Bilbo stood by the gate as the rest of the guests arrived, each pleased with the small gifts he presented. Those of his parent's generation or older went into Bag End to present their greetings to his mother and father. The younger children were shooed off to the Party Field where Uncle Bingo had organised a game of "Stop-and-Go". Some of the older lads had begun a game of kick-the-ball while many of the lasses were skipping rope. Some of the tweens and younger adults were playing a game of quoits which had been set up in one corner of the field. And beneath a pavilion near the Party Tree, tables of food and drink had been set up (it would be kept replenished all through the afternoon until after teatime) and was receiving many visitors.

Bilbo looked longingly at all the activity, but he knew his duty, and until all had arrived he must remain at the gate and pass out his presents until all his guests had arrived. At least Rory and Dora stayed by his side, Rory helping Bilbo to pass out the gifts as Dora ticked off the guests on the list.

Rory looked in the baskets. "There are only a few things left," he said.

"That's all right," said Dora, "the only ones left on the list are Herugar and Jessimine Bolger, their two sons Celedor and Odovocar and their little lass Posey. She's just a faunt."

Bilbo breathed a sigh of relief as Rory jabbed him with an elbow: Herry and his lads were walking up the path now, though with no sign of wife or baby.

"Little Posey's got a cold, and her mama thought they'd best stay home, today, Bilbo." said Herry.

Bilbo presented the little lads with their gifts, and pointed them in the direction of the games. As they sped off, he commiserated with their father and passed along the gifts intended for wife and baby. After chatting with Bilbo a while, Herry went off in the direction of the refreshment pavilion.

"We're finished, Bilbo!" exclaimed Rory. "There's nothing left for us or for you until time for the Family Supper!"

"So that means we are free to enjoy the Party now, oh taskmasters?" Bilbo grinned. At Rory's nod, Bilbo made a shooing noise at both his younger cousins. Rory took off like a stone from a sling in the direction of the ball game, Dora made a more dignified exit back into Bag End.

Bilbo sauntered down to the refreshment pavilion, enduring many backslaps, handshakes and congratulations on his majority along the way. Tables and benches had been set up, as well as casks of beer and ale. He managed to get a mug of ale and maneuver his way to where he saw his cousins Siggy and Adalgrim standing. The two were watching the faunts and younger children as they played the various games that Uncle Bingo had arranged, assisted by a few of the tween-aged lasses. Several hobbit mothers were watching from the sidelines, in case their help was needed. The three cousins found a nearby bench where they could sit and enjoy their ales. They caught up on their doings since they had seen one another last (for not everything gets into a letter, nor do those doings which do get written of seem the same as when they are told).

Adalgrim could not keep his eyes from straying often to the part of the field where the tiny fauntlings played, and where Periwinkle stood with his youngest, wee Peridot, who was scarcely a year old and still a babe-in-arms. His conversations were filled with anecdotes about his little daughters. Pearl was six now, and technically out of faunthood--a lively child and according to her doting father, quite the cleverest child of that age he had ever encountered. "Why she can count to twenty already, and the other day she helped her mother to make scones! I'd like to start teaching her letters, but Winkie insists we must wait until she is seven."

Bilbo and Siggy both winced at their cousin's nickname for his wife; she endured it from no one but him, and would even scold him mildly for it. But Siggy had made the mistake once of using it and been treated to a withering glare that still made him shudder.

Just then, as if she had known she was spoken of, Periwinkle turned her gaze in their direction, and signaled to her husband that she needed him. With a rueful sigh, he downed the last of his ale and put his mug on the bench. "She probably needs me to watch Pearl and Primmie while she goes off to feed little Peri. He rose and sauntered off giving Bilbo and Siggy a brief wave.

Bilbo sighed. "It still seems odd to see our Chop all settled down with a family and turned into an Adalgrim, even after all these years."

"Well, our old 'Chop' is still there underneath. But he's besotted with his wife. It doesn't seem a hardship to him to please her by being a little more respectable." Siggy grinned. "I am very glad you invited Malva. Though I wish she was out here..." Malva was inside Bag End, dancing attendance on her mother, who had gone inside to visit Belladonna."

"I'd never dream of not having her here, not when you seem to have finally made up your mind." Siggy and Malva Hornblower's courtship had blown hot and cold over the years, but they finally seemed to have settled things between them.

"I will tell you a secret, cousin," said Siggy. "Now I'm of age, and she will be so in just six weeks. We plan on making our betrothal official then. And we are going to have our wedding at Midsummer's  Day next year. Will you stand with me, Bilbo?"

Bilbo suppressed a whoop of joy. "Of course I will, Sigismond Took!" The two cousins clasped hands in settlement of the agreement.

"Ah, look, Bilbo!" Siggy pointed in the direction of Bag End, where many of the older hobbits were coming out and heading in the direction of the refreshments, which they noticed had been substantially replenished. "It's teatime!" Both rose and headed over, Bilbo to assume his duties as host once more, and Siggy to claim Miss Malva for the evening.

The table was far more laden than it had been earlier; in addition to a tea service at each end, there were cakes of all sorts and sizes, scones, berries and clotted cream, biscuits of both the sweet and savoury sort, and sandwiches cut into fancy shapes. Bilbo spotted one of his favourite types of biscuit, though they were called "Bucklebury cakes", and were a sort of shortbread flavoured with rosewater and nutmeg*. He knew at once his mother had made them herself.

After tea, some of the hobbits his parents had engaged to help with the party moved the leftover food and drink to a smaller table by the musicians' pavilion, in order to prepare the larger pavilion for the family supper.

The musicians had begun playing and when the first notes of "The Tangle Dance"* began, summoning many hobbits young and old and in between, the dancing began. Bilbo himself led the tangle, and by the time the music ended all the hobbits were so tangled they could scarcely move. All broke apart to much hilarity as a more sedate pavane was started up, to enable dancers to catch their breath. Bilbo chose his mother as his partner to lead the dance.

Bilbo joined in the circle dances with enthusiasm and for the dances with couples or sets, he chose his partners from among his aunts and his older married cousins, or from lasses in their teens and early tweens, who would enjoy the dancing but were too young to read anything into his attention. He danced twice with Dora, and once with her young friend Menegilda Goold, who was visiting Dora in Hobbiton from her home in Stock. Bilbo noticed with amusement that Rory also danced with Gilda, and more than once.He danced several times with his mother, and with Aunt Mirabella and Aunt Donnamira and Aunt Citrine. He even danced once with Cousin Lalia. Other than accepting him when he asked, she did not even speak once to him. But at least he had done his duty as a host. Any lasses of his own age who might have hoped to dance with the Baggins heir were sadly disappointed.

He also took time to speak to various guests, especially among his relations who considered themselves too old for the exertion of dancing. He took note that the evening was drawing in--Rory had summoned up the helpers to light the lanterns in the Party Tree, and Dora was seeing to the setting up of the children's table for the supper to come. (This was for the younger children of the adults who had been invited to the Family Supper.) Dora had volunteered herself and Gilda to watch over the children's table. The lasses from the village whom his mother had engaged began to lay the big table.

Guests who were not staying began making their farewells, and Bilbo found himself shaking hands and thanking them for coming. He saw his mother slipping back up to Bag End--to fetch his father. The large cake was brought out, but Bilbo could not tear his eyes away from Bag End's front door until he saw his parents emerge. Bungo was, as usual, using his cane. But his step was sure, if slow. Bilbo stood by the large basket with the special family gifts, and distributed them to his kin as they took their places in the pavilion. When the last of them had been given out, he took his seat.

Bilbo was at the center of the long table, and his parents to either side of him. All the other relatives were ranged about the table. The serving lasses went around the table filling the goblets with wine. Then Bungo stood, goblet in hand and raised it high: "To the byrding, my son Bilbo Baggins, who is thirty-three and comes of age this day! May he have many more birthdays to come!"

All up and down the table was raised the chorus of: "To Bilbo!"

Bilbo blushed to the tips of his ears, but stood gamely to give his speech (thankfully a short one): "Thank you very much for coming to my Party! I'm glad I can celebrate this day with my dear family and friends, and I look forward to taking up the responsibilities and privileges of adulthood. I hope you all are having a very good time!"

He sat down rather abruptly--more so than he'd intended--and heard a few chuckles at his mild discomfiture. It was all in good nature.

The food was plentiful: there were several roasted chickens, two immense hams, a large beef roast with Westfarthing pudding**, mounds of fluffy mashed potatoes, great dishes of roasted root vegetables, beans stewed with onions and hamhock, bowls of salad greens dressed with oil and vinegar, mushrooms stuffed, mushrooms fried, mushrooms stewed, baskets of freshly baked breads, crocks of pickles, bowls of fresh fruit and platters of cheese and savoury biscuits for filling in of corners, and plenty of wine or a choice of tea for those who preferred it.

For afters, there was of course, birthday cake, and also a large dish of candies in the shape of mushrooms.

At first there was a loud and pleasant hubbub of conversation, but as the hobbits slowed down in their eating and began to grow sated, the table grew quieter though still cheerful. When Dora appeared from the children's table with Drogo yawning at her side and Dudo asleep over her shoulder, Cousin Fosco and Cousin Ruby decided it was time to go home. Bilbo stood and gave Dora his sincere thanks and a kiss on the top of her head to thank her for all her help. She did look exhausted, but she gave him a smile of pleasure. "You are welcome, Cousin Bilbo," she said. This was the signal for those hobbits who also had children and who were staying at the inns or lived in the village to collect their offspring and leave. Soon enough only those staying in Bag End itself were left.  Bilbo had thanked a very tired Rory and sent him off with his parents.

He watched his parents make their slow way back up to Bag End from the Party Field, along with their holeguests. He took a moment to speak to Jackdaw Twofoot, who was supervising the hobbits who would be taking down the tables and striking the pavilions, thanking him for his help, and reminding him to make sure all the lanterns, torches and candles were well and truly out.

Then he made his own way back to Bag End, exhausted and with much to think about.

* The Tangle Dance is a dance popular in the Society for Creative Anachronism, and is more properly called the Tangle Bransle (pronounced "brawl"). Dancers begin in a large circle dance, and then after a few measures of the music, the designated leader drops the hand on his left and begins to weave the dancers in and out, ducking under the arms of other dancers. The idea is not to break hold until the end, and to get all the dancers thoroughly tangled up. It's a great icebreaker dance, and one I have appropriated for "my" Shire-universe.

** Known in our day as "Yorkshire pudding", a sort of breadish pudding of flour, eggs and milk cooked in the drippings of roast beef.