Chapter 26

⁠​​​‌​​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​‌⁠Half an hour before this time Swithin St. Cleeve had been sitting in his cabin at the base of the column, working out some figures from observations taken on preceding nights, with a view to a theory that he had in his head on the motions of certain so-called fixed stars.

The evening being a little chilly a small fire was burning in the stove, and this and the shaded lamp before him lent a remarkab