[littlemanpoet]

“Well, that is taken care of! Now, shall we have our payment first, or find some leather and get to work?” Falowik looked inquiringly at Uien.

"Let us go see what Bywater's tanner will part with," she replied, "unless you are afraid of melting in the rain?" She eyed Denegal playfully.

"Not I!" Denegal cried. They rose from their table and made their way out of the Common room. Uien knew more of Denegal than the man wished to tell, though she had no desire to; so it was with the art. Most of all she wished to put the man at his ease, certainly for Falowik's sake, who had few enough friends, but this Gondorian was a kind hearted enough fellow, and his company might lighten the days.

The tanner was a hard bargainer and they parted with a little more coin than they had intended, but the crafty hobbit could see the poor Gondorian's straits, and insisted his ware was of the best quality, and hard to come by in these days of long-lived cattle and horses, thanks to that strange garden seed Mayor Samwise Gamgee had brought back with him from his wild adventures, not that Mayor Gamgee was a bad sort hisself, as far as that went, but strange doings was strange doings, no matter how level your head or flat your hairy feet.

Uien listened to the tough hided tanner with pleasure, Falowik achafing, and Denegal agape at all the tanner's provincial talk. Finally they had their leather and set to work on a pair of boots for Denegal, getting permission from the Inn's ostler for the use of a horse stall for their labor.