dANiALingus**faggot** ID: 93cf02 Nov. 2, 2021, 8:34 a.m. No.14906058   🗄️.is đź”—kun

For MILO BURROWS, hoping it will be useful, from B.B.;

on a gold pen and ink-bottle. Milo never answered letters.

For ANGELICA’S use, from Uncle Bilbo; on a round convex

mirror. She was a young Baggins, and too obviously con-

sidered her face shapely.

For the collection of HUGO BRACEGIRDLE, from a con-

tributor; 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.

Bilbo’s 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 South-

 

farthing, and now quite mature, as it had been laid down by

 

Bilbo’s father. Rory quite forgave Bilbo, and voted him a

 

capital fellow after the first bottle.