Adventure stories; Voyages around the world -- Fiction
All the party went ashore at once. Fix was much inclined to arrest
Fogg on the spot, but refrained. Why? Did he think he was mistaken
after all? At any rate he would not abandon Mr. Fogg. They all got
into the train at half-past one a.m., and were in Dublin at daybreak,
and immediately embarked on the mail-steamer which, disdaining to ride
over the waves, cut through them.
At twenty minutes to twelve (noon) Mr. Fogg disembarked at
Liverpool.[B] He was within six hours' run from London now.
[Footnote B: Holyhead.--_Trans_.]
But at that moment Fix approached him, and putting his hand upon Mr.
Fogg's shoulder, said:
"Are you really Phileas Fogg?"
"Yes," was the reply.
"Then I arrest you in the Queen's name!"
CHAPTER XXXIV.
In which Passe-partout uses Strong Language.
Phileas Fogg was in prison. He had been shut up in the Custom House,
pending his removal to London.
Passe-partout would have attacked Fix when he arrested his master, had
not some policemen prevented him. Mrs. Aouda was quite upset by the
occurrence, which was quite unintelligible to her. Passe-partout
explained to her how it had come to pass, and the young lady, who was
of course powerless, wept bitterly.
Fix had merely done his duty, whether Mr. Fogg was guilty or not
guilty. The judge would decide that.
It then occurred to Passe-partout that this was all his fault. Why had
he not communicated the facts to Mr. Fogg? He should have told him who
Fix was and his errand. Thus forewarned he could have given proofs of
his innocence, and at any rate the detective would not in that case
have travelled at Mr. Fogg's expense, and arrested him the moment he
landed. As he thought of all this Passe-partout was ready to shoot
himself. Neither he nor Aouda left the Custom House, notwithstanding
the cold weather. They were anxious to see Mr. Fogg once more.
As for that gentleman he was completely ruined, and at the very moment
he had succeeded in his attempt. The arrest was fatal. He had just
eight hours and forty-five minutes to reach the Reform Club, and six
hours would have sufficed to get to London.
Could anyone have seen Mr. Fogg they would have found him seated
calmly on a form in the Custom House, as cool as ever. Resigned is
scarcely the word to apply to him, but to all appearance he was as
unmoved as ever. If he was raging within he did not betray any
symptoms of anger. Was it possible that he still hoped to succeed?
At any rate he had carefully placed his watch on the table before him,
and was watching it intently. Not a word escaped him, but his eyes
wore a curious fixed expression. Honest or not, he was caught and
ruined.
Was he thinking of escape, did he think of looking for an outlet? It
was not unlikely, for every now and then he got up and walked round
the room. But the door and window were both firmly closed and barred.
He sat down, and drawing his journal from his pocket, read:
"21st December, Saturday, Liverpool."
To this he added--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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