I tell you no "virgin mother" could be as beautiful as my mother, who bore seven children for love of my father and for love of the thought of us.' Isn't it queer, sir, that I remember that--for it seemed only grotesque at the time I heard it." It was after this extraordinary speech, uttered with every sign of physical soundness, that young Dr.Merritt confided to the old man when they had left the study: "He's coming on fine, Mr.Delcher.

He'll eat himself into shape now in no time; but--I don't know--seems to me you stand a lot better show of making a preacher out of his brother.

Of course, I may be mistaken--we doctors often are." Then the young physician became loftily humble: "But it doesn't strike me he'll ever get his ideas exactly into Presbyterian shape again!" "But, man, he'll surely be rid of these devil's hallucinations ?" "Well, well--perhaps, but I'm almost afraid they're what we doctors call 'fixed delusions.'" "But I set my heart so long ago on his preaching the Word.

Oh, I've looked forward to it so long--and so hard!" "Well, all you can do now is to feed him and not excite him.

We often have these cases." The very last of Bernal's utterances that could have been reprobated in a well man was his telling Clytie in the old gentleman's presence that, whereas in his boyhood he had pictured the hand of God as a big black hand reaching down to "remove" people--"the way you weed an onion bed"-- he now conceived it to be like her own--"the most beautiful fat, red hand in the world, always patting you or tucking you in, or reaching you something good or pointing to a jar of cookies." It was so dangerously close to irreverence that it made Clytemnestra look stiff and solemn as she arranged matters on the luncheon tray; yet it was so inoffensive, considering the past, that it made Grandfather Delcher quite hopeful.
Thereafter, instead of babbling blasphemies, the convalescent became silent for the most part, yet cheerful and beautifully rational when he did speak, so that fear came gradually to leave the old man's heart for longer and longer intervals.