Resilient Seeker Coaching | Ross Raymond Nunamaker

Book 1, Chapter I, A Long-Expected Party

Third Age (From Appendix B)

• 2890: Bilbo is born
• 2942: Bilbo Returns to the Shire with the Ring
• 2944: Gollum Leaves the Mountains and Begins his Search for the ‘Thief’ of the Ring
• 2968: Frodo is Born
• 2980: Gollum Reaches Mordor
• 3001: Bilbo’s Farewell Feast

In the year 3001 Gandalf suspects the ring of Bilbo is the One Ring. The guard on the Shire is doubled. It is also the year of Bilbo’s eleventy-first birthday and Frodo’s coming of age, his thirty third.  He decides to have a feast ‘of special significance’.

Bilbo was thought to be wildly rich with tunnels under Bag End filled with gold from his adventure some sixty years before. During that time he appeared not to have aged at all and the people felt being wealthy beyond wealth and so well-preserved was too much for one Hobbit.

When Bilbo was 99 years old he adopted Frodo as his heir. Frodo moved to Bag End. The two shared the same birthday, September 22.

The Gamgees were the Baggins’ gardeners. The Gaffer had been doing the job for forty years, and his Samwise was now slowly taking over the job. He was a bit younger than Frodo, but not by too much.

As the party approached Dwarves arrived in a cart and went to Bag End. Later another cart came, this one driven by Gandalf and filled with fireworks. When they were unloaded they went inside and shut the door. Gandalf asked Bilbo if he still intended to stick to his plan, to which he said yes, and when pressed, he again said yes. Bilbo remained out of view of the public for days.

The day of the party arrived at last. All the Hobbits were invited and those missed by accident attended anyway so all was good. The day was spent eating, drinking, and playing games. Gandalf’s fireworks were the pre-dinner entertainment. A special family tent had been put up for 144 of Bilbo’s family and special guests. There they ate and Bilbo gave his speech.

At the end he made the announcement that he was leaving, stepped off the stage and as he did he slipped the Ring on and disappeared as a brilliant flash of light and smoke surrounded him.

Bilbo walked back to his house, changed into his old traveling clothes, and packed his final belongings. As he finished Gandalf appeared and the two spoke. Bilbo said he wanted to see mountains and find a place to rest, for he was tired and felt stretched, like too little butter over too much bread.

When the subject of the Ring next comes up, Bilbo does not want to give it up, he says it is his, it is his precious, and that Gandalf is trying to steal it from him. The two discuss and debate the Ring and Bilbo finally concedes to leave it behind, which he finally does. 

The two step into the Hall, Bilbo selects his favorite walking stick, and whistles signalling three dwarves who come out of rooms and they head out to the wagon with Bilbo. Gandalf stays behind to meet with Frodo. Bilbo heads out on foot away from the party and into the meadow. A burden had been lifted from him.

Frodo arrived shortly after to find Gandalf sitting in the dark. They chat briefly and Gandalf informs Bilbo of the envelope on the mantel which includes his will and legal documents along with the Ring. With a few more words, he tells Frodo to keep the Ring secret and not to use it. Then Gandalf says he is going to bed.

As the new master of Bag End, Frodo returns to the party to see guests out. The next morning he wakes late and though not invited many pay visits to which he meets them all on the step, and a few he brings inside as Bilbo has left a gift with a message for them

As the day went on, more and more came uninvited to take what they could. Merry was there to help Frodo. The two spend the rest of the afternoon clearing the house of unwanted guests. They finally do, lock the door and sit down to some tea. It is then that there is a soft knock at the door. They ignore it. Then a louder knock, and they continued to ignore it. Finally, Gandalf’s head appeared in the window and Frodo quickly let him in.

Gandalf tells Frodo, again, to keep the Ring secret and safe, and not to use it. He also says he must go in haste now, and he will return again, but at an unlikely time and not openly.

So ends Chapter I.

Draft 1 of Chapter I

In the original draft of the chapter, Bilbo announces, “Goodbye! I am going away after dinner. Also, I am going to get married.” This results in the Hobbits being flabbergasted, Mr. Proudfoot kicking over a table, and Mrs. Proudfoot choked in the middle of a drink.

It then tells that Bilbo left a sign at Bag End reading “Enter.” Hobbits did. Every item in the house had a tag with a name. After a while more Hobbits arrived and began to take items and swap them in the halls. Some searched for gold and jewels. In the end, Bilbo had spent all his money, given away all his possessions, and left Bag End to the Sackville-Baggin’s. 

He had but his waistcoat with gold buttons and his Ring. As he hoped, no one searched for him. The consensus was he had gone mad and was going to marry. The reader also learns that marriages were often kept secret, with the couple leaving unannounced and returning weeks later wed. This is what the Hobbits thought happened when Bilbo had left on his prior adventure.

Draft 2 of Chapter I

In the second draft, Gandalf is introduced and called “a little old man.” He reappeared to stay with Bilbo and set off the fireworks.

Bilbo’s announcement no longer included getting married, and again after his announcement the Hobbits were flabbergasted. This time Mr. Proudfoot removes his feet from the table and Mrs. Proudfoot chokes on a large chocolate. In the commotion, Bilbo slipped on the Ring never to be seen in Hobbiton again.

The draft ends with the party and notes all woke late the next day, the sun rose, and morning went on.

Draft 3 of Chapter I

Version three opens with Bingo Baggins, son of Bilbo, planning his 72nd birthday. It goes on to rehash Bilbo’s leaving one day and returning a year later. He then gets married to a Hobbit from the far side of the Shire at the age of 71 and he disappeared with his wife shortly before his hundred and eleventh birthday, never to be seen again. Bingo was 39 at the time and never mourned the loss of his parents. When asked about it, he said he didn’t believe they were dead.

It mentions that Bingo spent a lot of time with his cousins from Buckland – the Tooks and Brandybucks.

Toward the end of the chapter when the ‘joke’ is played out with the giving of gifts he is in a cupboard in the house, invisible listening to the commotion outside. The fact that all the money was gone is noted. It states he had his waistcoat, a purse with silver coins, and his Ring. When it became dark, he went to the door, put the key in, pulled it shut, and walked down the path, into the meadow and disappeared.

Draft 4 of Chapter I

In the fourth version, it remains Bingo’s party, but he is now nephew of Bilbo and Bilbo has not married. Bilbo leaves on his 111th birthday and left everything to Bingo.