Chapter XXXVII

Yes; Phileas Fogg in person.

The reader will remember that at five minutes past eight in the evening—about five and twenty hours after the arrival of the travellers in London—Passepartout had been sent by his master to engage the services of the priest in a certain marriage ceremony, which was to take place the next day.

Passepartout soon reached the clergyman’s house, but found him not at home. Passepartout waited, but no luck. And he ran along the street. In three minutes he was in Saville Row again, and staggered back into Mr. Fogg’s room. He could not speak.

“What is the matter?” asked Mr. Fogg.

“My master!” gasped Passepartout, “marriage—impossible!”

“Impossible?”

“Impossible—for tomorrow.”

“Why so?”

“Because tomorrow—is Sunday!”

“Monday,” replied Mr. Fogg.

“No—today is Saturday.”

“Saturday? Impossible!”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes!” cried Passepartout. “You have made a mistake of one day! We arrived twenty-four hours ahead of time; but there are only ten minutes left!”

Passepartout had seized his master by the collar, and was dragging him along with irresistible force.

Phileas Fogg left his house, jumped into a cab, promised a hundred pounds to the cabman, and reached the Reform Club. The clock indicated a quarter before nine when he appeared in the great saloon.

Phileas Fogg had accomplished the journey round the world in eighty days! He had won his wager of twenty thousand pounds!

How was it that a man so exact and fastidious could have made this error of a day? How came he to think that he had arrived in London on Saturday, the twenty-first day of December, when it was really Friday, the twentieth, the seventy-ninth day only from his departure?

The cause of the error is very simple.

Phileas Fogg had, without suspecting it, gained one day on his journey, and this merely because he had travelled constantly eastward; he would, on the contrary, have lost a day had he gone in the opposite direction, that is, westward.

Phileas Fogg, then, had won the twenty thousand pounds; but, as he had spent nearly nineteen thousand on the way, the pecuniary gain was small. His object was, however, to be victorious, and not to win money. He divided the one thousand pounds that remained between Passepartout and the unfortunate Fix.

That evening, Mr. Fogg, as tranquil and phlegmatic as ever, said to Aouda:

“Is our marriage still agreeable to you?”

“Mr. Fogg,” replied she, “it is for me to ask that question. You were ruined, but now you are rich again.”

“Pardon me, madam; my fortune belongs to you. If you had not suggested our marriage, my servant would not have gone to the priest, I should not have been apprised of my error, and—”

“Dear Mr. Fogg!” said the young woman.

“Dear Aouda!” replied Phileas Fogg.

It need not be said that the marriage took place forty-eight hours later.

Phileas Fogg had won his wager, and had made his journey around the world in eighty days. To do this he had employed every means of conveyance—steamers, railways, carriages, yachts, trading-vessels, sledges, elephants. The eccentric gentleman had throughout displayed all his marvellous qualities of coolness and exactitude. But what then? What had he really gained by all this trouble? What had he brought back from this long and weary journey?

Nothing, say you? Perhaps so; nothing but a charming woman, who, strange as it may appear, made him the happiest of men!

Truly, would you not for less than that make the tour around the world?

Vocabulary

A

abandon – v покидать

ablution – v омовение

abode – n жилище

abominable – adj отвратительный

abominably – adv отвратительно

abrupt – adj отрывистый, резкий, внезапный

abruptly – adv отрывисто, резко, внезапно

absolute – adj полный; совершенный; неограниченный

absolutely – adv безусловно

absorb – v поглощать

abstract – v отделять

absurd – adj нелепый, абсурдный

absurdly – adv нелепо, абсурдно

abundance – n изобилие

abundant – adj (из)обильный

abundantly – adv обильно

acacia – adv акация

accidental – adj случайный

accommodation – n жильё

accompany – v сопровождать

accomplice – n соучастник, сообщник

accomplish – v выполнить, делать

account – n счёт

accumulate – v накапливать; собирать

accumulation – n накопление; собрание

accuse – v обвинять

accustomed – adj обычный, привычный

acrobatic – adj акробатический

acrobat – adj акробат

actively – adv деятельно, активно

actual – adv действительный

actually – adv действительно; в сущности

adjoin – v примыкать; прилегать

admirable – adj замечательный, прекрасный, достойный восхищения

admiration – n восхищение

ado – n суета, хлопоты

adorn – v украшать

adroit – v ловкий; умелый, искусный

adversary – n противник; враг; соперник

adversity – n бедствия, несчастья

advise – v советовать

afoot – adj & adv пешком

agile – adj проворный, ловкий

agility – n проворство, ловкость

agitation – n волнение; возбуждение

agreeable – adj приятный

aimlessly – adv бесцельно

aisle – n проход

alacrity – n живость; рвение

ally – n союзник

alms – n милостыня

amazed – adj изумлённый

amazement – n изумление

amiable – adj добродушный; приветливый

amid – prep среди

analyse – v анализировать

anchor – n якорь

angrily – adv сердито

antagonist – n антагонист; противник

anxiety – n беспокойство; тревога

anxious – adj озабоченный; беспокоящийся; волнующийся

anxiously – adv озабоченно

apex – n вершина, верх

apparent – adj видимый; очевидный; явный

appendage – n придаток, привесок

appoint – v назначать; определять

apprehension – n понимание; опасение; предчувствие

apprise – v извещать

arc – n дуга

array – v выстраивать

arrest – n арест; задержание; v арестовывать; задерживать

ashore – adv на берегу; на берег

assassin – n убийца

assent – n согласие; v соглашаться

assert – v утверждать; заявлять

astride – adv верхом

attire – n наряд, одеяние; v наряжать; одевать,

audible – adj слышимый, слышный

avarice – n скупость, скаредность

avaricious – adj скупой, скаредный

avenge – v мстить

awkward – adj неуклюжий, неловкий