Отравленный пояс
Chapter I. The Blurring Of Lines
JamesWilsonMacPhail,butmanyreasonswhyweshouldwatchwithaverycloseandinterestedattentioneveryindicationofchangeinthosecosmicsurroundingsuponwhichourownultimatefatemaydepend."
"Man,he’dhavemadeagrandmeenister,"saidMcArdle."Itjustboomslikeanorgan.Let’sgetdountowhatitisthat’stroublinghim."
"ThegeneralblurringandshiftingofFraunhofer’slinesofthespectrumpoint,inmyopinion,toawidespreadcosmicchangeofasubtleandsingularcharacter.Lightfromaplanetisthereflectedlightofthesun.Lightfromastarisaself-producedlight.Butthespectrabothfromplanetsandstarshave,inthisinstance,allundergonethesamechange.Isit,then,achangeinthoseplanetsandstars?Tomesuchanideaisinconceivable.Whatcommonchangecouldsimultaneouslycomeuponthemall?Isitachangeinourownatmosphere?Itispossible,butinthehighestdegreeimprobable,sinceweseenosignsofitaroundus,andchemicalanalysishasfailedtorevealit.What,then,isthethirdpossibility?Thatitmaybeachangeintheconductingmedium,inthatinfinitelyfineetherwhichextendsfromstartostarandpervadesthewholeuniverse.Deepinthatoceanwearefloatinguponaslowcurrent.Mightthatcurrentnotdriftusintobeltsofetherwhicharenovelandhavepropertiesofwhichwehaveneverconceived?Thereisachangesomewhere.Thiscosmicdisturbanceofthespectrumprovesit.Itmaybeagoodchange.Itmaybeanevilone.Itmaybeaneutralone.Wedonotknow.
