# Returns a balanced version of `self`
	fun balance: String do
		var children = new Array[String]
		var rnod: String
		var iter: nullable RopeCharIteratorPiece = new RopeCharIteratorPiece(self, false, false, null)
		loop
			if iter == null then break
			rnod = iter.node
			if not rnod isa Concat then
				children.push rnod
				iter = iter.prev
				continue
			end
			if not iter.ldone then
				iter.ldone = true
				iter = new RopeCharIteratorPiece(rnod._left, false, false, iter)
			else if not iter.rdone then
				iter.rdone = true
				iter = new RopeCharIteratorPiece(rnod._right, false, false, iter)
			else
				iter = iter.prev
			end

		end
		return recurse_balance(children, children.length)
	end