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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’11 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 7 days Suez to Bombay — ship 13 “

Bombay to Calcutta — railway 3 “

Calcutta to Hong Kong — ship 13 “

Hong Kong to Yokohama — ship 6 “

Yokohama to San Francisco — ship 22 “

San Francisco to New York — railway 7 “ New York to London — ship and railway 9 “ 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.

Move!’

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)