Strange stories were afloat concerning this wise progenitor.

He was said to have lived to an age far exceeding the allotted boundaries of mortal existence, and to have preserved to the last the appearance of middle life.

He had died at length, it was supposed, of grief for the sudden death of a great-grandchild, the only creature he had ever appeared to love.

The works of this philosopher, though rare, were extant, and found in the library of Glyndon's home.

Their Platonic mysticism, their bold assertions, the high promises that might be detected through their figurative and typical phraseology, had early made a deep impression on the young imagination of Clarence Glyndon.