would fly immeasurably beyond the present orbit of Neptune, and then rush inwards to the centre, only to be driven outwards again.  Surging out and in, the fluid mass would expand and contract alternately, until in course of ages the fiery tides would cease to ebb and flow.  If the impact had been somewhat indirect it would rotate slowly on its axis, and under the influence of gravity and centrifugal force acquire a globular shape which would gradually flatten to a lenticular disc.  As it cooled and shrank in volume it would whirl the faster round its axis, and grow the denser towards its heart.  By and by, as the centrifugal force overcame gravity, the nebula would part, and the lighter outskirts would be shed one after another in concentric rings to mould the planets.  The inner rings, being relatively small and heavy, would probably condense much sooner than the large, light, outer rings.  The planetoids are apparently the rubbish of a ring which has failed to condense into one body, perhaps through its uniformity or thinness.  The separation of so big a mass as Jupiter might well attenuate the border.”

“If the planetoids were born of a single small ring, might not several planets be condensed from a large one?”

“I see nothing to hinder it.  A large ring might split into smaller rings, or condense in several centres.”

“Because it seems to me that might explain the distinction between the inner and the outer planets.  Perhaps the outer were first thrown off in one immense ring, and then the inner in a smaller ring.  Before separation the nebula viewed edgewise might resemble your Indian club.”

“A ‘dumb-bell nebula,’ like those we find in the heavens,” observed Gazen.  “Be that as it may, the rings would collect into balls, and some of these, especially the outer, would cast off rings which would condense into moons, always excepting the rings of Saturn, which, like the planetoids, are evidently a failure.  The solar system would then appear as a group of suns, a cluster of stars, in short, a constellation.  Each would be what we call a ‘nebulous star,’ not unlike the sun at present; that is to say, it would be surrounded by a glowing atmosphere of vapours, and perhaps meteoric matter.  Under the action of gravity, centrifugal force, and tidal retardation, their orbits would become more circular, they would gradually move further apart, rotate more slowly on their axes, and assume the shapes they have now.  In cooling down, new chemical compounds, and probably elements would be formed, since the so-called elements are perhaps mere combinations of a primordial substance which have been produced at various temperatures.  The heavier elements, such as platinum, gold, and iron, would sink towards the core; and the lighter, such as carbon, silicon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen, would rise towards the surface.  A crust would form, and portions of it breaking in or bursting out together with eruptions and floods of molten lava, would disturb the poise of the planet, and give rise to inequalities of surface, to continents, and mountains.  When the crust was sufficiently stable, sound, and cool, the mists and clouds would condense into rivers, lakes, or seas, and the atmosphere would become clear.  In due course life would make its appearance.”