Lord of the rings, Brotherhood of the ring
When
Mr.
Bilbo
Baggins
of
Bag
End
announced
that
he
would
shortly
be
celebrating
his
eleventy-first
birthday
with
a
party
of
special
magnificence
,
there
was
much
talk
and
excitement
in
Hobbiton
.
Bilbo
was
very
rich
and
very
peculiar
,
and
had
been
the
wonder
of
the
Shire
for
sixty
years
,
ever
since
his
remarkable
disappearance
and
unexpected
return
.
The
riches
he
had
brought
back
from
his
travels
had
now
become
a
local
legend
,
and
it
was
popularly
believed
,
whatever
the
old
folk
might
say
,
that
the
Hill
at
Bag
End
was
full
of
tunnels
stuffed
with
treasure
.
And
if
that
was
not
enough
for
fame
,
there
was
also
his
prolonged
vigour
to
marvel
at
.
Time
wore
on
,
but
it
seemed
to
have
little
effect
on
Mr.
Baggins
.
At
ninety
he
was
much
the
same
as
at
fifty
.
At
ninety-nine
they
began
to
call
him
well-preserved
,
but
unchanged
would
have
been
nearer
the
mark
.
There
were
some
that
shook
their
heads
and
thought
this
was
too
much
of
a
good
thing
;
it
seemed
unfair
that
anyone
should
possess
(
apparently
)
perpetual
youth
as
well
as
(
reputedly
)
inexhaustible
wealth
.
'
It
will
have
to
be
paid
for
,
'
they
said
.
'
It
is
n't
natural
,
and
trouble
will
come
of
it
!
'
But
so
far
trouble
had
not
come
;
and
as
Mr.
Baggins
was
generous
with
his
money
,
most
people
were
willing
to
forgive
him
his
oddities
and
his
good
fortune
.
He
remained
on
visiting
terms
with
his
relatives
(
except
,
of
course
,
the
Sackville-Bagginses
)
,
and
he
had
many
devoted
admirers
among
the
hobbits
of
poor
and
unimportant
families
.
But
he
had
no
close
friends
,
until
some
of
his
younger
cousins
began
to
grow
up
.
The
eldest
of
these
,
and
Bilbo
's
favourite
,
was
young
Frodo
Baggins
.
When
Bilbo
was
ninety-nine
,
he
adopted
Frodo
as
his
heir
,
and
brought
him
to
live
at
Bag
End
;
and
the
hopes
of
the
Sackville-Bagginses
were
finally
dashed
.
Bilbo
and
Frodo
happened
to
have
the
same
birthday
,
September
22nd
.
'
You
had
better
come
and
live
here
,
Frodo
my
lad
,
'
said
Bilbo
one
day
;
'
and
then
we
can
celebrate
our
birthday-parties
comfortably
together
.
'
At
that
time
Frodo
was
still
in
his
tweens
,
as
the
hobbits
called
the
irresponsible
twenties
between
childhood
and
coming
of
age
at
thirty-three
.
Twelve
more
years
passed
.
Each
year
the
Bagginses
had
given
very
lively
combined
birthday-parties
at
Bag
End
;
but
now
it
was
understood
that
something
quite
exceptional
was
being
planned
for
that
autumn
.
Bilbo
was
going
to
be
eleventy-one
,
111
,
a
rather
curious
number
and
a
very
respectable
age
for
a
hobbit
(
the
Old
Took
himself
had
only
reached
130
)
;
and
Frodo
was
going
to
be
thirty-three
,
33
)
an
important
number
:
the
date
of
his
'
coming
of
age
'
.
Tongues
began
to
wag
in
Hobbiton
and
Bywater
;
and
rumour
of
the
coming
event
travelled
all
over
the
Shire
.
The
history
and
character
of
Mr.
Bilbo
Baggins
became
once
again
the
chief
topic
of
conversation
;
and
the
older
folk
suddenly
found
their
reminiscences
in
welcome
demand
.
No
one
had
a
more
attentive
audience
than
old
Ham
Gamgee
,
commonly
known
as
the
Gaffer
.
He
held
forth
at
The
Ivy
Bush
,
a
small
inn
on
the
Bywater
road
;
and
he
spoke
with
some
authority
,
for
he
had
tended
the
garden
at
Bag
End
for
forty
years
,
and
had
helped
old
Holman
in
the
same
job
before
that
.
Now
that
he
was
himself
growing
old
and
stiff
in
the
joints
,
the
job
was
mainly
carried
on
by
his
youngest
son
,
Sam
Gamgee
.
Both
father
and
son
were
on
very
friendly
terms
with
Bilbo
and
Frodo
.
They
lived
on
the
Hill
itself
,
in
Number
3
Bagshot
Row
just
below
Bag
End
.
'
A
very
nice
well-spoken
gentlehobbit
is
Mr.
Bilbo
,
as
I
've
always
said
,
'
the
Gaffer
declared
.
