he said with a low bow.
“Bilbo Baggins at yours!” answered the hobbit, and added: “I am going to take tea; please come and have some with me.”
Very soon there came another ring at the bell. “Excuse me!” said the hobbit, and went off to the door. “So you are here at last!” he was going to say to Gandalf this time. But it was not Gandalf. Instead there was a very old dwarf with a white beard and a scarlet hood; and he too hopped inside as soon as the door was open. He hung his red hood next to Dwalin’s green one, and “Balin at your service!” he said.
“Thank you!” said Bilbo in surprise. He liked visitors, but he liked to know them before they arrived, and he preferred to invite them himself.
“Come in and have some tea!” he said after taking a deep breath.
“I would prefer a little mug of beer, if it is possible, my good sir,” said Balin. “But I don’t mind some seed-cake,[8] if you have any.”
“Lots!” Bilbo answered, to his own surprise; and he ran to the cellar to fill a pint beer-mug, and to the pantry to fetch two beautiful round seed-cakes which he had baked that afternoon.
When he got back, Balin and Dwalin were talking at the table like old friends (in fact, they were brothers). Bilbo put the beer and the cakes in front of them, when a loud ring came at the bell again, and then another ring.
“I am sure, this time it’s Gandalf,” he thought. But it was not. It was two more dwarves, both with blue hoods, silver belts, and yellow beards; and each of them carried a bag of tools and a spade. They hopped in, as soon as the door began to open – Bilbo was not surprised at all.
“What can I do for you, my dwarves?” he said.
“Kili at your service!” said the one. “And Fili!” added the other; and they both took off their blue hoods and bowed.
“At yours and your family’s!”[9] replied Bilbo.
So the four dwarves sat around the table and talked about mines and gold and troubles with the goblins and the dragons, and lots of other things, but then the bell rang again. “Someone is at the door!” Bilbo said, blinking.
Then the bell rang again louder than ever, and he had to run to the door. There were FIVE dwarves. Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, and Gloin were their names; and very soon two purple hoods, a grey hood, a brown hood, and a white hood were hanging on the pegs, and the dwarves joined the others. Some of them called for ale, and one for coffee, and all of them for cakes; so the hobbit was very busy for a while. Suddenly there came a loud knock. Somebody was banging with a stick!