ?~And then you stopped, because you said that such matters were best left until daylight. Don?Tt you think you had better finish now? You say the ring is dangerous, far more dangerous than I guess. In what way??T
?~In many ways,?T answered the wizard. It is far more powerful than I ever dared to think at first, so powerful that in the end it would utterly overcome anyone of mortal race who possessed it. It would possess him.
?~In Eregion long ago many Elven-rings were made, magic rings as you call them, and they were, of course, of various kinds: some more potent and some less. The lesser rings were only essays in the craft before it was full-grown, and to the Elven-smiths they were but trifles - yet still to my mind dangerous for mortals. But the Great Rings, the Rings of Power, they were perilous.
?~A mortal, Frodo, who keeps one of the Great Rings, does not die, but he does not grow or obtain more life, he merely continues, until at last every minute is a weariness. And if he often uses the Ring to make himself invisible, he fades: he becomes in the end invisible permanently, and walks in the twilight under the eye of the dark power that rules the Rings. Yes, sooner or later - later, if he is strong or well-meaning to begin with, but neither strength nor good purpose will last - sooner or later the dark power will devour him.?T
?~How terrifying!?T said Frodo. There was another long silence. The sound of Sam Gamgee cutting the lawn came in from the garden.
?~How long have you known this??T asked Frodo at length. ?~And how much did Bilbo know??T
?~Bilbo knew no more than he told you, I am sure,?T said Gandalf. ?~He would certainly never have passed on to you anything that he thought would be a danger, even though I promised to look after you. He thought the ring was very beautiful, and very useful at need; and if anything was wrong or queer, it was himself. He said that it was ?ogrowing on his mind?, and he was always worrying about it; but he did not suspect that the ring itself was to blame. Though he had found out that the thing needed looking after; it did not seem always of the same size or weight; it shrank or expanded in an odd way, and might suddenly slip off a finger where it had been tight.?T
?~Yes, he warned me of that in his last letter,?T said Frodo, ?~so I have always kept it on its chain.?T
?~Very wise,?T said Gandalf. ?~But as for his long life, Bilbo never connected it with the ring at all. He took all the cre*** for that to himself, and he was very proud of it. Though he was getting restless and uneasy. Thin and stretched he said. A sign that the ring was getting control.?T
?~How long have you known all this??T asked Frodo again.
?~Known??T said Gandalf. ?~I have known much that only the Wise know, Frodo. But if you mean ?oknown about this ring?, well, I still do not know, one might say. There is a last test to make. But I no longer doubt my guess.
?~When did I first begin to guess??T he mused, searching back in memory. ?~Let me see - it was in the year that the White Council drove the dark power from Mirkwood, just before the Battle of Five Armies, that Bilbo found his ring. A shadow fell on my heart then, though I did not know yet what I feared. I wondered often how Gollum came by a Great Ring, as plainly it was - that at least was clear from the first. Then I heard Bilbô?Ts strange story of how he had ?owon? it, and I could not believe it. When I at last got the truth out of him, I saw at once that he had been trying to put his claim to the ring beyond doubt. Much like Gollum with his ?obirthday present?. The lies were too much alike for my comfort. Clearly the ring had an unwholesome power that set to work on its keeper at once. That was the first real warning I had that all was not well. I told Bilbo often that such rings were better left unused; but he resented it, and soon got angry. There was little else that I could do. I could not take it from him without doing greater harm; and I had no right to do so anyway. I could only watch and wait. I might perhaps have consulted Saruman the White, but something always held me back.?T

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?~Who is he??T asked Frodo. I have never heard of him before.?T
?~Maybe not,?T answered Gandalf. ?~Hobbits are, or were, no concern of his. Yet he is great among the Wise. He is the chief of my order and the head of the Council. His knowledge is deep, but his pride has grown with it, and he takes ill any meddling. The lore of the Elven-rings, great and small, is his province. He has long studied it, seeking the lost secrets of their making; but when the Rings were debated in the Council, all that he would reveal to us of his ring-lore told against my fears. So my doubt slept - but uneasily. Still I watched and I waited.
?~And all seemed well with Bilbo. And the years passed. Yes, they passed, and they seemed not to touch him. He showed no signs of age. The shadow fell on me again. But I said to myself: ?oAfter all he comes of a long-lived family on his mother?Ts side. There is time yet. Wait!?
?~And I waited. Until that night when he left this house. He said and did things then that filled me with a fear that no words of Saruman could allay. I knew at last that something dark and deadly was at work. And I have spent most of the years since then in finding out the truth of it.?T
?~There wasn?Tt any permanent harm done, was there??T asked Frodo anxiously. ?~He would get all right in time, wouldn?Tt he? Be able to rest in peace, I mean??T
?~He felt better at once,?T said Gandalf. ?~But there is only one Power in this world that knows all about the Rings and their effects; and as far as I know there is no Power in the world that knows all about hobbits. Among the Wise I am the only one that goes in for hobbit-lore: an obscure branch of knowledge, but full of surprises. Soft as butter they can be, and yet sometimes as tough as old tree-roots. I think it likely that some would resist the Rings far longer than most of the Wise would believe. I don?Tt think you need worry about Bilbo.
?~Of course, he possessed the ring for many years, and used it, so it might take a long while for the influence to wear off - before it was safe for him to see it again, for instance. Otherwise, he might live on for years, quite happily: just stop as he was when he parted with it. For he gave it up in the end of his own accord: an important point. No, I was not troubled about dear Bilbo any more, once he had let the thing go. It is for you that I feel responsible.
?~Ever since Bilbo left I have been deeply concerned about you, and about all these charming, absurd, helpless hobbits. It would be a grievous blow to the world, if the Dark Power overcame the Shire; if all your kind, jolly, stupid Bolgers, Hornblowers, Boffins, Bracegirdles, and the rest, not to mention the ridiculous Bagginses, became enslaved.?T
Frodo shuddered. ?~But why should we be??T he asked. ?~And why should he want such slaves??T
?~To tell you the truth,?T replied Gandalf, ?~I believe that hitherto - hitherto, mark you - he has entirely overlooked the existence of hobbits. You should be thankful. But your safety has passed. He does not need you - he has many more useful servants - but he won?Tt forget you again. And hobbits as miserable slaves would please him far more than hobbits happy and free. There is such a thing as malice and revenge.?T
?~Revenge??T said Frodo. ?~Revenge for what? I still don?Tt understand what all this has to do with Bilbo and myself, and our ring.?T
?~It has everything to do with it,?T said Gandalf. ?~You do not know the real peril yet; but you shall. I was not sure of it myself when I was last here; but the time has come to speak. Give me the ring for a moment.?T
Frodo took it from his breeches-pocket, where it was clasped to a chain that hung from his belt. He unfastened it and handed it slowly to the wizard. It felt suddenly very heavy, as if either it or Frodo himself was in some way reluctant for Gandalf to touch it.
Gandalf held it up. It looked to be made of pure and solid gold. ?~Can you see any markings on it??T he asked.
?~No,?T said Frodo. ?~There are none. It is quite plain, and it never shows a scratch or sign of wear.?T
?~Well then, look!?T To Frodô?Ts astonishment and distress the wizard threw it suddenly into the middle of a glowing corner of the fire. Frodo gave a cry and groped for the tongs; but Gandalf held him back.
?~Wait!?T he said in a commanding voice, giving Frodo a quick look from under his bristling brows.
No apparent change came over the ring. After a while Gandalf got up, closed the shutters outside the window, and drew the curtains. The room became dark and silent, though the clack of Sam?Ts shears, now nearer to the windows, could still be heard faintly from the garden. For a moment the wizard stood looking at the fire; then he stooped and removed the ring to the hearth with the tongs, and at once picked it up. Frodo gasped.
It is quite cool,?T said Gandalf. ?~Take it!?T Frodo received it on his shrinking palm: it seemed to have become thicker and heavier than ever.
?~Hold it up!?T said Gandalf. ?~And look closely!?T
As Frodo did so, he now saw fine lines, finer than the finest pen-strokes, running along the ring, outside and inside: lines of fire that seemed to form the letters of a flowing script. They shone piercingly bright, and yet remote, as if out of a great depth.
.....................................................................................
I cannot read the fiery letters,?T said Frodo in a quavering voice.
?~No,?T said Gandalf, ?~but I can. The letters are Elvish, of an ancient mode, but the language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here. But this in the Common Tongue is what is said, close enough:
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

It is only two lines of a verse long known in Elven-lore:
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.?T

He paused, and then said slowly in a deep voice: ?~This is the Master-ring, the One Ring to rule them all. This is the One Ring that he lost many ages ago, to the great weakening of his power. He greatly desires it - but he must not get it.?T
Frodo sat silent and motionless. Fear seemed to stretch out a vast hand, like a dark cloud rising in the East and looming up to engulf him. ?~This ring!?T he stammered. ?~How, how on earth did it come to me??T

TO BE A ROCK AND NOT TO ROLL​

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