But thou are _not_; and night's vast throne
Becomes an all stupendous church
With star-bells knelling unto me
Who in all space am most alone!

An hungered, to the shore I creep,
Perchance some comfort waits on me
From the old Sea's eternal heart;
But lo! from all the solemn deep,
Far voices out of mystery
Seem questioning why we are apart!

"Where'er I go I am alone
Who once, through thee, had all the world.
My breast is one whole raging pain
For that which _was_, and now is flown
Into the Blank where life is hurled
Where all is not, nor is again!"

FOOTNOTES:

[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.--