The Baker's Boy Asks a Question

The baker's boy, who watched the road every day and missed nothing, asked Brindle that evening why her friend had a sword she kept pretending not to have. Brindle dried a cup and thought about lying, and then didn't. "Because she carried it so long," she said, "she's forgotten she's allowed to set it down. Some people need to be shown the doormat. That's all I did. Someone showed me mine.