Pippin and Merry turned up again around lunchtime. I filled them in on what had transpired in their absence and they listened in eager interest. It was hard to tell whether they were more astounded at the latest turn of events or regretful that they had missed out on the so-called "fun," as Pippin put it. The twinkle in his eyes was enough to raise my suspicions, momentarily. At the very least, their sudden and many comings and goings were enough to give one pause. I was sorely tempted to question them, however, for the time being I chose to ignore my suspicions and let the matter be.

It was just as well, for they insisted that we head down to the Green Dragon for an early round of ale.

"Pip's treat!" Merry said. Pip nodded in agreement until he realized what it was Merry had said.

"What d' ye mean, my treat? I though' you were buyin' the first round."

"Come on, Pip!" Merry said slapping the younger cousin on the back. "You are merely buyin' the first round, is all. What say, Frodo? Up for a drink or two?"

"Well..." I replied with a grin, "if Pip is buying, I suppose I shall join you!"

The Green Dragon was busier than usual for this early in the day. It seemed that a lot of people were there to hear, much to my dismay, what they assumed was the last sighting of my portrait. Apparently, somewhere in between its exhibition at the Widow Rumble’s and its appearance among the branches of the Party Tree, it had paused in its travels for a brief showing, right here, at the Green Dragon.

"That's right," the Inn keeper, Milo Grubb explained, as he sat down three ales on the table for us. "Halfast Banks from Starfield was the last patron to leave," he stated. "Why, I no sooner closed the door and turned out the lights, then he was back bangin' on the door and sayin' there was someone peeking at him from the bushes."

"Tell us," Merry said eagerly, "what happened next?"

The barkeep nodded and continued. The entire room hushed as if trying to glean every single last word he might offer. "Why, at first I thought he'd had too many mugs, an' I went with him just t' prove there weren't anybody out there. That's when I saw it... Mister Frodo's face smiling at me... just as if he were waitin’ for me to welcome him!"

Pippin looked at me innocently. "What were you doin' there, Frodo? I would have thought you’d be home in bed!"

Merry thumped him on the arm. "Not ‘our Frodo,’ you ninny! I think ‘e’s talkin’ about the paintin’."

Milo crossed his arms and continued with his narraitive. "Anyway, I pulled it out of the bushes an' brought it inside. I intended to keep it safe until morning so's I could return it personally to Mister Frodo...or to Miss Daffodil. But...."

That's when the face fell. "When I awoke this mornin', the paintin' was gone again!"

"Gone? Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Merry said, a look of concern on his face.

"Why didn't you lock it up?" Ted Sandyman asked. "What with it goin' missing just as soon as it's found agin?"

Mr. Grubb was insulted and got quite huffy. "I took it upstairs with me to my livin' quarters. I never figured anybody would dare enter my rooms and nick it again."

I sat there, listening to all of this, trying to decide if I should relate my experience with the painting this morning and its consequential disappearance from the Party tree. I really didn't want to add to the mystery of the entire incident, nor did I wish to be an object of derision for having failed to secure my own painting. Why, it might even look as if I might have been involved with the disappearance....!

"I wonder where it is now, by chance?" Pippin mused aloud.

The crowd murmured again, speculations flying around the room as to who was behind this game of cat and mouse.

"I can tell you where it's not," the Gaffer's voice spoke up. He entered the tavern with Samwise.

"What d'ye mean, where it's not?" someone asked.

"Why, it's not in the Party tree," he said matter of factly."

"The Party tree?"

The Gaffer gave me a puzzled look. "Ye didn’t tell ‘em, Mr. Frodo?"

"Well...I ...uh...I hadn’t gotten around to it yet. I was still getting over the shock of the protrait turning up here first."

"Go on." Sandyman urged, while bestowing a suspicious glance upon me.

"My Samwise came home lookin' for a ladder. 'e said something 'bout a picture hangin' from the Party tree." the Gaffer continued. "Sam here say's he found it hangin' in th' Party Tree, an' needed a ladder t' get it down."

"Is that a fact, Sam?" Ted asked, leaning over.

Sam's face reddened and he nodded as he stole a look my way before answering. "It was there in th' Party Tree, alright," he admitted. "Oi went lookin' fer a ladder, an' when the Gaffer found it an' got back t' th' tree, it were gone! Silverware, tin cup an' all!"

Then, he added in an aside to me, "Oi'm sorry, Sor. Oi wasn't gonner mention it. Oi didn't think you'd be wantin' it known that the prank was pulled on you, too."

"That's alright, Sam," I assured him. "It was bound to come out sooner or later."

Then the question I dreaded came forth.

"Where was Mister Baggins during all of this?" Holman Burrows, the local dairyman, asked. "An' why wouldn't you want anyone to know about the paintin' unless you had somethin' t' do with it...?"

Sam glared at the dairy farmer. "e din't know 'bout it 'till Oi came by to tell 'im Oi'd seen it!"

"But that doesn't answer where Frodo was while you went to fetch the ladder," Ted Sandyman spoke up.

"In the first place, why would I steal my own portrait?" I asked, in a perplexed voice. "I stayed there as long as I could, then figured that Sam was having trouble finding a ladder and that maybe I could find one in the old workshed. I couldn't have been gone for more than...perhaps fifteen minutes!"

Ted Sandyman wasn't the least bit impressed. Another murmur rippled through the crowd, and for a moment I thought perhaps they were concurring with him that I had something to do with the comings and goings of my own portrait.

Holman spoke up on my behalf. "Quiet down! Quiet down! Now, I for one believe Mr. Baggins. He doesn't seem to be the kind to draw attention to himself like this."

That's when another voice spoke up from behind me. "I agree with Holman, whatever the reason."

I am certain I was surprised at this, for the voice belonged to Fastred Brandybuck. I turned to look my adversary in the eye. He wasn't smiling, but he acknowledged my shock. "It seems that Frodo's ‘face’ has shown up again."

"What?" "Where?" "Who has it now?" Questions were spilling out faster than anyone could possibly answer.

Fastred waved a hand to silence the group. "I, for one, have just seen it...hanging in Bennie Baggins's stable."

"You're pulling our legs," Merry said.

"I kid you not, my friends," Fastred stated. "I happened to be walking past Miss Baggins' estate when she, herself, flagged me down to come help her."

"I wonder how you were so conveniently walking past Bennie's place." I murmured to myself.

"What'd you say, Frodo?" Pippin asked.

"Oh, nothing, Pip," I replied . "Just thinking out loud, is all."

"Well, let's go fetch it back!" someone in the crowd suggested.

"Don't you care to hear where it was hung?" Fastred asked, a mischievious look in his eyes. He was definitely enjoying the attention.

"Well, it seems that you plan to tell us no matter what," Merry said, looking down at his fingernails. "So tell us, Fastred, where did you find it?"

"Well, as I said, I was walking past Miss Baggin's estate when she waved me down to come help her. Naturally, I thought she needed a hand with one of her many ponies. But she insisted it was much more urgent than that. Imagine!" He gave a little laugh.

"As we entered the stable, I saw that all the stalls but one was empty. She'd already turned them out to pasture. Except the last one."

I was trying to visualize the stable in my mind. That's when I realized which stall he was referring to: Naur's. Difficult at the best of times, and downright nasty at the worst, but he was Bennie’s prized stallion.

"Well, let's get goin'! Let's fetch that paintin' 'ome!" declared the Gaffer.

"Wait a minute!" I stood up and shouted. "If that painting is hanging where I think it's hanging, we won't want a huge crowd there. The heavens above only knows what her stallion can do if he's spooked by so many people rushing in on him!"

It took a few moments to convince the curious tavern patrons to see my point, but at last it was decided that I, Sam, the Gaffer, and Fastred would go.

"Well, seein' as you don't need our company," Merry said, "I think Pip and I will head back to Bag End... that is, wi' your permission, Frodo?"

I nodded absently, waving them on we prepared to go to Bennies and dealt with the disappointed crowd. Soon, we were off.