Late the next morning, Sam tapped softly on the door to Frodo's room, then ventured in without waiting for an answer. Frodo was awake, but lying in bed with one arm thrown over his face.
"How's your head?" Sam whispered as he cautiously approached the bedside.
"Rotten," groaned Frodo. "My eyes feel like eggs that haven't been boiled long enough. I'm almost afraid that if I open them, the whites will run out. Leave the curtains closed, please. I couldn't bear the light." But when he heard the sound of a cork being pulled, he moved his arm and opened red and bleary eyes to watch Sam measure out a spoonful of dark, syrupy liquid from a small bottle he had brought in with him. "What's that?"
"Something that'll help you feel better. I sent to the herb-master for it. Mr. Merry recommended you try it when I saw him at breakfast." Merry had also made more jokes about Frodo's cuddlesome mood last night, but Sam wasn't going to mention that. "He told me that he and Mr. Pippin both had a dose of the same, and they were up and about hours ago."
He poured out a glass of water from the pitcher on the nightstand, and had it ready. Frodo had crept closer to the edge of the bed; when Sam held out the spoon to him, he swallowed the dollop of medicine, made a face at the bitter taste, accepted the glass of water from Sam, and gulped it quickly down.
"Better now?" Sam asked as he took back the empty glass.
Frodo lay back and shut his eyes. After a minute, he nodded.
"Can you stand a bite of breakfast? I'll bring you up a tray."
"Thank you. Tea, and perhaps some dry toast. I couldn't even look at an egg."
Since Frodo seemed to be recovered enough from his night's ad-venture to receive a scolding, Sam gave him one: "Why'd you want to go out and do such a thing, Mr. Frodo? Now, I like the taste of ale as much as anybody, and a half-pint or two never did a bit of harm, but you oughtn't drink so much you can't see your-self properly to bed! I've been to the Green Dragon with you a hundred times or more, and never seen you falling over drunk like that before last night. You've always kept your head."
"Merry and Pippin were just as bad."
"What Mr. Merry and Mr. Pippin do is none of my concern, and thank goodness for that! I wouldn't want the chore of looking after those two. Besides, they're used to carrying on. I like to think you're a bit better'n them." Actually, Sam thought that Frodo was miles above Merry and Pippin, but he knew how fond Frodo was of his cousins and tried to be tactful.
"That's why I didn't ask you to come with us last night," said Frodo. He opened his eyes to meet Sam's. "I intended to get falling-down drunk, you see, and you would have tried to stop me."
"I certainly would!" answered Sam, flabbergasted. "And Mr. Merry and Pippin should've done just the same when they saw you'd had your limit, 'stead of sitting by and letting you pour down more."
Frodo sighed. "You think that Merry and Pippin are reckless and irresponsible, and maybe they are, but aren't the same boys who left the Shire with us, Sam. They've been in battle. They've survived some terrible experiences, almost as bad as you and I have. The tavern they go to is a favorite haunt of the city guard, and they like to spend an evening there in the soldiers' company. They say that a drink shared with friends who've seen war together helps to smooth hard memories. It seemed like an appealing idea. There's so much I would like to forget." He considered his maimed hand, then curled his fingers to hide the stub of the missing one.
Sam knew exactly what memories Frodo wanted most to wipe from his mind, but he didn't think this was the way to do it. He said so.
"If it comforts you, Sam, I won't drink so heavily if I go out again," Frodo assured him. "I've paid for my folly. As much as I'd like to seek forgetfulness, I don't need to feel this awful for it. Besides, this Gondorian ale has a very strange effect on me. I had the oddest dream last night..." He glanced at Sam and blushed, then laughed to cover his embarrassment. "No, I'd better not tell you. It's too ridiculous."
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