Definition of "blankly"

His face was a fair weakness, his chin retreated, and his hair lay in crisp, almost flaxen curls on his low forehead; his eyes were rather large, pale blue, and blankly staring.

1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 111

Whitely (that is, purely, blankly, and voidly), the moon cleanses the world of human industry — almost.

2008, Clayton Eshleman, The Grindstone of Rapport: A Clayton Eshleman Reader, page 417