Chris shakes it.

"What a clever boy you have," to Tolkien. "Forgive me, I rarely get to interact with children. The bachelor life, and all."

"Of course," Tolkien says. "Chris is a wonderful boy. Shall we go on a walk, then?"

"I would enjoy that."

They start on a walk. "You wanted to know about Mr. Best."

"Yes! What can you tell me about him?"

"He studied under me and we corresponded until 1925, when he fell out of touch. I have a copy of his book. Interesting little treatise."

"British Gods? I happened to run into it too - I've been going through it, certainly informatice. I'm more of a classicist, I've never managed to get into - well - local history." He gestures to the land around them. "But everywhere springs up stories. ...So I'm a novice here. But you found it interesting too?"

"It's an interesting treatment of homegrown and imported deities in the western Celtic kingdoms of Britain. A subject of great personal interest to me. He was planning a second book on witchcraft and ritual in the west country. I don't know whether he ended up ever getting it published."

"I see, I see. Interesting indeed. You said he dropped out of touch - do you have any idea where he might have ended up now?"

"Is he not still at the Royal Society? I assumed he was simply a bad correspondent."

"No, I was told by one of his friends that he left in '26 and has been... perhaps traveling since then, my acquaintance wasn't sure either."

Unfortunately, instead of giving a response to this, Tolkien stops and begins to examine a tree.

Cool! Cool! That's normal! Is. Is there something up with this tree.

It has leaves? And a trunk? Uh. It really seems like... a tree? It has... tree things?

Tolkien is just continuing to look at this tree. For twenty minutes.

"What... kind of tree is this?" Terrence does not want to push the good professor but will ask occasional respectful questions if he is responsive to it. This is kind of charming but super weird. Maybe the dude's high or something.

"Just a moment, my good boy," Tolkien says without really seeming to process the question. After twenty minutes or so, Tolkien stands. "My apologies, it is simply an excellent tree."

"I see." Baffled, but solemn. Listen, Terrence isn't exactly going to throw stones about having weird fascinations.

"What were we talking about?"

He has woven some nearby grass into a little rope in the mean time, and drops it quickly on the ground behind him. Whomst, me? No way. "Uh - Ben Best, I was told he left the Royal Society in '26 for reasons unknown. It seems like you haven't heard from him since either."

"I haven't. I hope his wife is all right."

"Oh! I didn't know he's married."

"His wife is a lovely girl. Carla, I think? Something like that."

"Ah - you know her? They must have met while he was here?"

"They met at Oxford, although he always preferred to talk about his work. He was an extraordinarily kind man. You don't see his sort often."