Проклятие мумии, или Камень Семи Звезд

           Mypride,likeherfather’s,wasoutsidemyself;myjoyandrapturewerecompleteandsupreme!

           Whenwehadallgotbacktoearthagaininourvariousways,Mr.Trelawny,holdinghisdaughter’shandinhis,wentonwithhisdiscourse:

           "Now,astothetimeatwhichQueenTeraintendedherresurrectiontotakeplace!Weareincontactwithsomeofthehigherastronomicalcalculationsinconnectionwithtrueorientation.Asyouknow,thestarsshifttheirrelativepositionsintheheavens;butthoughtherealdistancestraversedarebeyondallordinarycomprehension,theeffectsasweseethemaresmall.Nevertheless,theyaresusceptibleofmeasurement,notbyyears,indeed,butbycenturies.ItwasbythismeansthatSirJohnHerschelarrivedatthedateofthebuildingoftheGreatPyramid—adatefixedbythetimenecessarytochangethestarofthetruenorthfromDraconistothePoleStar,andsincethenverifiedbylaterdiscoveries.FromtheabovetherecanbenodoubtwhateverthatastronomywasanexactsciencewiththeEgyptiansatleastathousandyearsbeforethetimeofQueenTera.Now,thestarsthatgotomakeupaconstellationchangeinprocessoftimetheirrelativepositions,andthePloughisanotableexample.Thechangesinthepositionofstarsinevenfortycenturiesissosmallastobehardlynoticeablebyaneyenottrainedtominuteobservances,buttheycanbemeasuredandverified.