The House on the Borderland (21 page)

[1]
An apparently unmeaning interpolation. I can find no previous
reference in the MS. to this matter. It becomes clearer, however, in the
light of succeeding incidents.—Ed.

[2]
Here, the writing becomes undecipherable, owing to the damaged
condition of this part of the MS. Below I print such fragments as are
legible.—Ed.

[3]
NOTE.—The severest scrutiny has not enabled me to decipher more of
the damaged portion of the MS. It commences to be legible again with the
chapter entitled "The Noise in the Night."—Ed.

[4]
The Recluse uses this as an illustration, evidently in the sense of
the popular conception of a comet.—Ed.

[5]
Evidently referring to something set forth in the missing and
mutilated pages. See
Fragments, Chapter 14
—Ed.

[6]
No further mention is made of the moon. From what is said here, it
is evident that our satellite had greatly increased its distance from
the earth. Possibly, at a later age it may even have broken loose from
our attraction. I cannot but regret that no light is shed on this
point.—Ed.

[7]
Conceivably, frozen air.—Ed.

[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.

[17]
These stanzas I found, in pencil, upon a piece of foolscap gummed in behind the fly-leaf of the MS. They have all the appearance of having been written at an earlier date than the Manuscript. — Ed.