In 1872, the Reform Club in London’s Pall Mall was a club for men only. Phileas Fogg went to the Reform Club every day. He left his house at 7 Savile Row at 11.30 in the morning and walked to the club. He had his lunch and his dinner there. He read the papers at the club, and he played cards. He left late in the evening and walked back to Savile Row. He went to bed at 12 o’clock.

Phileas Fogg was a cold man. He didn’t talk much, and nobody knew much about him. But everything in his life had to be right. His washing water had to be at 31 °C – not 30 °C and not 32 °C.

At 9.37 on the morning of 2nd October 1872 his servant, James Forster, brought him water at 30 °C, not 31 °C. So this servant had to go. Phileas Fogg sat at home in his Savile Row house. He waited for his new servant.

The new servant came. He was about thirty years old.

‘You are French,’ said Phileas Fogg,’ and your name is John?’

‘No,’ said the new servant.’ My name is Jean, Mr Fogg. They call me Jean Passepartout, because in French a “passepartout” can open every door. When things are bad, I can always get out. I can get out of anything!’

‘Tell me about your work,’ said Phileas Fogg.

‘I am a good man and I can do a lot of different jobs,’ said Jean Passepartout. ‘I was a fireman in Paris. And… look!’ Passepartout did a high jump, then put his left leg and then his right leg on his head. He was a strong man.

‘But I left France in 1867,’ said Passepartout,’ and I came to England. I want to be a servant. I am looking for a quiet life. People say that you are the quietest man in Britain. So I want to work for you. I want to live quietly now. I want to forget the name “ Passepartout”.’

‘I’ll call you Passepartout,’ said Phileas Fogg.’ What time is it?’

Passepartout pulled out a big watch and looked at it.

‘It is 11.29, Mr. Fogg,’ he said.

‘All right. From now, 11.29 on 2nd October 1872, you are my servant.’

With those words, Phileas Fogg put on his hat and went out. There was nobody in the house, then, only Passepartout.

‘Here I am,’ the Frenchman thought.’ But what do I do?’

He went into every room in the house. He found his room, and in it there was a timetable. Everything was there, starting from 8 o’clock. Phileas Fogg got up at that time.

8.23 Bring tea.

9.37 Bring washing water (31 °C).

11.30 PF goes to the Reform Club.

Then, from 11.30 in the morning to midnight, everything was on the timetable. Mr. Fogg always went to bed at midnight.

Passepartout smiled. ‘This is right for me,’ he thought. ‘Mr. Fogg is the man for me!’

Glossary:

club – клуб

late – поздно

things – вещи

strong – сильный

have to – приходится

servant – слуга

get out – выбраться

look for – искать

quiet – тихий, спокойный

timetable – расписание, график

midnight – полночь

only – только

much – много

wait – ждать

about – около

French – француз

anything – что угодно

Chapter 2

The bet

It was 6.10 in the evening at the Reform Club. Phileas Fogg was in the card room. He was at a card table with the same five men as yesterday and the day before and the day before that.

Phileas Fogg and the five men didn’t usually talk when they played cards. But this evening, before the game started, the men talked about a newspaper story. A thief walked into the Bank of England and took fifty-five thousand pounds. Then he walked out again. One of the men at the card table, Ralph, had a very good job at the Bank of England.

‘They’ll catch the man,’ Ralph said.’ The best detectives are at every port. They know that the man is tall. He wears expensive clothes. They’ll find him.’

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ said Stuart, another man at the table.’ The world is a very big place.’

‘It was a big place,’ said Phileas Fogg.

‘What do you mean – “was”? Is it smaller now?’ said Stuart.

‘Yes,’ said Ralph. ‘I think Mr. Fogg is right. You can go round the world more quickly now.’

‘All right,’ said Stuart. ‘You can go round the world in about three months, but that doesn’t mean. ’

‘Not three months,’ said Phileas Fogg. ‘Eighty days.’

‘Fogg’s right,’ said Ralph.’ The Rothal to Allahabad railway, in India, is open now. Look – today’s Times has a timetable for a journey round the world.’ And he showed them, on the centre page of the paper.

London to Suez – railway and ship

Suez to Bombay – ship

Bombay to Calcutta – railway

Calcutta to Hong Kong – ship

Hong Kong to Yokohama – ship

Yokohama to San Francisco – ship

San Francisco to New York – railway

New York to London – ship and railway

80 days

‘Yes,’ said Stuart,’ eighty days. It’s all right on paper. But a lot of things can happen in eighty days. They can stop you on the way.’

‘No, they can’t, Mr. Stuart,’ said Phileas Fogg.

‘Well, why don’t you try, Mr. Fogg?’

‘Go round the world in eighty days?’ said Phileas Fogg. ‘All right. I have twenty thousand pounds in Baring’s Bank. I’ll bet all of it.’

‘Twenty thousand pounds!’ cried Ralph. ‘ Something will happen on the journey, and you’ll lose all your money.’ ‘Nothing will stop me,’ Phileas Fogg said. In the end, Phileas Fogg’s five friends took the bet. ‘Each person will pay you four thousand pounds – that’s twenty thousand pounds – when we see you again here in the Reform Club in eighty days at the end of your journey round the world,’ said Ralph.’ Or you have to pay us twenty thousand pounds. That’s the bet.’

Phileas Fogg thought for a minute. ‘ Today is Wednesday, 2nd October. So I have to be back here, in this room in the Reform Club, on Saturday, 21st December at 8.45 in the evening.’

At 7.25, Phileas Fogg said good night to his friends and left the Reform Club. At 7.50, he opened the door of his house in Savile Row and went in.

‘Mr. Fogg? Is that you?’ said Passepartout. He looked at the timetable. This was not on the timetable.

‘We are leaving in ten minutes for Dover and Calais,’ said Phileas Fogg.’ We are going round the world.’

Passepartout’s eyes opened wide – very wide. He opened his arms then jumped on one leg.

‘Round the world!’ he said.

‘In eighty days,’ said Phileas Fogg.’ We have to go now. Now!’

‘But your bags?’

‘I’m not taking any bags. Well, one small bag. We can buy things on the way. Bring down my coat. Wear strong shoes. Go!’

At 8 o’clock, Passepartout was ready with a small bag. ‘A quiet life,’ he thought. ‘Where is my quiet life?’

Phileas Fogg was ready. He had a book under his arm – Bradshaw’s, a railway and ship timetable. He took the bag from Passepartout and put a lot of money into it. Then he gave the bag to Passepartout.

‘Look after it,’ he said.’ There’s twenty thousand pounds in it.’

At the station, Phileas Fogg saw his five friends from the Reform Club.

‘You’re here to say goodbye? That’s kind,’ he said. ‘ I’ll have stamps in my passport for each country. You can see them when I come back.’

‘We won’t look at your passport,’ said Ralph. ‘You’re an Englishman.’

At 8.40, Phileas Fogg and Passepartout took their places in the train, and at 8.45 the train started.

Some days later, the police at Scotland Yard had a letter from their detective, Detective Fix.

Suez, 9th October

To Scotland Yard, London

I am following the bank thief, Phileas Fogg. Send a warrant to Bombay now.

Fix (detective)

Glossary:

bet – пари

thief – вор

railway – железная дорога

journey – путешествие

happen – случаться

try – пытаться

way – путь

warrant – ордер

card table – карточный стол

usually – обычно

catch – ловить, поймать

another – еще один

Chapter 3

Detective Fix

On Wednesday, 9th October a small thin man waited for a ship at Suez, Egypt. The ship, a fast ship, was the Mongolia. The man was Detective Fix. He was at the port because he wanted to find the Bank of England thief.

Fix looked at everybody. He wanted a tall man in expensive clothes. When the Mongolia arrived at the port, Phileas Fogg left the ship. He had to get a stamp in his passport. He went back to the ship. Fix watched him.

Then the detective found Passepartout out in the town. ‘Can I help you?’ asked Fix.

‘You are very kind,’ said Passepartout.’ This is Suez?’ ‘Yes,’ said Fix.’ Suez, in Egypt, in Africa.’ Passepartout looked at Fix with wide eyes.

‘Africa!’ he said.’ This morning I saw Paris again, from 7.20 to 8.15 in the morning, through the windows of a train, between two railway stations. And now I am here in Africa.’

‘You haven’t got much time, then?’ asked the detective.

‘ No, Mr. Fogg hasn’t got much time. Oh, and I have to buy some clothes. We came away with only one small bag for the journey.’

‘I’ll show you the way to the shops.’

‘Thank you,’ said Passepartout. And the two men walked through Suez. ‘ I have to be careful about the time. The ship leaves again in a short time.’

‘You’ve got time for shopping,’ Fix answered. ‘And you’ve got time for lunch.’

Passepartout took his big watch.

‘Lunch?’ he said.’ It’s 9.52 in the morning!’

‘No, it’s 11.52,’ said Fix. ‘You’ve got London time on your watch. That’s two hours behind Suez time. When you go round the world, time changes. On your journey you’ll have to change the time on your watch for each new country.’

‘What! Change the time on my watch? Never!’ said Passepartout.

Fix smiled. Five minutes later he said,’ Here are the shops. You can buy everything here. I think you left London quickly.’

‘Oh yes! Last Wednesday, Mr. Fogg came back from his club at 7.50 in the evening. He usually comes back at midnight. And then we started our journey.’

Fix thought about that. Then he asked, ‘But where is Mr. Fogg going?’

‘Round the world.’ ‘Round the world?’ ‘Yes, in eighty days. He says it is for a bet.’ ‘ Is he rich?’ Fix asked.

‘I think he is,’ said Passepartout. The Frenchman was always ready to talk. ‘He has a lot of new banknotes with him, and he buys things all the time. He gave the captain of the Mongolia a lot of money because h

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