Прокляття мумії, або Камінь Семи Зірок
Chapter 15
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.