"The results of his secret work alarm them; then, along he comes, with his braggart, offensive manners, his childish posings, his peacock vanity, and they are lulled into false security.

They think what he did was an accident that will not happen again.

Why, he fooled even ME!" That is always, with every human being, the supreme test, necessarily.
Usually it means nothing.

In this case of Cornelia Bowker it meant a great deal; for Cornelia Bowker was not easily fooled.

The few who appear in the arena of ambition with no game to play, with only sentiment and principle to further, the few who could easily have fooled her cynical, worldly wisdom could safely be disregarded.