[8] See previous footnote. This would explain the snow (?) within the room.--Ed. [9] I am confounded that neither here, nor later on, does the Recluse make any further mention of the continued north and south movement (apparent, of course,) of the sun from solstice to solstice.--Ed. [10] At this time the sound-carrying atmosphere must have been either incredibly attenuated, or--more probably--nonexistent. In the light of this, it cannot be supposed that these, or any other, noises would have been apparent to living ears--to hearing, as we, in the material body, understand that sense.--Ed. [11] I can only suppose that the time of the earth's yearly journey had ceased to bear its present _relative_ proportion to the period of the sun's rotation.--Ed. [12] A careful reading of the MS. suggests that, either the sun is traveling on an orbit of great eccentricity, or else that it was approaching the green star on a lessening orbit. And at this moment, I conceive it to be finally torn directly from its oblique course, by the gravitational pull of the immense star.--Ed. [13] It will be noticed here that the earth was "_slowly_ traversing the tremendous face of the dead sun." No explanation is given of this, and we must conclude, either that the speed of time had slowed, or else that the earth was actually progressing on its orbit at a rate, slow, when measured by existing standards. A careful study of the MS. however, leads me to conclude that the speed of time had been steadily decreasing for a very considerable period.--Ed. [14] See _first footnote, Chapter 18_. [15] Without doubt, the flame-edged mass of the Dead Central Sun, seen from another dimension.--Ed. [16] NOTE.--From the unfinished word, it is possible, on the MS., to trace a faint line of ink, which suggests that the pen has trailed away over the paper; possibly, through fright and weakness.--Ed.