The Time Machine - International World History Project

The Time Machinebranches one would be out of sight of the stars. Even werethere no other lurking danger—a danger I did not care tolet my imagination loose upon—there would still be allthe roots to stumble over and the tree-boles to strikeagainst.‘I was very tired, too, after the excitements of the day;so I decided that I would not face it, but would pass thenight upon the open hill.‘Weena, I was glad to find, was fast asleep. I carefullywrapped her in my jacket, and sat down beside her to waitfor the moonrise. The hill-side was quiet and deserted, butfrom the black of the wood there came now and then astir of living things. Above me shone the stars, for thenight was very clear. I felt a certain sense of friendlycomfort in their twinkling. All the old constellations hadgone from the sky, however: that slow movement whichis imperceptible in a hundred human lifetimes, had longsince rearranged them in unfamiliar groupings. But theMilky Way, it seemed to me, was still the same tatteredstreamer of star-dust as of yore. Southward (as I judged it)was a very bright red star that was new to me; it was evenmore splendid than our own green Sirius. And amid allthese scintillating points of light one bright planet shonekindly and steadily like the face of an old friend.98 of 148