You have told me your father's story, and I have met men like him in the woods, who had wasted their money and lost their health following an illusion.

The lode, so to speak, haunted him and made him restless when he might have been content at home, and then drove him into the wilds when he was old.

It's dangerous to give oneself up to a fixed idea, and you mustn't let the infatuation get hold of you.

It will bring you disappointment and trouble." "The warning's too late," said Agatha in a curious quiet voice.

"The infatuation has got hold of me, but one must follow one's bent, and life is tame if one does nothing that is not prudent and safe.