Phileas Fogg, having shut the
door of his house at half-past
eleven, and having put his right
foot before his left five hundred
and seventy-five times, and his
left foot before his right five
hundred and seventy-six times,
reached the Reform Club, an imposing
edifice in Pall Mall, which could
not have cost less than three
millions. He repaired at once
to the dining-room, the nine
windows of which open upon a
tasteful garden, where the trees
were already gilded with an autumn
colouring; and took his place
at the habitual table, the cover
of which had already been laid
for him. His breakfast consisted
of a side-dish, a broiled fish
with Reading sauce, a scarlet
slice of roast beef garnished
with mushrooms, a rhubarb and
gooseberry tart, and a morsel
of Cheshire cheese, the whole
being washed down with several
cups of tea, for which the Reform
is famous. He rose at thirteen
minutes to one, and directed
his steps towards the large hall,
a sumptuous apartment adorned
with lavishly-framed paintings.
A flunkey handed him an uncut
Times, which he proceeded to
cut with a skill which betrayed
familiarity with this delicate
operation. The perusal of this
paper absorbed Phileas Fogg until
a quarter before four, whilst
the Standard, his next task,
occupied him till the dinner
hour. Dinner passed as breakfast
had done, and Mr. Fogg re-appeared
in the reading-room and sat down
to the Pall Mall at twenty minutes
before six. Half an hour later
several members of the Reform
came in and drew up to the fireplace,
where a coal fire was steadily
burning. They were Mr. Fogg's
usual partners at whist: Andrew
Stuart, an engineer; John Sullivan
and Samuel Fallentin, bankers;
Thomas Flanagan, a brewer; and
Gauthier Ralph, one of the Directors
of the Bank of England-- all
rich and highly respectable personages,
even in a club which comprises
the princes of English trade
and finance.
"Well, Ralph," said Thomas
Flanagan, "what about that robbery?"
"Oh," replied Stuart, "the
Bank will lose the money."
"On the contrary," broke in
Ralph, "I hope we may put our
hands on the robber. Skilful
detectives have been sent to
all the principal ports of America
and the Continent, and he'll
be a clever fellow if he slips
through their fingers."
"But have you got the robber's
description?" asked Stuart.
"In the first place, he is
no robber at all," returned Ralph,
positively.
"What! a fellow
who makes off with fifty-five
thousand pounds,
no robber?"
"No."
"Perhaps he's
a manufacturer, then."
"The Daily
Telegraph says that he is a
gentleman."
It was Phileas
Fogg, whose head now emerged
from behind
his newspapers, who made this
remark. He bowed to his friends,
and entered into the conversation.
The affair which formed its subject,
and which was town talk, had
occurred three days before at
the Bank of England. A package
of banknotes, to the value of
fifty-five thousand pounds, had
been taken from the principal
cashier's table, that functionary
being at the moment engaged in
registering the receipt of three
shillings and sixpence. Of course,
he could not have his eyes everywhere.
Let it be observed that the Bank
of England reposes a touching
confidence in the honesty of
the public. There are neither
guards nor gratings to protect
its treasures; gold, silver,
banknotes are freely exposed,
at the mercy of the first comer.
A keen observer of English customs
relates that, being in one of
the rooms of the Bank one day,
he had the curiosity to examine
a gold ingot weighing some seven
or eight pounds. He took it up,
scrutinised it, passed it to
his neighbour, he to the next
man, and so on until the ingot,
going from hand to hand, was
transferred to the end of a dark
entry; nor did it return to its
place for half an hour. Meanwhile,
the cashier had not so much as
raised his head. But in the present
instance things had not gone
so smoothly. The package of notes
not being found when five o'clock
sounded from the ponderous clock
in the "drawing office," the
amount was passed to the account
of profit and loss. As soon as
the robbery was discovered, picked
detectives hastened off to Liverpool,
Glasgow, Havre, Suez, Brindisi,
New York, and other ports, inspired
by the proffered reward of two
thousand pounds, and five per
cent. on the sum that might be
recovered. Detectives were also
charged with narrowly watching
those who arrived at or left
London by rail, and a judicial
examination was at once entered
upon.
There were real grounds for
supposing, as the Daily Telegraph
said, that the thief did not
belong to a professional band.
On the day of the robbery a well-dressed
gentleman of polished manners,
and with a well-to-do air, had
been observed going to and fro
in the paying room where the
crime was committed. A description
of him was easily procured and
sent to the detectives; and some
hopeful spirits, of whom Ralph
was one, did not despair of his
apprehension. The papers and
clubs were full of the affair,
and everywhere people were discussing
the probabilities of a successful
pursuit; and the Reform Club
was especially agitated, several
of its members being Bank officials.
Ralph would not concede that
the work of the detectives was
likely to be in vain, for he
thought that the prize offered
would greatly stimulate their
zeal and activity. But Stuart
was far from sharing this confidence;
and, as they placed themselves
at the whist-table, they continued
to argue the matter. Stuart and
Flanagan played together, while
Phileas Fogg had Fallentin for
his partner. As the game proceeded
the conversation ceased, excepting
between the rubbers, when it
revived again.
"I maintain," said Stuart, "that
the chances are in favour of
the thief, who must be a shrewd
fellow."
"Well, but where can he fly
to?" asked Ralph. "No country
is safe for him."
"Pshaw!"
"Where could
he go, then?"
"Oh, I don't
know that. The world is big
enough."
"It was once," said Phileas
Fogg, in a low tone. "Cut, sir," he
added, handing the cards to Thomas
Flanagan.
The discussion fell during
the rubber, after which Stuart
took up its thread.
"What do you
mean by `once'? Has the world
grown smaller?"
"Certainly," returned Ralph. "I
agree with Mr. Fogg. The world
has grown smaller, since a man
can now go round it ten times
more quickly than a hundred years
ago. And that is why the search
for this thief will be more likely
to succeed."
"And also why
the thief can get away more
easily."
"Be so good as to play, Mr.
Stuart," said Phileas Fogg.
But the incredulous
Stuart was not convinced, and
when the
hand was finished, said eagerly: "You
have a strange way, Ralph, of
proving that the world has grown
smaller. So, because you can
go round it in three months--"
"In eighty days," interrupted
Phileas Fogg.
"That is true, gentlemen," added
John Sullivan. "Only eighty days,
now that the section between
Rothal and Allahabad, on the
Great Indian Peninsula Railway,
has been opened. Here is the
estimate made by the Daily Telegraph:
From London
to Suez via Mont Cenis and
Brindisi, by rail and
steamboats .................
7 days From Suez to Bombay, by
steamer ....................
13 " From Bombay to Calcutta,
by rail ................... 3 " From
Calcutta to Hong Kong, by steamer
............. 13 " From Hong
Kong to Yokohama (Japan), by
steamer ..... 6 " From Yokohama
to San Francisco, by steamer
......... 22 " From San Francisco
to New York, by rail .............
7 " From New York to London,
by steamer and rail ........
9 " ---- Total ............................................
80 days."
"Yes, in eighty days!" exclaimed
Stuart, who in his excitement
made a false deal. "But that
doesn't take into account bad
weather, contrary winds, shipwrecks,
railway accidents, and so on."
"All included," returned
Phileas Fogg, continuing to
play despite
the discussion.
"But suppose the Hindoos or
Indians pull up the rails," replied
Stuart; "suppose they stop the
trains, pillage the luggage-vans,
and scalp the passengers!"
"All included," calmly retorted
Fogg; adding, as he threw down
the cards, "Two trumps."
Stuart, whose
turn it was to deal, gathered
them up, and went
on: "You are right, theoretically,
Mr. Fogg, but practically--"
"Practically
also, Mr. Stuart."
"I'd like to
see you do it in eighty days."
"It depends
on you. Shall we go?"
"Heaven preserve
me! But I would wager four
thousand pounds
that such a journey, made under
these conditions, is impossible."
"Quite possible, on the contrary," returned
Mr. Fogg.
"Well, make
it, then!"
"The journey
round the world in eighty days?"
"Yes."
"I should like
nothing better."
"When?"
"At once. Only
I warn you that I shall do
it at your expense."
"It's absurd!" cried Stuart,
who was beginning to be annoyed
at the persistency of his friend. "Come,
let's go on with the game."
"Deal over again, then," said
Phileas Fogg. "There's a false
deal."
Stuart took up the pack with
a feverish hand; then suddenly
put them down again.
"Well, Mr. Fogg," said he, "it
shall be so: I will wager the
four thousand on it."
"Calm yourself, my dear Stuart," said
Fallentin. "It's only a joke."
"When I say I'll wager," returned
Stuart, "I mean it." "All right," said
Mr. Fogg; and, turning to the
others, he continued: "I have
a deposit of twenty thousand
at Baring's which I will willingly
risk upon it."
"Twenty thousand pounds!" cried
Sullivan. "Twenty thousand pounds,
which you would lose by a single
accidental delay!"
"The unforeseen does not exist," quietly
replied Phileas Fogg.
"But, Mr. Fogg,
eighty days are only the estimate
of the
least possible time in which
the journey can be made."
"A well-used
minimum suffices for everything."
"But, in order
not to exceed it, you must
jump mathematically
from the trains upon the steamers,
and from the steamers upon the
trains again."
"I will jump--mathematically."
"You are joking."
"A true Englishman doesn't
joke when he is talking about
so serious a thing as a wager," replied
Phileas Fogg, solemnly. "I will
bet twenty thousand pounds against
anyone who wishes that I will
make the tour of the world in
eighty days or less; in nineteen
hundred and twenty hours, or
a hundred and fifteen thousand
two hundred minutes. Do you accept?"
"We accept," replied
Messrs. Stuart, Fallentin,
Sullivan,
Flanagan, and Ralph, after consulting
each other.
"Good," said Mr. Fogg. "The
train leaves for Dover at a quarter
before nine. I will take it."
"This very evening?" asked
Stuart.
"This very evening," returned
Phileas Fogg. He took out and
consulted a pocket almanac, and
added, "As today is Wednesday,
the 2nd of October, I shall be
due in London in this very room
of the Reform Club, on Saturday,
the 21st of December, at a quarter
before nine p.m.; or else the
twenty thousand pounds, now deposited
in my name at Baring's, will
belong to you, in fact and in
right, gentlemen. Here is a cheque
for the amount."
A memorandum of the wager was
at once drawn up and signed by
the six parties, during which
Phileas Fogg preserved a stoical
composure. He certainly did not
bet to win, and had only staked
the twenty thousand pounds, half
of his fortune, because he foresaw
that he might have to expend
the other half to carry out this
difficult, not to say unattainable,
project. As for his antagonists,
they seemed much agitated; not
so much by the value of their
stake, as because they had some
scruples about betting under
conditions so difficult to their
friend.
The clock struck seven, and
the party offered to suspend
the game so that Mr. Fogg might
make his preparations for departure.
"I am quite ready now," was
his tranquil response. "Diamonds
are trumps: be so good as to
play, gentlemen."
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