Part 11 (1/2)

'What I was going to say,' Bingo went on quietly after a moment, 'was: why not stop in Bree? Is b.u.t.terbur all right? Of course, Tom Bombadil said so; but I'm learning to be suspicious.'

'Old Barnabas! ' said Trotter. 'He's perfectly all right. As sound a hobbit as there is between the West Towers and Rivendell. Gandalf was only afraid you might be too comfortable here! Barney is faithful, kind, shrewd in plain business - and not overcurious about anything but the daily events among his Bree- folk. If anything strange happens, he just invents an explanation, or puts it out of his mind as soon as possible. ”Queer,” he says, and scratches his head, and then goes back to his larder or his brewhouse.'

'Well, is it safe to stay the night here?' said Bingo, with a look at the comfortable fire and the candles. 'At any rate Gandalf said ”Don't move in the dark”.'

At this point the two versions finally merge. It will be seen that the essential differences of B from A are these. In B, b.u.t.terbur has Gandalf's letter and gives it to Bingo at the outset (though Bingo does not read it there and then). Trotter not only, as in A, 'eavesdrops' on Gandalf and his companions on the Road west of Bree, but he, not b.u.t.terbur, has the encounter with the Riders, and not of course at the inn door but on the road. The 'material' of the two accounts is closely similar, allowing for the b.u.t.terburian quality of the one, and the difference of place.

In version A Trotter, to help him make up his mind, gives Bingo the letter when Mr b.u.t.terbur has gone; in B, he reminds Bingo about it (as in FR p. r Sr ). And in B, b.u.t.terbur only now comes into the parlour, so that the realisation that Merry has not come back is postponed.

A characteristic combination of, or selection from, these divergent accounts is found in the relation between the final story in FR and the two original variants; for A is followed in mating Mr b.u.t.terbur enter in the middle of the conversation between the hobbits and Trotter/Strider - but B in mating it b.u.t.terbur who has Gandalf's letter. It is extremely characteristic, again, that Trotter's 'eavesdropping' on Gandalf and his companions behind the hedge on the Road west of Bree survives in FR (p. 176), but becomes the eavesdropping of Strider on the hobbits themselves - for, of course in FR Gandalf had been in Bree and left the letter long before, at the end of June, and at the time of the Birthday Party was far away. But while the relative chronology, as between Gandalf's movements and those of the hobbits, would be entirely reconstructed, that of the latter was never changed.

Thurs. Sept. 22.

Birthday Party.

Gandalf and Merry, with Dwarves and Elves, left Hobbiton (after the fireworks).

Fri. Sept. 23.

Bingo, Frodo, and Odo left Hobbiton and slept out.

Sat. Sept. 24.

The hobbits pa.s.sed the night with Gildor and the Elves.

Sun. Sept. 25.

The hobbits reached. Buckland at night.

Gandalf and his companions arrived at Bree in the morning.

Mon. Sept. 26.

The hobbits in the Old Forest; first night with Tom Bombadil.

Gandalf and his ; companions left Bree, Gandalf leaving letter for Bingo.

Black Rider comes to the inn (or encounters Trotter on the Road).

Tues. Sept. 27.

Second night with Tom Bombadil.

Four Riders come to the. inn (or Trotter encounters them on the Road).

Wed. Sept. 28.

Hobbits captured by Barrowight.

Thurs. Sept. 29.

Hobbits arrive at Bree.

The same dates for the hobbits' movements appear in The Tale of Years in LR Appendix B (p. 372). That the 22nd of September, the day of the Birthday Party, was a Thursday first appears in the fourth version of 'A Long-expected Party' (FR p. 34); originally it was a Sat.u.r.day (seePP. ax, 38).

For the significance of the additions in pencil on pp. 153-4, whereby Trotter is made to have seen the Riders 'away west of Bree' already on the Sat.u.r.day, before Gandalf arrived there, and to have spoken with Gandalf about them when they met, see p. 217, note 11.

From the point where the two versions join, the text (in ink over pencil) proceeds thus. I give it in full, since though much was retained in FR there are a very great many differences in detail.

'You mustn't,' said Trotter; 'and so you can't help staying here tonight. What has been done can't be helped; and we must hope that all will be well. I don't think anything will get inside this inn, once it is locked. But, of course, we must get off as early as may be in the morning. I shall be up and about sooner than the Sun and Ill see all is ready. You are two or three days behind - somehow. Perhaps you will tell me as we go along what you have been up to. Unless you start early, and go fast, I doubt if you'll find any camp on Weathertop.'

'In that case let's get to bed now! ' said Odo yawning. 'Where's that silly fellow Merry? It would be too much, if we had to go out now and look for him.'

At that very moment they heard a door slam, and feet running in the pa.s.sage. Merry came in with a rush, shut the door hastily, and leaned against it. He was out of breath. They stared at him in alarm for a moment; then he gasped: 'I've seen one, Bingo. I've seen one! '

'What?' they cried all together.

'A Black Rider! '

'Where?'said Bingo.

'Here. In the village,' he answered. 'I had come back from a stroll, and was standing just outside the light from the door, looking at the stars: it is a fine night, but dark. I felt something coming towards, if you know what I mean: there was a sort of dark shadow; and then I saw him for a second,(14) just as he pa.s.sed through the beam of light from the door. He was leading his horse along the gra.s.s-edge on the other side of the Road, and hardly made a sound.'

'Which way did he go?' asked Trotter.

Merry started, noticing the stranger for the first time. 'Go on,' said Bingo. 'This is a messenger from Gandalf. He will help us.'

'I followed him,' said Merry. 'He went through the village, right to the east end, where the Road turns round the foot of the hill. Suddenly he stopped under a dark hedge; and I thought I heard him speaking, or whispering, to someone on the other side. I wasn't sure, though I crept as near as I dared. But I'm afraid I came over all queer and trembling suddenly, and bolted back.'

'What's to be done?' said Bingo, turning to Trotter.

'Don't go to your rooms! ' said Trotter at once. 'That must have been Bill Ferny - for his hole is at the east end of Bree; and it is more than likely that he will have found out which rooms you have got. They have small windows looking back west and the outside walls are not very thick. We'll all stay in here, bar the door and window, and take turns to watch.(15) But first we had better fetch your baggage - and arrange the beds! '

At this point my father interrupted his original pencilled draft text to set down a sketch of the story to come, and since he did not overwrite this part of the ma.n.u.script in ink it can be read - or could be, if it were not written in a scribble at the very limit of legibility and beyond.

That was done. Pillows put in beds. Nothing happens that night - but in the morning windows open, pillows on floor. The ponies have all vanished. Timothy [i.e. Timothy t.i.tus the landlord] in a great state. They..... [?a bill]. He pays for ponies [?but there are] no more to be had. Shortage in the village. They go on with Trotter on foot. Trotter takes them to a wild hobbit hole, and [? gets his friend] to run on ahead and send a message to Weathertop by pony? Trotter [?guides them by quiet paths off the....] road and going through the woods. Once far in distance on a hill which looked down on to a piece of the road they thought they saw a Black Rider sitting on his horse [?scanning] the road [?and the country round].

..... Weathertop [?about] 50 [written beside: 100] miles from Bree.

Commanding view all round.

Gandalf had gone, but left a pile of stones - message. Waited two days. Must go on. Push on for ford. Help will be easy from Rivendell, if I get there.

They come to Troll Stones..... of Road. Here owing to River ahead they [?are obliged] to go back to Road. Black Riders evidently expect them to visit Troll-wood [> Trollshaw] and are waiting on road where path joined it.

At this stage, then, my father did not at all foresee the attack on the hobbits at Weathertop, just as in the earlier sketch given on p. 126 he did not foresee the attack on the inn. The visit to the Troll Stones had already been envisaged in that sketch (there described as 'foolish'), and there as here the Riders would only finally come upon them at the Ford.

This is the first occurrence of the name Trollshaw, which appears on the LR map (Trollshaws) but nowhere in the text.

The text in ink continues: Trotter was now accepted as a member of the party, indeed as their guide. They at once did as he suggested; and creeping to their bedrooms they disordered the clothes, and put a pillow longwise in each bed. Odo added a brown fur mat, a more realistic subst.i.tute for his head. When they were all gathered in the sitting- room again, they piled their things on the floor, pushed a low chair against the door, and shut the window. Peeping out Bingo saw it was still a clear night: he then closed and barred the heavy inside shutters, drew the curtains, and blew out the candles. The hobbits lay on their blankets with their feet towards the fire. Trotter lay in the chair against the door. They did not talk much, but fell asleep one by one.(16) Nothing happened in the night to disturb them. Both Merry and Bingo woke up once in the early and still dark hours, fancying they had heard or felt something moving; but soon they fell asleep again. They noticed that Trotter seemed to be sitting awake in his chair with his eyes open. It was also Trotter that drew the curtains and opened the shutters and let in the early light. He seemed to be able to do with next to no sleep. As soon as he had roused them they tiptoed along the pa.s.sage to their bedrooms.