to their own country. they had journeyed thus far by the west-ways, for they had much to speak of with elrond and with gandalf, and here they lingered still in converse with their friends. often long after the hobbits were wrapped in sleep they would sit together under the stars, recalling the ages that were gone and all their joys and labours in the world, or holding council, concerning the days to come. if any wanderer had chanced to pass, little would he have seen or heard, and it would have seemed to him only that he saw grey figures, carved in stone, memorials of forgotten things now lost in unpeopled lands. for they did not move or speak with mouth, looking from mind to mind; and only their shining eyes stirred and kindled as their thoughts went to and fro.

but at length all was said, and they parted again for a while, until it was time for the three rings to pass away. quickly fading into the stones and the shadows the grey-cloaked people of lorien rode towards the mountains; and those who were going to rivendell sat on the hill and watched, until there came out of the gathering mist a flash; and then they saw no more. frodo knew that galadriel had held aloft her ring in token of farewell.

sam turned away and sighed: 'i wish i was going back to lorien!'

at last one evening they came over the high moors, suddenly as to travellers it always seemed, to the brink of the deep valley of rivendell and saw far below the lamps shining in elrond's house. and they went down and crossed the bridge and came to the doors, and all the house was filled with light and song for joy at elrond's homecoming.

first of all, before they had eaten or washed or even shed their cloaks, the hobbits went in search of bilbo. they found him all alone in his little room. it was littered with papers and pens and pencils; but bilbo was sitting in a chair before a small bright fire. he looked very old, but peaceful, and sleepy.

he opened his eyes and looked up as they came in. 'hullo, hullo!' he said. 'so you've come back? and tomorrow's my birthday, too. how clever of you! do you know, i shall be one hundred and twenty-nine? and in one year more, if i am spared, i shall equal the old took. i should like to beat him; but we shall see.'

after the celebration of bilbo's birthday the four hobbits stayed in rivendell for some days, and they sat much with their old friend, who spent most of his time now in his room, except at meals. for these he was still very punctual as a rule, and he seldom failed to wake up in time for them. sitting round the fire they told him in turn all that they could remember of their journeys and adventures. at first he pretended to take some notes; but he often fell asleep; and when he woke he would say: 'how splendid! how wonderful! but where were we?' then they went on with the story from the point where he had begun to nod.

the only part that seemed really to rouse him and hold his attention was the account of the crowning and marriage of aragorn. 'i was invited to the wedding of course,' he said. 'and i have waited for it long enough. but somehow, when it came to it, i found i had so much to do here; and packing is such a bother.'

when nearly a fortnight had passed frodo looked out of his window and saw that there had been a frost in the night, and the cobwebs were like white nets. then suddenly he knew that he must go, and say good-bye to bilbo. the weather was still calm and fair, after one of the most lovely summers that people could remember; but october had come, and it must break soon and begin to rain and blow again. and there was still a very long way to go. yet it was not really the thought of the weather that stirred him. he had a feeling that it was time he went back to the shire. sam shared it. only the night before he had said:

'well, mr. frodo, we've been far and seen a deal, and yet i don't think we've found a better place than this. there's something of everything here, if you understand me: the shire and the golden wood and gondor and kings' houses and inns and meadows and mountains all mixed. and yet, somehow, i feel we ought to be going soon. i'm worried about my gaffer, to tell you the truth.'

'yes, something of everything, sam, except the sea,' frodo had answered; and he repeated it now to himself: 'except the sea.'

that day frodo spoke to elrond, and it was agreed that they should leave the next morning. to their delight gandalf said: 'i think i shall come too. at least as far as bree. i want to see butterbur.'

in the evening they went to say good-bye to bilbo. 'well, if you must go, you must,' he said. 'i am sorry. i shall miss you. it is nice just to know that you are about the place. but i am getting very sleepy.' then he gave frodo his mithril-coat and sting, forgetting that he had already done so; and he gave him also three books of lore that he had made at various times, written in his spidery hand, and labelled on their red backs: translations from the elvish, by b.b.

to sam he gave a little bag of gold. 'almost the last drop of the smaug vintage,' he said. 'may come in useful, if you think of getting married, sam.' sam blushed.

'i have nothing much to give to you young fellows,' he said to merry and pippin, 'except good advice.' and when he had given them a fair sample of this, he added a last item in shire-fashion: 'don't let your heads get too big for your hats! but if you don't finish growing up soon, you are going to find hats and clothes expensive.'

'but if you want to beat the old took,' said pippin, 'i don't see why we shouldn't try and beat the bullroarer.'

bilbo laughed, and he produced out of a pocket two beautiful pipes with pearl mouth-pieces and bound with fine-wrought silver. 'think of me when you smoke them!' he said. 'the elves made them for me, but i don't smoke now.' and then suddenly he nodded and went to sleep for a little; and when he woke up again he said: 'now where were we? yes, of course, giving presents. which reminds me: what's become of my ring, frodo, that you took away?'

'i have lost it, bilbo dear,' said frodo. 'i got rid of it, you know.'

'what a pity!' said bilbo. 'i should have liked to see it again. but no, how silly of me! that's what you went for, wasn't it: to get rid of it? but it is all so confusing, for such a lot of other things seem to have got mixed up with it: aragorn's affairs, and the white council and gondor, and the horsemen, and southrons, and oliphaunts ?c did you really see one, sam? ?c and caves and towers and golden trees, and goodness knows what besides.

'i evidently came back by much too straight a road from my trip. i think gandalf might have shown me round a bit. but then the auction would have been over before i got back, and i should have had even more trouble than i did. anyway it's too late now; and really i think it's much more comfortable to sit here and hear about it all. the fire's very cosy here, and the food's very good, and there are elves when you want them. what more could one want?

the road goes ever on and on

out from the door where it began.

now far ahead the road has gone,

let others follow it who can!

let them a journey new begin,

but i at last with weary feet

will turn towards the lighted inn,

my evening-rest and sleep to meet.'

and as bilbo murmured the last words his head dropped on his chest and he slept soundly.

the evening deepened in the room, and the firelight burned brighter; and they looked at bilbo as he slept and saw that his face was smiling. for some time they sat in silence; and then sam looking round at the room and the shadows flickering on the walls, said softly:

'i don't think, mr. frodo, that he's done much writing while we've been away. he won't ever write our story now.'

at that bilbo opened an eye, almost as if he had heard. then he roused himself. 'you see, i am getting so sleepy,' he said. 'and when i have time to write, i only really like writing poetry. i wonder, frodo my dear fellow, if you would very much mind tidying things up a bit before you go? collect all my notes and papers, and my diary too, and take them with you, if you will. you see, i haven't much time for the selection and the arrangement and all that. get sam to help, and when you've knocked things into shape, come back, and i'll run over it. i won't be too critical.'

'of course i'll do it!' said frodo. 'and of course i'll come back soon: it won't be dangerous any more. there is a real king now and he will soon put the roads in order.'

'thank you, my dear fellow!' said bilbo. 'that really is a very great relief to my mind.' and with that he fell fast asleep again.

the next day gandalf and the hobbits took leave of bilbo in his room, for it was cold out of doors; and then they said farewell to elrond and all his household.

as frodo stood upon the threshold, elrond wished him a fair journey, and blessed him, and he said:

'i think, frodo, that maybe you will not need to come back, unless you come very soon. for about this time of the year, when the leaves are gold before they fall, look for bilbo in the woods of the shire. i shall be with him.'

these words no one else heard, and frodo kept them to himself.