The Hobbit's Alphabet 2 (17/26)
Q is for quiet
It wasn't that he didn't like visiting Brandy Hall (and occasionally the Great Smials, of course), he just prefered staying at Crickhollow. Their home was quiet and peaceful, and Merry had become rather used to waking up late in the morning to the sounds of birds and sheep outside, accompanied by Pippin's gentle snoring next to him.
But Brandy Hall was never completely quiet. There was always someone on the way to the kitchens for food, or a baby crying, or someone deciding that the hallway outside Merry's room was the perfect place for a conversation in the middle of the night. A good night's sleep was virtually impossible for him now, and sleeping in past eight in the morning never happened. He spent most dinners trying not to fall asleep in the soup.
"You're getting old, that's your problem," Pippin had said after hearing Merry's complaint, "keep your head under your pillow. Or you can try and find a shed in the gardens and sleep out there."