True, when it came to getting the Children of Israel out of Egypt, as Cousin Bill J. observed, “Things brisked up considerable.”

The plan of first hardening Pharaoh’s heart, then scaring him by a pestilence, then again hardening his heart for another calamity, quite won the little boy’s admiration for its ingenuity, and even Cousin Bill J. would at times betray that he was impressed.  Feverishly they followed the miracles done to Egypt; the plague of frogs, of lice, of flies, of boils and blains on man and beast; the plague of hail and lightning, of locusts, and the three days of darkness.  Then came the Lord’s final triumph, which was to kill all the first-born in the land of Egypt, “from the first-born of Pharaoh, that sitteth upon the throne, even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of beasts.”  Again the little boy’s heart ached as he thought pityingly of the first-born of all white rabbits, but there was too much of excitement to dwell long upon that humble tragedy.  There was the manner in which the Israelites identified themselves, by marking their doors with a sprig of hyssop dipped in the blood of a male lamb without blemish.  Vividly did he see the good God gliding cautiously from door to door, looking for the mark of blood, and passing the lucky doors where it was seen to be truly of a male lamb without blemish.  He thought it must have taken a lot of lambs to mark up all the doors!

Then came that master-stroke of enterprise, when God directed Moses to “speak now in the ears of the people and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver and jewels of gold,” so that they might “spoil” the Egyptians.  Cousin Bill J. chuckled when he read this, declaring it to be “a regular Jew trick”; but Clytie rebuked him quickly, reminding him that they were God’s own words, spoken in His own holy voice.

“Well, it was mighty thoughtful in God,” insisted Cousin Bill J., but Clytie said, however that was, it served Pharaoh right for getting his heart hardened so often.

The little boy, not perceiving the exact significance of “spoil” in this connection, wondered if Cousin Bill J. would spoil if some one borrowed his gold horse and ran off with it.

Then came that exciting day when the Lord said, “I will get me honour upon Pharaoh and all his host,” which He did by drowning them thoroughly in the Red Sea.  The little boy thought he would have liked to be there in a boat—­a good safe boat that would not tip over; also that he would much like to have a rod such as Aaron had, that would turn into a serpent.  It would be a fine thing to take to school some morning.  But Cousin Bill J. thought it doubtful if one could be procured; though he had seen Heller pour five colours of wine out of a bottle which, when broken, proved to have a live guinea-pig in it.  This seemed to the little boy more wonderful than Aaron’s rod, though he felt it would not reflect honour upon God to say so.