What would have happened if, at the same time, a group of wealthy land-owning hobbits had kicked up and enormous fuss? They launched a campaign to deny the news from Gandalf. They urged their peers to ignore the massive existential threat. They had a different issue. They were furious because some Hobbits they didn’t know had arrived and were working in the fields. Worst of all… they were a different colour and talked in different tongues!