little gentleman

Just when the hobbits hadn't passed the freshness of the human king, another great event happened: a group of noble elves came to Shire!

The race of elves seldom leaves their territory. Although with the increasingly frequent trade, the residence of elves is no longer as mysterious as before, and elves can often be seen in the upper class of human beings.But generally speaking, the elves are not a nation that is good at dealing with others. They prefer traditional things and are happy to maintain their original life.

Living in remote villages, it is difficult for hobbits to see elves. In a sense, the life of hobbits is more closed than that of elves, so parents can only use stories passed down from generation to generation to dispel children's fear of elves. curious.Bilbo grew up hearing these stories, and then used the same ones to fool Frodo, and when he found that Frodo was as foolish as he was when he was a child, he went to the woods to find elves and wondered if his education was wrong. problem, and Bilbo regretted telling him those stories even more when young Frodo accidentally poked a hornet's nest and came back with a big bag on his head.Later, for treatment, Frodo's hair was shaved, which also taught him a painful lesson that he will never forget.

Now that real elves have come to the Shire, the hobbits are almost cheering that they are about to see elves, living, moving, soft to the touch and not like the illustrations of elves in picture books. Same feel - and before long they'll learn a new lesson: Don't touch a living elf.

The elves don't live near Hobbiton, but in a town three miles away.Many curious hobbits had gone to see the elves, including Pippin and Merry.They came back and said that elves would ride by in the streets, like human riders, but had never seen a single elf on foot, and Pippin guessed absurdly that no elf could walk.They also said that the elves were so beautiful that it was impossible to tell the sex. "Or there are no male elves at all!" Merry joked.

Frodo was very envious when he heard this, and he wanted to go to the town too, so he begged Bilbo to let him go.Bilbo wondered too, and he was as curious about Elves as Frodo, or more, but he didn't think going to town was a good idea: "Elves hate rude people, Frodo, and now they've just settled down , I am afraid that too many locals are not welcome to bother.”

But soon their wish would come true. On Wednesday Merry came to Bag End and told Bilbo and Frodo: "My uncle is throwing a party at his house this Saturday and you are all invited." ——The elves will also come to participate!"

"Really? They accepted the hobbit's invitation!" Bilbo was surprised.

"Elves are friendly, they're just not sociable!" Merry had changed her mind about elves.

"I'd like to see pretty elves, I've never seen a few straight-haired girls in my life!" Bilbo teased, laughing.

"Oh, that's hard to say, they all look like pretty girls to me!" Merry was telling the truth.

Frodo couldn't wait any longer: "I wish tomorrow was Saturday!"

"Tomorrow is Thursday, dear." Bilbo looked at the date.

The party was lively, although the scale was small, the atmosphere was not diminished.To accommodate the height of some guests, the party was held in the garden, and every table was filled with freshly baked treats.The elves did come, but only three, and it turned out that they were all men, and Bilbo's hopes of seeing a female elf were dashed.But he was not disappointed, he finally got to meet these wonderful creatures that he only knew about in the stories, and now he was under the same roof with them, and Bilbo found that the elves were not as proud as the legends said, they were just born with temperament quiet.But as the conversation deepened, Bilbo guessed the most important reason for the approachability of these elves: they told him that they were not noble elves, but the companions of a noble elf prince, who for some reason wanted to A few days later, they came to the small town first.

Bilbo did not despise the elves because of this. On the contrary, their kindness was not condescending, and the relationship between them and him was a real equal, which made him feel more at ease.To his delight, the elves raved about the hobbit's pastry, and enjoyed the tea too—the elves had refilled it twice during the conversation.

"Then what is the business of your noble princes coming here?" asked Bilbo.

"The Shire is a good place, with beautiful mountains and clear waters," said the youngest elf, "the hobbits who live here are the most elusive race in the whole Middle-earth. You never participate in any social activities. Very limited."

"I'm afraid it's because the Shire can already meet all our needs." Bilbo never knew that his race was also mysterious to outsiders, especially if the person who said this was an elf.

"But one day you will have to go out and communicate with other races," the elf continued. "We elves also lived a closed life, but now everything has changed. All this is due to human business."

"That's right, the merchants are the most special race on this continent!" Bilbo laughed.Today, peddlers are not limited to human beings. No matter what race or country, there is no barrier between peddlers. This is an industry that transcends languages ​​and races, and it is this industry that connects the entire continent.

"And now that men have come to the Shire, perhaps you hobbits will play an important role in the future," said the elf, "so we elves will not ignore this."

Their chat was interrupted by the sound and laughter of a piece of music played by Frodo, who was good at the traditional hobbit strings.Pippin and Merry and several other young hobbits were dancing to the music, and Sam was dancing with a hobbit girl who was slightly taller than he was, and for the first time in days Sam smiled lightly.

When everyone was having fun, someone came to the party, and it was Aragorn and his friends.

"Welcome, Your Majesty the King!" Merry's uncle went up to meet him, raised his head vigorously and smiled enthusiastically at Aragorn.

"Thank you, this party is great!" Aragorn bowed.

Frodo caught the strings in his hand, and the music stopped abruptly.

"Hey! What's the matter, Frodo?" cried Pippin to Frodo, disapprovingly.

Then everyone turned their attention to Aragorn, and the scene became a little awkward for a while.

Bilbo stood up hastily, and took the harp from Frodo's hand just in time. "Go, boy! I'll take your place." With a flick of his finger, the music began again cheerfully, and the crowd returned to joy.

From a distance, Bilbo saw Aragorn coming up to Frodo, crouching down and whispering something affectionately. Frodo blushed and nodded, and the two joined in the dance.Bilbo smiled and looked away, and played harder.

Thorin stood a little farther away, looking silently at Bilbo across the passing people, who did not look at him, absorbed in his instrument.Bilbo was smiling broadly at this moment, and his dark blue eyes were framed by soft curls that fell on his brow.For the first time Thorin noticed how bright Bilbo's eyes were.

Merry's uncle came to Thorin's side: "Your Majesty, don't you think that dancing is an elegant and pleasant activity? Our young people like to dance, and it is the entertainment that every educated person likes!"

"Yes, and it prevails in the lower classes as well—every barbarian can dance!" said Thorin grimly.

Mei Li's uncle was speechless for a while, he said hesitantly: "I heard that His Majesty's dancing skills are quite good, I wonder if you can do me a favor?"

"As long as conditions permit, I will not reward this face anywhere!" Thorin said mercilessly.

At the end of the song, a young hobbit took Bilbo's place, and Bilbo was able to rest for a while, and he was about to go to the tea table for a drink when he passed Thorin.

Merry's uncle saw an opportunity to be courteous, and he grabbed Bilbo: "Dear Bilbo, wait a moment!" He turned to Thorin: "Your Majesty, please allow me to introduce you to a lovely partner: Mr. Bilbo Baggins is a good dancer, if you are interested in hobbit dancing, let him teach you!" he said, taking Bilbo's hand to Thorin.

Thorin was stunned and didn't make any next move, but it wasn't that he didn't want to take Bilbo's hand, on the contrary, he was a little pleasantly surprised.

But Bilbo withdrew his hand first. "No, I don't think His Majesty will be interested. Let's not bother Your Majesty with these boring country people's entertainment!"

"It would be a great honor for me to dance with you." Thorin said very politely, but his politeness could not conceal his arrogance.

"You are very kind, Your Majesty," said Bilbo with a teasing laugh, "but I know it is an insincere kindness, all out of kindness and courtesy, and though it proves your kindness once more, how can I Can I force you to participate in activities that disgust you? Excuse me!" After speaking, he smiled slightly, his bright eyes rolled slightly, and then walked lightly to the dining table.

Thorin's eyes followed Bilbo's departing figure, still immersed in the vague admiration welling up in his heart.

Gilleen quietly came behind Thorin and said softly, "I can guess what you're thinking."

"Oh? I don't think so!" Thorin was still looking at Bilbo, who was joking with the two hobbits.

"You're thinking what a nuisance it would be to spend the whole evening with these stupid people in such a boring place, and I think the same!" Jillraine said triumphantly.

"You are quite wrong," Thorin said. "I am thinking of something beautiful."

"Here? What is it?" Gillian asked strangely.

"I was thinking: what a joy it is to have beautiful eyes on a beautiful face!" Thorin exclaimed.

Gillian asked in surprise: "God! Which beauty's beautiful eyes made you have such an idea?"

"Bilbo Baggins," said Thorin without thinking.

"Bilbo Baggins?" Jillraine was angry and amused. "I'm amazed!"