In  April,  1724,  Ben  embarked  for  Boston,  where,  after  a
fortnight  passage,  he  arrived  in  safety.  Having  been  ab-
sent seven  months  from  his  relatives,  who  had  never  heard  a
syllable  of  him  all  that  time,  his  sudden  appearance  threw
the  family  into  a  scream  of  joy,  and  excepting  his  sour- faced
brother  James,  the  whole  squad  gave  him  a  most  hearty  wel-
come. After  much  embracing  and  kissing,  and  some  tears
shed  on  both  sides,  as  is  usual  at  such  meetings,  Ben  kindly
inquired  after  his  brother  James,  and  went  to  see  him  at  his
printing-office,  not  without  hopes  of  making  a  favourable
impression  on  him  by  his  dress,  which  was  handsome  far
beyond  wrhat  he  had  ever  worn  in  his  brother's  service ',  a
complete  suit  of  broad  cloth,  branding  new — an  elegant  sil-
ver watch  and  chain — and  his  purse  crammed  with  nearly
five  pound  sterling — all  in  silver  dollars.  But  it  would  not
all  do  to  win  over  James.  Nor  indeed  is  it  to  be  wondered
at:  for  in  losing  Ben  he  had  lost  a  most  cheerful,  obliging
lad,  whose  rare  genius  and  industry  in  writing,  printing,  and
selling  his  pamphlets  and  papers,  had  brought  a  noble  grist
to  his  mill.
Ben's  parade  therefore  of  his  fine  clothes,  and  watch,  and
silver  dollars,  only  made  things  worse  with  James,  serving
but  to  make  him  the  more  sensible  of  his  loss;  so  after  eye-
ing him  from  head  to  foot  with  a  dark  side -long  look,   he


DR.  FRANKLIN.  55

turned  again  to  his  work  without  saving  a  syllable  to  him.
