Bestow not a warm bath upon a cold and well-stoned fellow, for once he enters, he shall tarry there beyond all reasonable measure.

There was once a trapper named Elias whowandered home on a bitter winter's eve withsnow upon his boots, a pipe long spent, and a grin that suggested he had enjoyed more of the forest's herbs than the good Lord had intended. Shivering from the cold, he begged his host fornothing more than a hot bath before supper.

Being a generous soul, the old innkeeper filled the great copper tub until steam curled to the rafters. Elias stepped in with a sigh so deep that even thefire seemed jealous. One hour passed, then two. The stew grew cold, the candles burned low, and the other travelers finished their meals. Still Elias would not emerge.

When the innkeeper knocked upon the door, Elias answered only, "Just a moment more. I've nearly solved the mysteries of the universe."
Another hour slipped away. The bathwater had cooled twice over, and yet Elias insisted that it remained "perfectly warm enough."
The old innkeeper merely chuckled, shook his head, and turned to the gathered guests.
"Remember this well," he said. "Bestow not a warm bath upon a cold and well-stoned fellow, foronce he enters, he shall tarry there beyond allreasonable measure."
And so the saying passed from hearth to hearth, not as a warning against kindness, but against expecting a speedy return of any man who finds himself both warm and wonderfully content.