It was after this that my hair went white before I had counted thirty
years.

Now, as I had none to work for and my wants were few and simple, I found
more time for the writing of stories which, for the most part, were
somewhat sad. One of these stories a fellow scribe borrowed from me and
read aloud to a company, whom it pleased so much that there were many
who asked leave to copy it and publish it abroad. So by degrees I became
known as a teller of tales, which tales I caused to be copied and sold,
though out of them I made but little. Still my fame grew till on a day
I received a message from the Prince Seti, my twin in Ra, saying that he
had read certain of my writings which pleased him much and that it was
his wish to look upon my face. I thanked him humbly by the messenger and
answered that I would travel to Tanis and wait upon his Highness. First,
however, I finished the longest story which I had yet written. It was
called the Tale of Two Brothers, and told how the faithless wife of one
of them brought trouble on the other, so that he was killed. Of how,
also, the just gods brought him to life again, and many other matters.
This story I dedicated to his Highness, the Prince Seti, and with it in
the bosom of my robe I travelled to Tanis, having hidden about me a sum
of gold that I had saved.

So I came to Tanis at the beginning of winter and, walking to the palace
of the Prince, boldly demanded an audience. But now my troubles began,
for the guards and watchmen thrust me from the doors. In the end I
bribed them and was admitted to the antechambers, where were merchants,
jugglers, dancing-women, officers, and many others, all of them, it
seemed, waiting to see the Prince; folk who, having nothing to do,
pleased themselves by making mock of me, a stranger. When I had mixed