Wk. 8 Ch. 11 Sitting on the doorstep

[Sparrow]

The travelers set up camp in a little grassy bay on the narrow ledge adjacent to the wall they were certain was the back door to the Lonely Mountain. In fun, they called the grassy bay "the doorstep." This references Bilbo's words when the dwarves arrived at his hobbit-hole in Hobbiton. Do you recall these words? What were they? How are Bilbo's and the dwarves' respective circumstances different and how have they changed from that long-ago day at Bag End?

[Stormrider]

Bilbo said, "I suppose if you sit on the doorstep long enough, I daresay you will think of something."

Long ago when the Dwarves came to Bilbo's hobbit hole, Bilbo was wavering on whether he would go or not. He felt he was not a part of the adventure but being selected as the burglar by Gandalf and listening to the songs and tale of the Dwarves, his Tookish side was waking up. But when he said his comment about sitting on the doorstep, he was wavering back to not going and said he would give them a nice breakfast before he sent them off on their journey. But they caught that comment and reminded him that he would be going with them, too.

Now Bilbo is on the doostep with them and helping them try to get it open. Bilbo is sitting and thinking and using his memory and brains. The Dwarves are using their brawn by trying to dig their way in. Bilbo felt that he was waiting for something and he was! When he heard and saw the thrush cracking the snail on the stone. This triggered the memory of the map, key, and Durin's Day that they spoke of before.