by H G Wells

first day new year announcement , almost simultaneously from three observatories, motion planet Neptune, the outermost of all the planets that wheel sun, had become very erratic Ogilvy had already called attention to suspected retardation in its velocity in December Such piece of news was scarcely calculated to interest world the greater portion of whose inhabitants were unaware existence planet Neptune, nor outside the astronomical profession did the subsequent discovery of faint remote speck of light region perturbed planet cause any very great excitement Scientific people, however, found the intelligence remarkable enough, even before it became known new body was rapidly growing larger and brighter, that its motion was quite different orderly progress planets, and deflection of Neptune and its satellite was becoming now of an unprecedented kind

Few people without training in science can realise the huge isolation solar system The sun with its specks of planets, its dust of planetoids, and its impalpable comets, swims in vacant immensity that almost defeats the imagination Beyond the orbit of Neptune space, vacant as human observation has penetrated, without warmth or light or sound, blank emptiness, for twenty million times million miles smallest estimate distance traversed very nearest stars is attained And, saving few comets more unsubstantial thinnest flame, no matter had ever to human knowledge crossed this gulf of space until early twentieth century this strange wanderer appeared vast mass of matter , bulky, heavy, rushing without warning black mystery sky radiance sun second day clearly visible to any decent instrument, as speck with barely sensible diameter, constellation Leo near Regulus In little while an opera glass could attain it

third day new year the newspaper readers of two hemispheres were made aware first time real importance unusual apparition heavens "A Planetary Collision," one London paper headed the news, and proclaimed Duchaine's opinion strange new planet would probably collide with Neptune The leader-writers enlarged topic in most capitals world, on January 3rd, an expectation, however vague, of some imminent phenomenon sky; and night followed the sunset round the globe, thousands of men turned their eyes skyward --the old familiar stars just had always been

Until dawn in London and Pollux setting stars overhead grown pale The Winter's dawn , sickly filtering accumulation of daylight, light of gas and candles shone yellow windows to show where people were astir But the yawning policeman saw the thing, the busy crowds markets stopped agape, workmen going work betimes, milkmen, the drivers of news-carts, dissipation going home jaded and pale, homeless wanderers, sentinels on their beats, and, country, labourers trudging afield, poachers slinking home, all over the dusky quickening country it seen--and out at sea by seamen watching day--a great white star, come suddenly westward sky !

Brighter than any star skies; brighter evening star at its brightest It still glowed out white and large, no mere twinkling spot of light, but small, round, clear shining disc, an hour day had come And where science reached, men stared and feared, telling one another wars and pestilences foreshadowed fiery signs Heavens Sturdy Boers, dusky Hottentots, Gold Coast negroes, Frenchmen, Spaniards, Portuguese, stood warmth sunrise watching the setting strange new star

And in hundred observatories there suppressed excitement, rising almost to shouting pitch, two remote bodies had rushed together, and hurrying to and fro, to gather photographic apparatus and spectroscope, and this appliance , to record this novel, astonishing sight, the destruction of world For world, sister planet earth, far greater than our earth indeed, that had so suddenly flashed into flaming death Neptune struck, fairly and squarely, strange planet from outer space, heat concussion had incontinently turned two solid globes into one vast mass of incandescence Round the world that day, two hours dawn, went the pallid great white star, fading only as it sank westward sun mounted above it Everywhere men marvelled at it, but of all those who saw it none marvelled more than those sailors, habitual watchers stars, who far away at sea had heard nothing advent and saw it now rise like pigmy moon and climb zenithward and hang overhead and sink westward passing night

And when next it rose over Europe everywhere were crowds of watchers on hilly slopes, on house-roofs, in open spaces, staring eastward rising great new star It rose with white glow in front of it, like the glare of white fire, and those who had seen it come into existence the night before cried out sight of it " larger," they cried " brighter ! " And indeed the moon, quarter full and sinking west, was in its apparent size beyond comparison, but scarcely in all its breadth had it brightness now little circle strange new star

" brighter ! " cried the people clustering streets But dim observatories the watchers held their breath and peered at one another "_It is nearer ! " they said "_Nearer ! "

And voice after voice repeated, " nearer," clicking telegraph took that up, and it trembled along telephone wires, and in thousand cities grimy compositors fingered the type " nearer " Men writing in offices, struck with strange realisation, flung down their pens, men talking in thousand places suddenly came upon grotesque possibility in those words, " nearer " It hurried along awakening streets, shouted down the frost-stilled ways of quiet villages, men who had read these things throbbing tape stood in yellow-lit doorways shouting the news passers-by " nearer," Pretty women, flushed and glittering, heard the news told jestingly dances, and feigned an intelligent interest feel "Nearer ! Indeed How curious ! How very, very clever people out things like that ! "

Lonely tramps faring wintry night murmured those words to comfort themselves--looking skyward "It has need nearer, night's as cold as charity Don't seem much warmth is_ nearer, all the same "

" new star ? " cried the weeping woman, kneeling beside her dead

The schoolboy, rising early examination work, puzzled it out for himself-- great white star shining broad and bright frost-flowers window "Centrifugal, centripetal," , chin fist "Stop planet in its flight, rob it centrifugal force, what then ? Centripetal has it, and down it falls sun ! And this-- !

"Do we come way ? I wonder--"

The light day went the way brethren, and later watches frosty darkness rose the strange star again And now so bright waxing moon seemed but pale yellow ghost of itself, hanging huge sunset In South African city great man had married, streets were alight to welcome his return bride "Even the skies have illuminated," said the flatterer Under Capricorn, two negro lovers, daring the wild beasts and evil spirits for love of one another, crouched together in cane brake where the fire-flies hovered " our star," they whispered, and felt strangely comforted sweet brilliance light

The master mathematician sat private room and pushed the papers His calculations were already finished In small white phial there still remained little drug that had kept him awake and active for four long nights , serene, explicit, patient as ever, he had given his lecture students, and then had come back at once momentous calculation His face was grave, little drawn and hectic drugged activity For lost in thought Then he went window, blind went up with click Half-way up the sky, over the clustering roofs, chimneys, and steeples city, hung the star

He looked at it as one might look eyes of brave enemy " kill me," after silence "But hold you--and all the universe matter-- grip small brain change Even now "

He looked little phial " no need of sleep again," The at noon, punctual minute, he entered his lecture theatre, put his hat end table as his habit was, and carefully selected large piece of chalk joke among his students that lecture without that piece of chalk to fumble fingers, and once he stricken to impotence by their hiding his supply and looked under his grey eyebrows rising tiers of young fresh faces, and spoke accustomed studied commonness of phrasing

"Circumstances have arisen--circumstances beyond my control," , and paused, "which will debar me from completing the course I had designed It would seem, gentlemen, if put the thing clearly and briefly, that--Man has lived in vain "

The students glanced at one another Had they heard aright ? Mad ? Raised eyebrows and grinning lips there were, but faces remained intent upon his calm grey-fringed face " interesting," saying, "to devote to an exposition, as make it clear , calculations led me conclusion assume----"

He turned towards the blackboard, meditating diagram way that was usual to him "What about 'lived in vain' ? " whispered one student to another "Listen," said the other, nodding towards the lecturer

And presently they began to understand

* * * * *