ry 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!’
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
