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Marigold blushed to the very tips of her ears and set her eyes upon her plate in a stare as Falco gruffly bid the Man sit down. He was the very same Man who had ruined her cake and mussed her clothes the day before. Her eyes dropped farther and she looked down at her skirt. She see the slight stain from the cake icing. But she had called in an 'awful Man,' and she hadn't apologised to him for it yet. Her mother was always telling her that she ought to make amends with those she bore in ill will before letting the day fade into night. But it was so hard to apologise. And he had done the greater evil. He should be the one to apologise.
But he had apologised, and very grandly. Marigold sat in stony silence, feeling miserable because she wouldn't tell him she was sorry for calling him awful without any excuse for not doing it.
As for Falco, he was feeling annoyed because Marigold didn't say anything. She was the talkative (too talkative, at most times), cheery little hobbit... why didn't she say something to this Big Folk fellow? No doubt she knew how awkward he, Falco Headstrong, felt with this Big Folk fellow, and she was deliberately leaving him in the dilemna. No doubt!
"Here, now," said Falco, gruffly. If he were to speak he would not have to sound 'all creamy milk and pretty flowers,' as Fosco had always said. "What are you doing here in the Shire?" Now, that sounded very rude, as if this Big Folk fellow was tramping about where he had no right. Falco was not in the mood to be polite, but his good upbringing forbade him to be rude.
"I do mean," he said, "do you have any business here?" After his earlier words, that didn't sound very much better. Falco softened his voice considerably, though he felt gruffer and gruffer inside. Why did he have to give any consideration to this Big Folk fellow, anyway?
Marigold had just resolved to apologise and become friends with the Man was Falco began speaking. Perhaps the Man would be driven away by the gruff questions. She hoped not. If they did she would follow him (while pretending she wasn't, of course), and then apologise where no one could witness her humiliation. Why hadn't she just called him a 'Man' in the same tone of voice, rather than an 'awful Man?' Maybe she wouldn't be obligated to apologise, then.
"What brings you here?" said Falco, trying to amend his statement and finding that he had lost the eloquence for words that came when he was singing. "Perhaps you are just sight-seeing? I shouldn't blame you if you were; the Shire is such a lovely place." That sounded a little bit friendlier. But in the midst of his words Falco had no doubt that this Big Folk fellow was a murderer hiding himself in the Shire to escape justice. No doubt at all!
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