00100		Drego was ten years old when Frodo returned to the Shire,
00200	and the events of the three years between the arrival of Sharkey's
00300	men and the departure of Frodo for the West changed all the hobbits
00400	who were between six and fifteen  at the time into quite different
00500	people than they would otherwise have been.  Their curiousity
00600	about the outside world was intensely aroused, and they didn't
00700	get much chance to satisfy it.  Frodo was withdrawn and too
00800	awe inspiring to approach, Master Sam was too busy, and Pippin
00900	and Merry were too few.  
01000	
01100		At first, it was too dangerous to go out of the Shire,
01200	and later the king's policy of keeping men out of the Shire,
01300	was accompanied by an unexplicit but almost as strong policy
01400	of keeping hobbits in.
01500	
01600		Drego took good advantage of the opportunities he had
01700	as Frodo's great nephew and showed a special interest in moral
01800	questions and questions about what the various peoples were
01900	like.  Just how were men and hobbits different aside from
02000	size?  Why did men quarrel with each other so much?  Why did
02100	they have a king?