[Envinyatar]

‘You keep that coin safe, my friend.’ Jack lengthened his stride just a little to catch up to the Hobbit. ‘And if I were you, I wouldn’t go showing it about just yet.’ He put his hand lightly on Tollers’ shoulder. The coin looks really old, Tollers. I’ll just bet it doesn’t belong to anybody. I’ll bet they’re dead, whoever it was as lost it.' He nodded his head as if considering the problem. 'You know, I was just thinking…..where there’s one coin there probably are more.’

He stopped and stood looking upriver from where they’d tied up Tollers’ boat. The Stock Brook wound away, west, and out of sight. In the distance it became a thin silver ribbon that narrowed down to a faint gleam as it entered the shadows of the trees and hills.

‘Maybe this washed down the river…..maybe if we went up the Stock we could find others.’ He grinned and nodded at his companion. ‘Boy, oh boy! Wouldn’t that just be a treat to show everyone at the Inn? A whole handful of coins….or maybe even more….’

They reached the door to the kitchen and Tollers handed the cleaned fish into Mistress Brandybuck. Jack smiled at the cook, hoping she’d forgotten his misadventures with her dishes earlier. He handed over a basket of fat, thick mushrooms, all cleaned and layered in a basket with moss. ‘Thought these might taste good with those trout,’ he said. ‘Can’t beat a good fry-up of fish and mushrooms….no, ma’am!’