BOYS OF THE BIBLE. 118

this romantic period in Joseph’s life with profit and de-
light.

‘“For seven years Joseph went about as ruler of the land
of Egypt, wearing his beautiful robes and golden chain, and
riding in his splendid chariot. He lived in a palace, with
troops of servants to wait upon him, and he had two sons
whom he loved. Then, after these seven years of plenty,
came the seven years of famine, when nothing. grew in the
fields. The people honored Joseph more than ever when they
saw that his words were all true, and that his wisdom had
saved them from great distress. For now they had plenty
of provisions laid up in their storehouses, not only to supply
their own wants, but to sell to other nations who had not
such a wonderful ruler as Joseph to tell them beforehand
what God was going to do.

“Up in the land of Canaan, where Jacob lived, there was
famine also; and when Jacob heard that there was plenty of
food in Egypt he sent his sons down to buy. Only Benjamin,
the youngest, was kept at home, for Jacob loved him too much
to let him go out of his sight. Do you think those ten brothers
could take that long journey over the very road by which
their little brother had been carried away to cruel slavery
without sometimes thinking about him, and wondering whether
he was dead, or whether he was still living, a poor, half-starved,
suffering man? Certainly when they came before this grand
ruler of Egypt, and bowed themselves humbly before him,
they never imagined that he could be their brother Joseph.
‘They were so much afraid of him they scarcely dared look at
him; but, though Joseph had changed so much, they had not
changed, and he knew them in an instant. When he saw
them bowing before him he remembered his dream which had
made them hate him so, but which now had really come to