Similarly, at her apogee, when her rate of motion is comparatively slow, she shifts a little too quickly for her velocity, and therefore cannot help revealing a certain portion of her eastern border.

She shows altogether about 8 degrees of the dark side, about 4 at the east and 4 at the west, so that, out of her 360 degrees, about 188, in other words, a little more than 57 per cent., about 4/7 of the entire surface, becomes visible to human eyes.

Consequently a Selenite could catch an occasional glimpse of our Earth, without altogether quitting the dark side." "No matter for that!" cried Ardan; "if we ever become Selenites we must inhabit the visible side.

My weak point is light, and that I must have when it can be got." "Unless, as perhaps in this case, you might be paying too dear for it," observed M'Nicholl.

"How would you like to pay for your light by the loss of the atmosphere, which, according to some philosophers, is piled away on the dark side ?" "Ah! In that case I should consider a little before committing myself," replied Ardan, "I should like to hear your opinion regarding such a notion, Barbican.