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the grey havens 1339
dust left; so he went to the Three-Farthing Stone, which is
as near the centre of the Shire as no matter, and cast it in the
air with his blessing. The little silver nut he planted in the
Party Field where the tree had once been; and he wondered
what would come of it. All through the winter he remained
as patient as he could, and tried to restrain himself from
going round constantly to see if anything was happening.
Spring surpassed his wildest hopes. His trees began to
sprout and grow, as if time was in a hurry and wished to
make one year do for twenty. In the Party Field a beautiful
young sapling leaped up: it had silver bark and long leaves
and burst into golden flowers in April. It was indeed a mallorn,
and it was the wonder of the neighbourhood. In after years,
as it grew in grace and beauty, it was known far and wide
and people would come long journeys to see it: the only
mallorn west of the Mountains and east of the Sea, and one
of the finest in the world.
Altogether 1420 in the Shire was a marvellous year. Not
only was there wonderful sunshine and delicious rain, in
due times and perfect measure, but there seemed something
more: an air of richness and growth, and a gleam of a beauty
beyond that of mortal summers that flicker and pass upon
this Middle-earth. All the children born or begotten in that
year, and there were many, were fair to see and strong, and
most of them had a rich golden hair that had before been
rare among hobbits. The fruit was so plentiful that young
hobbits very nearly bathed in strawberries and cream; and
later they sat on the lawns under the plum-trees and ate, until
they had made piles of stones like small pyramids or the
heaped skulls of a conqueror, and then they moved on. And
no one was ill, and everyone was pleased, except those who
had to mow the grass.
In the Southfarthing the vines were laden, and the yield of
‘leaf ’ was astonishing; and everywhere there was so much
corn that at Harvest every barn was stuffed. The Northfarthing
barley was so fine that the beer of 1420 malt was long