Pearl Beyond Price 10: inheritance
The Great Smials 1402
Pearl and Pippin stared at the contents at the box and hesitated to touch what they saw. It was a small book, bound in blue silk. Pearl picked it up and, with trembling fingers, opened it to the first page. There, in an elegant but somewhat inexact scrawl were the words, "The Journal of Belladonna Took." Pearl wanted to read it immediately but knew she could not risk tarrying here and being discovered by Ferumbras or one of the servants.
"Well, Pip," she said, "it looks like old Bilbo inherited his writing habits from his mother. Think of what we might learn! We have to go now, though."
Pippin looked doubtful and said, "Don't you think Ferumbras will miss it?"
Pearl shook her head and replied, "He probably does not even know of its existence."
Pearl put the book back into the little box and slipped it into the deep pocket concealed in the folds of her skirt. The two Tooks snuck out of the room and walked attempted to be as quite as possible as they walked down the hall and back towards Pearl's room. Pearl was relieved when they finally got back to her room and closed the door. Frodo and Merry were waiting for them there.
Frodo looked at her with expectation and asked, "Did you find anything?"
Pearl smiled wordlessly and held up the clever little box. She offered it to Frodo, opened it and saw what it contained. He took the book out and looked at its cover page.
Pearl hesitated then asked, "Do you think I should keep it."
Frodo thought for a moment then said, "Yes. The key came to you and Belladonna has no direct female descendants. You are the oldest Took female of your generation. Ferumbras is unlikely to marry, let alone have a daughter."
Pearl sighed, "I will trust your judgment Frodo but it still feels like stealing."
"I wonder," he mused, "if Bilbo knows about this. He did not speak much of his mother, although I know he loved her. I think the fact that she died somewhat earlier than one would expect of a daughter of the Old Took pained him."
"It could be," said Pearl, "that she did not tell him about her adventures or her journal. Belladonna and her sisters were quite close about their adventures and at least two of her brothers disappeared never to be seen in the Shire again. It could be that their adventures were unpleasant."
Pearl was looking at Frodo when she said this and felt the same frisson that she had when she told Pippin and Merry they would be heroes. It could not be. Her silly little brother's reckless ways might mature into heroics but, surely, her calm, quiet, and sweet cousin would settle down respectably and fill that enormous smial with little Bagginses.
Just then, she noticed that a ray of light was streaming through the window. She looked outside and saw that, not only had the rain stopped, but there were now large patches of blue emerging from the clouds.
Pearl and Pippin stared at the contents at the box and hesitated to touch what they saw. It was a small book, bound in blue silk. Pearl picked it up and, with trembling fingers, opened it to the first page. There, in an elegant but somewhat inexact scrawl were the words, "The Journal of Belladonna Took." Pearl wanted to read it immediately but knew she could not risk tarrying here and being discovered by Ferumbras or one of the servants.
"Well, Pip," she said, "it looks like old Bilbo inherited his writing habits from his mother. Think of what we might learn! We have to go now, though."
Pippin looked doubtful and said, "Don't you think Ferumbras will miss it?"
Pearl shook her head and replied, "He probably does not even know of its existence."
Pearl put the book back into the little box and slipped it into the deep pocket concealed in the folds of her skirt. The two Tooks snuck out of the room and walked attempted to be as quite as possible as they walked down the hall and back towards Pearl's room. Pearl was relieved when they finally got back to her room and closed the door. Frodo and Merry were waiting for them there.
Frodo looked at her with expectation and asked, "Did you find anything?"
Pearl smiled wordlessly and held up the clever little box. She offered it to Frodo, opened it and saw what it contained. He took the book out and looked at its cover page.
Pearl hesitated then asked, "Do you think I should keep it."
Frodo thought for a moment then said, "Yes. The key came to you and Belladonna has no direct female descendants. You are the oldest Took female of your generation. Ferumbras is unlikely to marry, let alone have a daughter."
Pearl sighed, "I will trust your judgment Frodo but it still feels like stealing."
"I wonder," he mused, "if Bilbo knows about this. He did not speak much of his mother, although I know he loved her. I think the fact that she died somewhat earlier than one would expect of a daughter of the Old Took pained him."
"It could be," said Pearl, "that she did not tell him about her adventures or her journal. Belladonna and her sisters were quite close about their adventures and at least two of her brothers disappeared never to be seen in the Shire again. It could be that their adventures were unpleasant."
Pearl was looking at Frodo when she said this and felt the same frisson that she had when she told Pippin and Merry they would be heroes. It could not be. Her silly little brother's reckless ways might mature into heroics but, surely, her calm, quiet, and sweet cousin would settle down respectably and fill that enormous smial with little Bagginses.
Just then, she noticed that a ray of light was streaming through the window. She looked outside and saw that, not only had the rain stopped, but there were now large patches of blue emerging from the clouds.