CHAPTER 3

Hyacinth folded the last of the linens and gathered them up in her arms. She spared a hateful glance for the flat iron. She wished she had never laid eyes on it. She’d never have thought one was that heavy.

What, exactly, had gone wrong that summer? Her daughters had provided her with the perfect opportunity to settle things once and for all. Yet somehow, it had not worked out.

"Hyacinth! I do think you might hurry yourself a bit. We are having a guest, you know!"

"I am coming, Euphorbia!" She tried to keep her irritation out of her voice. If she let her contempt show, her sister-in-law was bound to complain.

_________________________________________

Pippin’s eyes grew wide in dismay. "Where are we going to sit?" he asked. For the tables were very nearly full with children and tweens sent down by their parents to the early seating. Pippin’s sisters looked things over, and then Pimpernel went to sit near Milo Goodbody, where one chair was available. Pervinca spotted a chair between her cousin Ferdibrand Took and Angelica Baggins, and headed right for it. Merry and Pippin were looking for seats close together, and at last saw one. Fatty Bolger and Folco Boffin were at one side, and then on the other side of the two empty chairs was Amethyst Took. Her sisters Garnet and Opal sat on the opposite side of the table. As that was the only space with two chairs together, Merry and Pippin headed straight for it.

"Hullo, Fatty," said Merry, "Do you mind if we sit here?"

"Of course not!" he responded.

Merry sat down next to the Bolger lad, and Pippin sat next to him.

"I notice you did not ask if *I* minded!" said Amethyst arrogantly.

Pippin looked abashed. He never knew what to say to something like that.

"Well," said Merry in a deceptively pleasant tone, "I’m quite sure you would not be so ill-mannered as to object."

He managed to sound quite haughty and grown-up, Pippin thought admiringly.

Amethyst gave a somewhat rude and unladylike snort, and then applied herself to her plate for a few moments. The lamb chops were good enough, but she pickily pushed her sprouts to one side, and wrinkled her nose at the way those *lads* ate theirs all up, just as though they were something good like cake. Lads, she supposed, would eat anything. She was glad she didn't have any brothers.

Across the table, Garnet and Opal whispered to one another, and giggled behind their hands as they stared at Pippin. He blushed all the way to the tips of his ears, and began to feel very uncomfortable. It was hard to eat with them staring at him that way. They looked at him as though he were some kind of strange and unusual creature.

Merry caught a glimpse of the misery on Pippin’s face, and turned a glare on the two lasses. "Why don’t you paint a picture? It will last longer."

Garnet and Opal flushed and looked away.

Fatty snickered, and Folco looked puzzled. He leaned over to Fatty, and whispered "Why were they staring? He doesn't have gravy on his chin, or anything?"

Fatty rolled his eyes, and shook his head at Folco. "I'll explain later," he whispered back. He cast a glance at Merry's tight lips. He didn't want Folco to draw Merry's ire.

Amethyst took a sip of her milk and said in a nasty tone, "I don’t wonder folk are staring. I’m quite sure they must wonder what it’s like to have a sister who’s killed some one."

Pippin went white, and then his green eyes filled. His mother had told him to pretend he did not hear, but he was not sure that he could do it. He turned to Merry in mute distress.

Merry’s face might have been made of stone. "You had better take that back, Amethyst Took. It’s not true."

Amethyst opened her eyes wide, and pretended to be astonished. "But *everyone* says so! I can't believe they are *all* wrong!"

Pippin clenched his little fists, his knuckles turning as white as his face, and he bit his lip.

"That’s enough of that!" blazed Merry. His hand snaked out behind Pippin’s back quick as lightning, and he grabbed Amethyst’s braided hair and yanked hard.

She let out a yowl that turned every head in the hall in their direction.

Merry did not let go, but tightened his hold. "I said take it back!"

"Meriadoc Brandybuck! Let go of her this instant."

It was his father’s voice, and Merry responded instantly, loosing his hold so fast that Amethyst nearly toppled from her chair. She stood up, sobbing loudly. "He nearly pulled all my hair out!"

Saradoc stood there with Paladin next to him, and Frodo just behind them.

They had come to the hall to find the lads, to see if they wished to spend some time with Frodo before the adults went in to dine. "I saw what happened, lass, and I will deal with it." He turned to Merry. "Come with me, young hobbit!"

Merry followed his father, his chin defiantly held high. Frodo gave a sad shake of his head as Merry passed.

Pippin looked up at Paladin. "Father," he said in a small voice, "I’m not hungry anymore."

Paladin picked his son up and carried him from the room, Frodo following behind.

______________________________________________

In the Brandybuck guest quarters, Saradoc stood before his son, as angry with Merry as he had ever been.

"Merry, I cannot believe you laid hands on a lass that way! You have been taught better manners than that."

Merry held his chin up. "I did not hit her."

Saradoc just stared.

Merry knew that his strategy was not going to work. The silence stretched between them, Merry feeling miserable under his father’s unblinking regard, until he finally blurted, "Did you hear what she said about Pearl? She was hurting Pippin--on purpose!"

Saradoc shook his head. "Meriadoc, you know better. What she was saying was ugly and hurtful, true, but they were only words. You do not lay your hands on a lass in violence. That you pulled her hair instead of striking her is no excuse."

"She deserved it."

"I’ve no doubt she did. But it was not your place to chastise her. If she was causing Pippin such distress, you should have taken him away from there and spoken to her parents afterwards." Really, he thought, not that it would have done much good to speak to them, but it would have been the appropriate way to handle things. Merry was old enough now to realize this. Defending Pippin was all well and good, but it did not need to involve physical violence.

Merry took a deep breath, but his chin did not go down one bit.

"I do not suppose there will be any use in telling you to apologize to her."

"No, sir." He was not about to apologize for stopping Amethyst’s hurtful words.

"Very well." Saradoc stopped a moment to reflect, his face grave as he considered carefully the consequences of the sentence he was about to pronounce. "Tomorrow is the funeral. You will attend with your mother and myself. You will not speak to Pippin or to Frodo. You will return here afterwards, and remain in these quarters, and take your meals here for the next two days."

Merry’s eyes widened. Then they would be returning to Buckland. He’d have no chance to be with Pippin or Frodo. He knew if he would apologize his father would let him off for at least one day.

But--still, the look on her face when she’d said those ugly things to Pippin…

"Very well, Da. Will you please explain to Pippin and Frodo for me? I do not wish them to think I am angry with them."

Saradoc sighed. "Yes, Merry, I will tell them." Such stubborn pride. He must have that from the Took side of the family. "Go to your room."

Merry nodded, tight-lipped.

________________________________________

When Saradoc went next door, he found Paladin and Frodo trying to console Pippin. Paladin was furious when he found out all that had been said.

"I ought to go to Reggie right now! That little chit had no right repeating such things to my little lad."

Frodo shook his head. "It would not do any good, Cousin Paladin. You know where Amethyst heard such things--it had to come from her mother, and it’s never done any good to ask Reggie to deal with Hyacinth."

They both turned when Saradoc entered.

"I hope you were not too hard on Merry, Uncle Sara," said Frodo.

"Frodo, you know that Merry could not be allowed to behave that way. I have told him he is not to speak to you and Pippin tomorrow, and he will spend the next two days in his room. He may say farewell when we leave in three days."

Pippin stared up at his uncle in shock, and then he burst into tears.

__________________________________