EPILOGUE

Fatty sat back and stretched his neck and back, and flexed his fingers. It had been almost five days since his friends had left to go through the Old Forest. Aside from a nearly stupefying boredom, things had gone well so far. No one yet suspected that Fatty was the only one occupying the cottage.

He’d read several books, and finally had taken out his gift from Frodo, to begin trying to learn Elvish; he’d made some progress, and if he kept it up, he might finish with the Lay of Gil-Galad before their little deception came out.

He was a bit concerned that Gandalf had yet to come by, but there was nothing else to worry about.

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Saradoc opened the drawer of his desk to take out the ledger; it was Highday, and time to give out wages.

Odd. That wasn’t the way he usually put it away. And were there water-spots on the cover?

He opened it up, and flipped the pages.

A note?

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Eglantine thought Merry and Frodo must be keeping Pippin very busy indeed. She usually had a letter from him within a day or so of his visits to Buckland.  She hoped he was having a nice time helping Frodo settle into the new house.  But he was *not* going to stay away from home as long this time.  She planned on writing to him, telling him to return in just two weeks.

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Lotho Sackville-Baggins took pen in hand.

My dear Mr. White:

In regards to your inquiry as to sending your agents to the Shire to purchase pipeweed…

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