"Friends!" exclaimed Passe-partout, "members of the Reform Club, indeed! Do you know, Mr. Fix, that my master is an honest man, and when he has made a bet he wins it fairly?" "But can you guess who I am?" said Fix, looking steadily at Passe-partout. "An agent of the members of the club, whose business it is to hinder my master; and a dirty job it is, too; so although I have found you out long ago, I did not like to betray you to Mr. Fogg." "Then he knows nothing about it," said Fix quickly. "Nothing," replied Passe-partout, emptying his glass once more. The detective passed his hand over his eyes and considered what he was to do. Passe-partout appeared sincere, and this rendered his plan all the more difficult; he evidently was not his master's accomplice. "He will, therefore, help me," said Fix to himself. There was no time to lose. At any risk Fogg must be stopped at Hong Kong. "Listen," said Fix, in a sharp tone; "I am not what you think me." "Bah!" said Passe-partout. "I am a detective, sent out by the police authorities in London." "You a detective?" "Yes, I can prove it. Here is my authority;" and drawing a paper from his pocketbook, he exhibited his instructions to the stupefied Passe-partout, who was unable to utter a word. "This wager of Mr. Fogg's," continued Fix, "is merely to blindfold you and his colleagues at the Reform Club. He had a motive in securing your unconscious complicity." "But why?" said Passe-partout. "For this reason. On the 28th of last September, the sum of fifty-five thousand pounds was stolen from the Bank of England, by a person whose description is fortunately known. That description tallies exactly with Mr. Fogg's appearance." "Absurd," exclaimed Passe-partout, striking the table with his fist; "my master is the most honest man in the world." "What do you know about it?" replied Fix. "You only entered his service on the day he left on a mad excursion, without luggage, and carrying an immense sum in bank-notes; and do you dare to maintain that he is an honest man?" "Yes, yes," repeated the other mechanically. "Do you wish to be arrested as an accomplice?" Passe-partout clutched his head with both hands; he was stupefied. He did not dare to look at the detective. Phileas Fogg a robber! This brave, generous man, the rescuer of Aouda, a thief? And yet circumstantial evidence was strong. Passe-partout did not wish to believe it. He could not believe in his master's guilt. "Well, then, what do you want me to do?" he said, with an effort. "Look here," said Fix: "I have tracked Mr. Fogg so far, but as yet I have not received a warrant, which I asked to be sent from London. You must help me to keep your master in Hong Kong." "But I--" "If so, I will share with you the reward of two thousand pounds promised by the bank." "Never!" replied Passe-partout, who attempted to rise, but fell back utterly exhausted and stupefied.