Chapter Eleven - The Measure of a Hobbit

The young gardener dropped his tools onto the dry earth and then carefully set down the large bucket of water he had carried. Degger stopped by the head gardener’s shed to borrow a hand rake and gloves, but old Nod wasn’t there, so the lad borrowed the needed implements to work his own bit of garden. Old Nod knew the young hobbit came by each day to tend his plants, which grew from one lilac bush to several varying shrubs. The lad quickly inspected the height and girth of the lilac bush, the leaves for any insects, and then smiled in satisfaction. He then sat down to begin aerating the soil round the base before giving it a generous amount of water. This was a special mixture of water and other ingredients that both Nod and Mr. Pippin said would make his plants healthy and strong.

Degger felt comfortable out here in the garden. It was always peaceful; out here, he was not the centre of controversy, feeling it pull him one way or the other--nor were there books filled with words and sums that he could barely understand. Here In the garden he could relax and listen to the birds singing, smell the fresh air, and tend the things that he made grow.

The teen paused to wipe the sweat trickling down his temples, looking up into the clear blue heavens of the Tooklands. A few small puffy clouds sailed overhead, though for the most part, the sky was sunny, the air fairly warm for early Thrimmidge, the grass a deep green. Today would be a good day for a picnic…that is, Degger thought, if he did well enough on the exam. Oh, how he hoped against hope that the news would be good when he returned to his room. With all the studying and hard work, Degger was sure that he would at least scrape by. He did not want to be deemed a failure. It would mean that he failed the people he cherished the most--Mr. Paladin, his study-mates--especially Mr. Merry.

Dare he go back to this room? What if he ran into that…well, that mean old hobbit Ferumbras? No, he couldn’t risk it; he just might say the wrong thing to the Took and Thain and be given the sack, ending up right back where he was before; living between houses in a filthy alley. Degger hacked harder at the dirt, channelling his anger at the unfair treatment through the garden tool to the soil, though careful not to damage the roots of his lilac. Before long, Degger heard footsteps shuffling up the pathway and then stop just short of his garden.

“Hullo, Degger.”

The lad again looked up, shading his eyes from the bright light. “Hullo, Mr. Paladin,” Degger greeted his benefactor, then went back to work. His stomach suddenly felt as if a boulder lay inside it. Surely, if there was good news Mr. Paladin would have called him inside the smial to commend his efforts along with his study-mates.

“I thought I might find you out here,” said the elder hobbit, sitting down beside the teen. Paladin observed the sapling shrub Degger was digging at. “Your lilac bush is coming up beautifully,” he said. “I have been told that you excel at gardening.”

Degger made no reply.

“Degger…”

Degger stopped digging. He did not look up. “I didn’t pass, did I?” he asked softly.

There was a long pause from Paladin before he spoke again. “No. I’m sorry, Degger.” He waited for the expected reaction from the lad, and seemingly at first, there was none. He spoke again, “Miss Hemlock was feeling better after second breakfast, so we gave her the exams to look over. She tried her best to give you the added benefit of accepting incomplete answers, but…less than half of those gave her an acceptable summary of the question asked.”

Degger tried his best to blink back the stinging tears threatening to spill over and fall to the ground. He sat as still as a stone, staring blankly at the broken earth…feeling his own heart being crushed likewise as he listened to his elder speak. The teen almost succeed in holding back his tears, but then Degger once again heard Ferumbras’ cutting words echo inside his head; Failure. Failure! Degger could no longer hold it all inside; his lips trembled…his vision blurred with tears.

Seeing Degger was about to fall to pieces, Paladin took the lad into his arms, allowing him to quietly sob onto his shoulder. After a while, Paladin broke the silence. “Oh, Degger-lad. I’m so sorry for doing this to you. This is all my fault.”

“It’s no one’s fault but my own,” said Degger, pulling away, sniffling. “I’m obtuse.”

“Obtuse?” asked Paladin, “From where--or whom--did you learn that word?”

“It’s not important,” said Degger, wiping his eyes with his bare forearm, as his shirt sleeves were rolled up. “Maybe I should go back t’ washin’ dishes and carryin’ things back an’ forth from the cellars.”

Paladin, by now, had a pretty good idea from whom Degger learned the word. He reached into his pocket to offer the lad a handkerchief. “If that is what you want to do--after you graduate, then that is fine with me. There is nothing dishonourable in ferrying provender from the cellars, nor with washing dishes. But I believe that you are a very bright lad, and before long, you will no longer be satisfied with simple labour. You already thirst for more knowledge, am I wrong?”

Degger said nothing, aimlessly breaking up small chunks of dirt between his fingers while keeping his mind on Mr. Paladin’s words.

“Don’t give up, Degger,” said Paladin, “Please.”

“I tried my best…an’ it still wasn’t good enough t’ pass.”

“Yes, you worked very hard, Degger,” said Paladin, “and that is why I don’t want you to quit. It isn’t that your hard work wasn’t good enough to pass--if Miss Hemlock could grade you on effort alone, she told me that you would be at the top of your study group.” Degger’s expression brightened up a bit at hearing these words, so Paladin went on. “The problem was that we did not consider the advantage the other children had over you until a week ago when it became fully evident. That is our fault, Degger--not yours. However, this time, Miss Hemlock and I are planning to set you up for success.”

Now Degger looked up at Paladin. “This time? I wasn’t gonna go back because I thought I was sacked.”

Paladin laughed, “No, son, I will never give you--or anybody the sack when it comes to education, in spite of what you may have heard of late. I will tell you this first hand though; throughout the next study period, you will attend morning studies as you have for the past three and a half weeks, however, in the afternoon, instead of working in the kitchen, you will have a few hours with Merry to aid you in catching up to your peers. When he feels you are ready, you will retake the first period exam--and I know this time you will pass with high honours.”

“Then I will work in the kitchen at night?” asked Degger.

“Not at all, Degger,” answered Paladin. “As your self-appointed guardian, I have decided that you need to focus all of your attention on your studies. In the afternoons, when Merry is finished with you, your time is your own, however, I expect you to have all of your night work completed and ready to hand in to Miss Hemlock in the morning.” Paladin chuckled, “Don’t make the mistake Pippin did when cousin Frodo wanted to help him celebrate becoming a teen.”

“Do Mr. Merry and Mr. Pippin know about…?”

Paladin nodded. “Well, I don’t know about Pippin, but I suspect Merry doesn’t keep many secrets from his cousin--and not to disgrace you. Merry will be your secondary tutor; he had the right to know.”

“I suppose.”

“They’re waiting for you in the parlour to congratulate you.”

Baffled, Degger asked, “For what?”

“For not quitting. For having the courage to forge ahead with the second study period.” Paladin thought he saw a smile, albeit a sad one, lift at each corner of Degger’s mouth. “And with that said,” he continued, “we are both going to go back inside the smial--I’ll give you a few minutes to clean up, and then we will all attend Merry’s graduation ceremony. He has also worked hard, deserving to have his family and friends there to support him. Then we’re all off to a picnic!”

Degger was the first to his feet, then helped Paladin up. Gathering up the gardening tools, Degger accompanied Paladin inside the shelter of Great Smials.

* * * * * * *

Miss Hemlock stood at the lectern set up in the parlour addressing the group of Tooks, cousins and siblings of her small study group. She wanted to say a few words about each of her students before giving Merry his certificate.

“I wish to thank everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules to attend this important observance. Before I go further with introducing the graduate, I should like to say how much of a pleasure it has been working with these four wonderful children, and I look forward to beginning the second study period with the remaining three students next week.

“Now, without further ado, Mr. Meriadoc Brandybuck.” Hands came together for much applause while Merry, blushing slightly, made his way up to the front of the room. To make his favourite cousin more embarrassed, Pippin put his fingers in his mouth to give a shrill whistle; Everard Took shouted, “Good old Merry!”

Merry stood straight and tall at the lectern, smiling at his friends, then it disappeared as he tried to make himself appear more serious. It was quite a difficult task with Pippin sitting in the front row sneaking in a silly face now and then in order to make his cousin laugh. He nervously fidgeted with the silver studs in his cuffs, then tugged on his jacket sleeves.

“Ladies and gentle-hobbits,” he began, clearing his throat for better projection of his voice. “I also want to thank my family and friends for gathering here for my graduation.” Here Merry smirked, “Not many hobbits get the chance to graduate twice.” Soft laughter emitted from the audience. “I won’t go into just how I ended up in Pippin’s study group, but…well, I did. And I must confess that after a week, I actually came to enjoy it…again.” More snickering from the juniors. “During the first week, I learned how well my cousin, Pippin, and I work together; we make a formidable team.” Merry smiled at Pippin. “Initially, we each had our own weaknesses, but then we came together to succeed in spite of a huge obstacle set before us by our first tutor. And then our ‘teamwork’ extended to serving worms to our poor unsuspecting new tutor, Miss Hemlock, to which another week was added to my pun--I mean, to my tenure. This past week, I have learned how much I like to help others learn, so you will yet see me round the tunnels for some time to come.” Pausing to grapple his next words, Merry allowed his mind to wander for a very brief second, sending a silent ‘thank you’ to the heavens because tutoring Degger meant that he’d be here for the summer fair--and so would Estella Bolger.

Merry realised that he probably let his mind wander for just a tad too long when he was startled back to the present with Miss Hemlock standing close beside him at the lectern. She mistook his hesitation for being finished with his speech. “Sorry,” he apologised to Miss Hemlock when he bumped into her, garnering more giggles from the onlookers.

Miss Hemlock pulled out a swatch of dark cloth with fine embroidery stitched into a design. She used a jewelled straight pin to attach it to the left breast of the lad’s jacket. “Meriadoc Brandybuck, you are hereby graduated from Hemlock Academy.” She next handed the young tween a scrolled document tied with a blue ribbon.

Thunderous applause ensued from the audience as they stood to their feet cheering Merry. The proudest, no doubt, were his mother and father beaming from the front row.

Sitting on the very end of the front row, was Degger, a slight smile on his face as he watched the well-wishers go up to hug Mr. Merry or pat him on the back. Through the rush of hobbits, Merry met his gaze, giving his “student” a nod of approval.

“It’s time to get ready for the picnic, Degger,” said Pippin, bounding into the seat beside the older teen.

“In a minute, Mr. Pippin, if ye please” answered Degger, “I have t’ congra…congraduate…” His brow furrowed as he tried desperately to remember how Mr. Paladin said the word. “Con…”

“Con-grat-u-late,” said Pippin, helping his friend along.

“Yes--I still want t’ congratulate Mr. Merry,” Degger said, repeating the long word more slowly.

Pippin grinned mischievously, “I’ll congratulate him later after I push him into the stream at Whitstone Meadow!”

Degger smiled at the small, perky teen who continually made life--and studying--interesting, then his gaze went back to watching the small gathering at the lectern.

Pippin followed Degger’s eyes over to where Merry still stood shaking hands and receiving tributes. “That’s going to be us in Foreyule,” he commented almost wistfully.

“Or Yulemath, as any self-respectin’ Bucklander would say,” said Degger, giving Pippin a wink.

“Degger!” Pippin nearly shouted with glee, “You remembered that from early this week when we were studying the Oldbucks and Buckland, didn’t you?”

“Some things stick in my head,” replied Degger with an impish grin, “but then they run outta the holes when it comes time t’ take an exam.”

“Oh, stop it, Degger,” said Pippin, playfully nudging him. “We’re going to be up there come Foreyule because Merry’s going to take good care of you. You’re going to pass all the exams--and that old goat won’t be able to do a thing about it.” Pippin laughed when he saw the expression on Degger’s face. “I told papa what he did to you--I hope goats can run fast because papa wasn’t happy about it at all.”

Soon, Merry bade Everard and his sister, Sadabelle, farewell, then walked over to where Pippin and Degger sat. “Degger!” he said, patting the lad on the shoulder, “I’m glad to see you didn’t quit. I was worried about that.” Merry grinned, “I was also a bit worried that I would never get the chance to show my knack for teaching.”

Degger smiled, looking from one friend to the other. “Well…I don’t think I had a chance t’ quit if ye or Mr. Pippin had anythin’ t’ do with it.”

Merry laughed, placing an arm round Degger and Pippin's shoulder as the three of them walked out of the parlour, Merry between them.  “You’re right about that! We are a formidable team…”

The End