e obliquely on the sides of the supposed figure, and thus be
bent in opposite directions, as indicated by the dotted lines; and the
extreme positions would thus occur in March and September, as had been
observed. The explanation thus far seems satisfactory enough.

But we have assumed the star to lie in the plane of the earth's orbit; and
the stars under observation by Bradley did not lie in this plane, nor did
they lie in directions equally inclined to it. Making the proper allowance
for their directions, it was found impossible to fit in the facts with
this hypothesis, which had ultimately to be abandoned.

[Sidenote: Delay in finding real explanation.]

[Sidenote: Bradley sets up another instrument at Wansted.]

[Sidenote: Finds the right clue.]

[Sidenote: A wind-vane on a boat.]

It is remarkable to find that two or three years went by before the real
explanation of this new phenomenon occurred to Bradley, and during this
time he must have done some hard thinking. We have all had experience of
the _kind_ of thinking if only in the guessing of conundrums. We know the
apparent hopelessness of the quest at the outset: the racking of our
brains for a clue, the too frequent despair and "giving it up," and the
simplicity of the answer when once it is declared. But with scientific
conundrums the expedient of "giving it up" is not available. We must find
the answer for ourselves or remain in ignorance; and though we may feel
sure that the answer when found will be as simple as that to the best
conundrum, this expected simplicity does not seem to aid us in the search.
Bradley was not content with sitting down to think: he set to work to
accumulate more facts. Molyneux's instrument only allowed of the
observation of two stars, [gamma] Draconis and the small star above
mentioned. Bradley determined to have an instrument of his own which
should command a wider range of stars; and by this time he was able to
return to his uncle's house at Wansted for this purpose. His uncle had
been dead for two or three years, and the memory of the loss was becoming
mellowed with time. His uncle's widow was only too glad to welcome back
her nephew, though no longer to the old rectory, and she allowed him to
set up a long telescope, even though he cut holes in her floor to pass it
through. The object-glass end was out on the roof and the eye end down in
the coal cellar; and accordingly in this coal cellar Bradley made the
observations whic