[piosenniel]

Amaranthas turned the cart west from Hill Lane, and headed throught the gate, taking the short upward path to Bag End. She could see Elanor and the smaller children were already out on the greensward playing some sort of tag game with Elanor as referee. Little Rose had just barely escaped the clutches of Merry and was running pell mell for the safety of Elanor’s skirts. The old Hobbit waved as she passed them, and they paused in their game to wave back then scampered quickly after her to see what she had come for.

‘I’ll get Mama,’ cried Rosie, darting away up the steps and in through the door. Elanor assisted Amaranthas from the cart, while Merry and Pippin stood by, patting Thistle on the nose. A chorus of giggles broke out as Amaranthas stepped up to the porch, and she turned to see the cause of their laughter.

Thistle’s fat tongue was in the process of making a slurping swath up the cheek of young Pippin who laughed at the wet tickle of it, while Merry giggled at him, and Goldi shrieked with laughter, clapping her pudgy little hands in delight. ‘He likes me, Miz Amaranthas!’ called Pip, as she chortled at the sight. Young Merry poked his brother and rolled his eyes. ‘You mean he likes the strawberry jam you left on your face from second breakfast!’ Goldi, by this time, had fished a linty piece of apple from the pocket of her pinafore and was holding it out for inspection to the pony.

Amaranthas heard a gasp behind her, and turned toward the door to see MIz Rose with a horrified look on her face as Thistle’s great teeth approached the toddler’s fingers. ‘He’s gentle, Miz rose. Don’t you worry about your little one’s fingers.’ She nodded toward the pony who now curled his lips back and lightly plucked the treat from Goldi’s fingers. Golldi hopped up and down with glee and searched furiously through her pockets for any more edible treasures.

‘Let’s go in, dear and sit for a minute. You look like you need to get off your feet.’ Amaranthas commandeered Rose’s arm and steered her toward the parlour. ‘Fetch your Mother something cool to drink, won’t you girls?’ she asked Elanor and Rosie, as she took the chair opposite Rose. ‘I want to talk over my plans to have her and you children over tomorrow evening.’ She leaned forward toward Rose. ‘And if you don’t mind Miz rose, I’d like to see if Frodo-lad can come over this afternoon and help get the tables and chairs set up for us all in my back yard.’

Elanor and Rose returned with tall glasses of cool tea for the both of them, and the two women fell to talking about tomorrow’s events. Elanor and Rosie sat down quietly by their mother’s chair, listening closely. Miz Rose assured her guest that Frodo-lad would be over, and with the wagon. ‘We have a trestle table he can bring to you, and some chairs, too. Though I think it will probably be only the adults who sit on them. If I know my brood, they will relish the thought of dragging their plates off to sit on the grass by themselves.’

‘Hey!’ cried Rosie, standing up to get their full attention. ‘I can help, too.’ A scuffling was heard in the doorway as young Merry and Pip poked their heads round the doorway. ‘We’re coming too!’ they scuttled in to stand with pleading faces by their mother’s chair. ‘We want to help. We’re big enough!’ Amaranthas laughed as little Pippin puffed up his chest like a partridge and flexed his scrawny, four year old arms.

‘We’ll see,’ came the noncommittal answer from Rose. ‘Now if you all will escort Miz Amaranthas back to her cart, then we’ll talk about who is going where.’