father had to punish me often; but Stephen was never punished because
he always did what was pleasing in the sight of father and mother.
From that time on I always remembered the words of the great-aunt
that I was punished and he not because they loved him, and his mother
interceded for him, and there was no one to stand by me. But my
step-mother quite often interceded for me. She was a kind woman and
never did me any harm, but I wanted her to show more love to me than
to her own boy. But that could not be. This wrong thought grew in my
heart, and my envy increased from year to year till we were about as
old as you two boys; and now comes the sad part which I never shall
forget, and that is what is pressing me to the earth unto today."

Bacha pointed over to the mountain opposite them.

"Do you see yonder mountain?" The boys nodded.

"There we used to live at the foot of the mountain. Look toward the
West, where the sun is lying down to sleep; there in the valley lived
the weavers, to whom from all our homes, the wool was carried to be
woven. Two paths led to those huts; the one up and down over the
rocks--the other through the valley, easier but more dangerous,
because there was a stretch of swamp into which, if somebody fell, he
could never get out by himself. One who knew how, could get over by
jumping from rock to rock and to clumps of grass, but it seemed as if
some black power wanted to pull one down.

"Once our parents had us carry our wool. Going, we went the upper
way, as we were told, but after we delivered the wool to the weavers,
Stephen handed me an apple, which the weaver's wife had given him,
saying he had another in his bag from his mother. Mother gave me