Page:The Story of Joseph and His Brethren.djvu/38

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JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN.
35

lated to him their dreams, and Joseph told them the interpretation of them. The interpretation promised life and honour to one, and dishonour and death to the other. And so it came to pass. After three days Pharaoh restored the butler to his office, and hanged the baker on a tree.

When Joseph gave the butler assurance of restoration to his office, he made this request to him: "Think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house; for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon."

One would think that so simple and pathetic an appeal, from one who had brought so much hope and comfort to his mind, would have been readily and gratefully responded to by his fellow-prisoner, when he regained his liberty. But alas! "the chief butler remembered not Joseph, but forgot him." True to human experience is this incident. Benefits received in adversity are too often forgotten in pros-