"GL1" - читать интересную книгу автора (vol06)

hobbits and their beliefs. The lights went out, a great smoke went
up, it shaped itself like a mountain, it began to glow at the top, it
burst into flames of scarlet and green, out flew a red-golden dragon
(not life-size, of course, but terribly life-like): fire came out of its
mouth, its eyes glared down, there was a roar and it whizzed three
times round the crowd. Everyone ducked and some fell flat. The
dragon passed like an express train and burst over Bywater with a
deafening explosion.
'That means it is dinner-time,' said Gandalf. A fortunate re-
mark, for the pain and alarm vanished like magic. Now really we
must hurry on, for all this is not as important as it seemed. There
was a supper for all the guests. But there was also a very special
dinner-party in the great pavilion with the tree. To that party
invitations had been limited to twelve dozen, or one gross (in
addition to Gandalf and the host), made up of all the chief
hobbits, and their elder children, to whom Bilbo was related or
with whom he was connected, or by whom he had been well-
treated at any time, or for whom he felt some special affection.
Nearly all the living Baggins[es] had been invited; a quantity of
Tooks (his relations on his mother's side); a number of Grubbs
(connections of his grandfather's), dozens of Brandybucks
(connections of his grandmother's), and various Chubbs and
Burrowses and Boffins and Proudfeet - some of whom were not
connected with Bilbo at all, within the memory of the local
historians; some even lived right on the other side of the Shire;
but they were all, of course, hobbits. Even the Sackville-Bagginses,
his first cousins on his father's side, were not omitted. There had
been some coolness between them and Mr Baggins, as you may
remember, dating from some 20 years back. But so splendid was
the invitation card, written all in gold, that they felt it was
impossible to refuse. Besides, their cousin had been specializing in

food for a good many years, and his tables had a high reputation
even in that time and country, when food was still all that it ought
to be, and abundant enough for all folk to practise both discrimi-
nation and satisfaction.
All the 144 special guests expected a pleasant feast; though they
rather dreaded the after-dinner speech of their host. He was liable
to drag in bits of what he called 'poetry'; and sometimes, after a
glass or two, would allude to the absurd adventures he said he had
had long ago - during his ridiculous vanishment. Not one of the
144 were disappointed: they had a eery pleasant feast, indeed
an engrossing entertainment: rich, abundant, varied, and pro-
longed. The purchase of provisions fell almost to zero throughout
the district during the ensuing week; but as Mr Baggins' catering
had depleted most of the stores, cellars, and warehouses for miles
around, that did not matter much.
After the feast (more or less) came the Speech. Most of the
assembled.hobbits were now in a tolerant mood - at that delicious
stage which they called filling up the 'corners' (with sips of their