Without the check of an unemotional daily press Mr.Gridley suspected that the poor creature's performances would have been magnified by credulous gossip until he became the founder of a new religion--a thing especially to be dreaded in a day when the people were crazed for any new thing--as Paul found them in Athens.
Mr.Gridley mentioned further that the person had suffered from what the alienists called "morbid delusions of grandeur"-- believing, indeed, that but One other in the universe was greater than himself; that he would sit at the right hand of Power to judge all the world.

His most puerile pretension, however, was that he meant to live, even if the work required a thousand years, until such time as he could save all persons into heaven, so that hell need have no occupants.
But this distressing tale did not move old Allan Delcher to reconsider his perverse decision, though there had been ample time for reparation.
Placidly he dropped off one day, a little while after he had cautioned Clytie to keep the house ready for Bernal's coming; and to have always on hand one of those fig layer-cakes of which he was so fond, since as likely as not he would ask for this the first thing, just as he used to do.

It must seem homelike to him when he did come.
Having betrayed the trust reposed in him by an unsuspecting grandson, it seemed fitting that he should fall asleep over that very psalm wherein David describeth the corruption of the natural man..