He felt he had to some extent misled Agatha and Strange.

Expenses had outrun his calculations and he had encountered obstacles he had not foreseen.

More money would soon be needed, and he must get results that would encourage its subscription and warrant his using Mrs.Allott's capital.
Sometimes the adit roof came down and sometimes the sides crushed in; the inclination of the vein was irregular and the dip was often awkwardly steep.

Then the pines about the mine were small and damaged by wind and forest-fires.

It was difficult to find timber that would bear a heavy strain, and Thirlwell walked long distances in the stinging frost to look for proper logs, and now and then camped with his choppers behind a snowbank.