The question threw Zepp off guard. After all, this was the elder. He was the wise counsel they always sought. Why was he asking him? All Zepp could do was believe Saint Wire knew what he was doing, even though the boy had no idea. So Zepp answered as honestly as he could.
“Well, sir... I think it's a sign. There's more up there... wherever that is,” he said with all the confidence he could muster. He half-expected Walden to appear and assault him again, but he wouldn't dare in the company of Saint Wire. So Zepp carried on with his thoughts, and they came more freely as he went on. “I see it as a glimpse of hope. Yes, it is the unknown,” – he turned to the whole audience now – “but Frodo stepped out into the unknown and so did Niggle! And what about the Pevencies? They braved passage into the land of gods and devils, despite the odds. And why? Because of hope, and because they wanted something better for themselves and for those they loved, and they believed it to be possible! And I feel the same way about this...”