However, the story never makes it clear whether these events actually occurred or were merely a dream: the narrator says that when he initially found a comfortable-looking spot in the roots of the tree, he sat down, "and as my sceptical reader will tell me, nodded and slept", but then says that he is "resolved not to admit" this explanation.
Zaradi tega je Alkon v svoji knjigi "Izvori futuristične fikcije" ("Origins of Futuristic Fiction") namignil, da »je prvi časovni popotnik v angleški književnosti angel varuh, ki se je z državnimi dokumenti iz leta 1998 vrnil v leto 1728,« čeprav knjiga izrečeno ne prikaže kako je angel pridobil te dokumente.