Jules Verne - Around the World in Eighty Days

When the Consul had finished reading, he asked:

“You are Phileas Fogg, Esq.?”

“Yes, sir,” replied the gentleman.

“And this man is your servant?”

“Yes, a Frenchman named Passepartout.”

“You come from London?”

“Yes.”

“And you are going?”

“To Bombay.”

“Well, sir, you know that this formality of the visé is useless, and that we no longer demand the presentation of the passport?”

“I know it, sir,” replied Phileas Fogg, “but I wish to prove by your visé my trip to Suez.”

“Very well, sir.”

And the Consul having signed and dated the passport, affixed his seal, Mr Fogg settled the fee, and having bowed coldly, he went out, followed by his servant.

“Well?” asked the detective.

“Well,” replied the Consul, “he has the appearance of a perfectly honest man!”

“Possibly,” replied Fix; “but that is not the question with us. Do you find, Consul, that this phlegmatic gentleman resembles, feature for feature, the robber whose description I have received?”

“I agree with you, but you know that all descriptions—”

“I shall have a clear conscience about it,” replied Fix.

“The servant appears to me less of a riddle than the master. Moreover, he is a Frenchman, who cannot keep from talking. I will see you soon again, Consul.”

The detective then went out, intent upon the search for Passepartout.

In the meantime Mr Fogg, after leaving the Consul’s house, had gone towards the wharf. There he gave some orders to his servant; then he got into a boat, returned on board the Mongolia, and went into his cabin. He then took out his memorandum book, in which were the following notes:

“Left London, Wednesday, October 2, 8.45 p.m.

“Arrived at Paris, Thursday, October 3, 7.20 a.m.

“Left Paris, Thursday, 8.40 a.m.

“Arrived at Turin, via Mont Cenis, Friday, October 4, 6.35 a.m.

“Left Turin, Friday, 7.27 a.m.

“Arrived at Brindisi, Saturday, October 5, 4 p.m.

“Set sail on the Mongolia, Saturday, 5 p.m.

“Arrived at Suez, Wednesday, October 9, 11 a.m.

“Total of hours consumed, 158 1-2; or in days, 6 1-2 days.”

Mr Fogg wrote down these dates in a guide-book arranged by columns, which indicated, from the 2nd of October to the 21st of December—the month, the day of the month, the day of the week, the stipulated and actual arrivals at each principal point, Paris, Brindisi, Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong-Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, New York, Liverpool, London, and which allowed him to figure the gain made or the loss experienced at each place on the route. In this methodical book he thus kept an account of everything, and Mr Fogg knew always whether he was ahead of time or behind.

He noted down then this day, Wednesday, October 9, his arrival at Suez, which agreeing with the stipulated arrival, neither made a gain or a loss. Then he had his breakfast served up in his cabin. As to seeing the town, he did not even think of it, being of that race of Englishmen who have their servants visit the countries they pass through.

In which Passepartout perhaps talks a little more than is proper

Fix had in a few moments rejoined Passepartout on the wharf, who was loitering and looking about, not believing that he was obliged not to see anything.

“Well, my friend,” said Fix, coming up to him, “is your passport viséd?”

“Ah! it is you, monsieur,” replied the Frenchman.

“Much obliged. It is all in order.”

“And you are looking at the country?”

“Yes, but we go so quickly that it seems to me as if I am travelling in a dream. And so we are in Suez?”

“Yes, in Suez.”

“In Egypt?”

“You are quite right, in Egypt.”

“And in Africa?”

“Yes, in Africa?”

“In Africa?” repeated Passepartout. “I cannot believe it. Just fancy, sir, that I imagined we would not go farther than Paris, and I saw this famous capital again between twenty minutes after seven and twenty minutes of nine in the morning, between the northern station and the Lyons station, through the windows of a cab in a driving rain! I regret it! I would have so much liked to see again Père Lachaise and the Circus of the Champs-Elys é es!”

“You are then in a great hurry?” asked the detective.

“No, I am not, but my master is. By the bye, I must buy some shirts and shoes! We came away without trunks, with a carpet-bag only.”

“I am going to take you to a shop where you will find everything you want.”

“Monsieur,” replied Passepartout, “you are really very kind.”

And both started off. Passepartout talked incessantly.

“Above all,” he said, “I must take care not to miss the steamer!”

“You have the time,” replied Fix, “it is only noon!”

Passepartout pulled out his large watch.

“Noon. Pshaw! It is eight minutes of ten!”

“Your watch is slow!” replied Fix.

“My watch! A family watch that has come down from my great-grandfather! It don’t vary five minutes in the year. It is a genuine chronometer.”

“I see what is the matter,” replied Fix. “You have kept London time, which is about two hours slower than Suez. You must be careful to set your watch at noon in each country.”

“What! I touch my watch!” cried Passepartout. “Never.”

“Well, then, it will not agree with the sun.”

“So much the worse for the sun, monsieur! The sun will be wrong then!”

And the good fellow put his watch back in his fob with a magnificent gesture.

A few moments after Fix said to him: “You left London very hurriedly then?”

“I should think so! Last Wednesday, at eight o’clock in the evening, contrary to all his habits, Monsieur Fogg returned from his Club, and in three-quarters of an hour afterwards we were off.”

“But where is your master going, then?”

“Right straight ahead! He is making the tour of the world!”

“The tour of the world!” cried Fix.

“Yes, in eighty days! On a wager, he says; but, between ourselves, I do not believe it. There is no common sense in it. There must be something else.”

“This Mr Fogg is an original genius?”

“I should think so.”

“Is he rich?”

“Evidently, and he carries such a fine sum with him in fresh money on the route! And he doesn’t spare his money on the route! Oh! but he has promised a splendid reward to the engineer of the Mongolia, if we arrive at Bombay considerably in advance!”

“And you have known him for a long time, this master of yours?”

“I,” replied Passepartout, “I entered his service the very day of our departure.”

The effect which these answers naturally produced upon the mind of the detective, already strained with excitement, may easily be imagined.

This hurried departure from London so short a time after the robbery, this large sum carried away, this haste to arrive in distant countries, this pretext of an eccentric wager, all could have no other effect than to confirm Fix in his ideas. He kept the Frenchman talking, and learned to a certainty that this fellow did not know his master at all, that he lived isolated in London, that he was called rich without the source of his fortune being known, that he was a mysterious man, etc. But at the same time Fix was certain that Phileas Fogg would not get off at Suez, but he was really going to Bombay.

“Is Bombay far from here?” asked Passepartout.

“Pretty far,” replied the detective. “It will take you ten days more by sea.”

“And where do you locate Bombay?”

“In India.”