[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