Verne_Tour_of_the_World_in_Eighty_Days.txt topic ['13', '324', '378', '393']
woman, who had dared everything to save the man to whom she owed her
life, her sincerity, firmness, and sweetness were all apparent. was
at first astonished, and then completely overcome. a moment his
eyes closed, as if to avoid her glance, and when he opened them again
he said simply:
" love you. all hold sacred, love you dearly; and am yours
for ever."
"!" exclaimed . , as she pressed her hand upon her bosom.
-partout was immediately summoned. . was still holding the
lady's hand. -partout understood it all, and his face became
radiant.
. asked him if it were too late to notify the .
, of , about the wedding.
-partout smiled, as he replied, " is never too late." was
then five minutes past eight.
" the wedding take place to-morrow, ?" he said
" we say to-morrow?" asked . , turning to .
" you please," she replied, blushing.
-partout hurried away as fast as he could go.
.
which 's is once again at a on the
.
is now time to say something of the change which opinion
underwent when the true bank robber, one , was arrested in
on the 17th of .
days before was a criminal, followed by the police; now he
was a gentleman, who had only been taking an eccentric journey round
the world. was great discussion in the papers, and those who had
laid wagers for or against . rose once more as if by magic.
" " were once more negotiated, and 's name was at
a premium.
members of the passed those three days in great
discomfort. , whom they had forgotten, return?
was he on that 17th of , which was the seventy-sixth day after
his departure, and they had had no news of him? he given in, and
renounced the struggle, or was he continuing the journey at a more
reasonable rate, and would he appear on , the 21st of
, at a quarter to nine in the evening, as agreed upon?
cannot depict the intense agitation which moved all classes of
society during those three days. were sent to and
for news of . , and people were sent, morning and night, to
; but there was no news. the police did not know what
had become of . all these things did not prevent bets being
made, even to a greater amount than formerly. were quoted no
longer at a hundred per cent. discount, but went up to ten and five;
and even old was betting at evens.
that night a great crowd was assembled in and
the . was impeded; disputes, arguments, and bets
were raging in every direction. police had the greatest difficulty
to keep back the crowd, and as the hour when . was due
approached, the excitement rose to fever-heat.
evening that gentleman's five friends had assembled in the
drawing-room of the club. were the two bankers,
and ; , the engineer; , the
director of the of ; and , the brewer; all
awaiting . 's return with the greatest anxiety.
twenty minutes past eight rose and said: ", in
twenty-five minutes the time agreed upon will have expired."
" what time was the last train due from ?" asked .
" 7.23," replied ; "and the next does not arrive till past
midnight."
", then, gentlemen," replied , "if . had arrived by
the 7.23, he would have been here before now, so we may look upon the
bet as won."
" not be in too great a hurry," replied . " know that
our friend is very eccentric, and his punctuality is proverbial. ,
for one, shall be astonished if he does not turn up at the last
minute."
" my part," said , who was very nervous, "if should see him
could not believe it was he."
" fact," replied , ". 's project was insane. matter
how punctual he may be, he cannot prevent some delay; and a day or two
would throw all his arrangements out of gear."
" you will remark besides," said , "that we have not
received any news from him all the time he has been away, although
there are telegraphs all along his route."
" has lost, gentlemen," said , "a hundred times over. only
ship he could have come by and been in time was the __, and she
arrived yesterday. is a list of the passengers, and
's name is not included. the most favourable computation our
friend can scarcely have reached . do not expect him for the
next twenty days, and my will lose his five thousand
pounds."
" we have nothing to do," replied , "but to present his
cheque at 's to-morrow."
hands of the clock were then pointing to twenty minutes to nine.
" minutes more," said .
five friends looked at each other. could almost hear their
hearts beating, for it must be confessed that even for such seasoned
players the stakes were pretty high, but they did not wish their
anxiety to be remarked, and on 's suggestion they sat down to
whist.
" would not give up my four thousand pounds," said as he sat
down, "if anyone were to offer me three thousand nine hundred and
ninety-nine."
clock pointed to eighteen minutes to nine.
players took up their cards, but kept looking at the clock.
matter how safe they felt, the minutes had never appeared so long.
"8.43," said , as he cut the pack passed to him.
that moment the silence was profound, but the cries of the crowd
outside soon rose again. clock beat out the seconds with
mathematical regularity, and each of the players checked every tick of
the pendulum.
"8.44," said , in a voice which betrayed his nervousness.
minute more and they would have won their bet. laid down
their cards and counted the seconds.
the fortieth second no news; at the fiftieth still nothing. the
fifty-fifth second a loud roar was heard from the street mingled with
cheers and oaths.
the players rose simultaneously.
the fifty-seventh second the door of the room was thrust open, and
before the pendulum had marked the minute advanced into
the room, followed to the door by an excited crowd who had forced
their way in, and he said in his usual calm tone,
" am, gentlemen."
.
how gained only by his round the
.
, it was in person.
readers will recollect that at five minutes after eight that
evening--about twenty-five hours after our travellers' arrival in
---partout had been requested to arrange about a certain
marriage with the . . -partout had gone on his
mission rejoicing, but the clergyman was not at home. naturally
waited, but he was kept at least twenty minutes.
was 8.35 when he left the clergyman's house, but what a state he
was in! hair was disordered, he ran home without his hat,
overturning the passers-by as he went rushing along the pathway.
three minutes he was back in , and he rushed
breathlessly into . 's room.
was unable to speak.
" is the matter?" asked . .
", sir--the marriage--impossible."
"?"
" for to-morrow."
" so?"
" to-morrow is--."
" is ," said . .
", to-day is ."
"? impossible."
" is, it is!" exclaimed -partout. " have made a mistake of
one day. arrived twenty-four hours before our time, but we have
only ten minutes left now."
he spoke -partout fairly dragged his master out of his chair.
, thus seized, had no choice. rushed downstairs, jumped
into a cab, promised the driver a hundred pounds, ran over two dogs,
came into collision with five cabs, and reached the at
8.45.
had accomplished the journey round the world in eighty
days, and had won his bet of twenty thousand pounds.
how was it that such a methodical man could have made a mistake of
a day? could he imagine that he had got back on the 21st
when it was really the 20th, seventy-nine days after his
departure?
reason is very simple.
had unconsciously gained a day, simply because he
journeyed always eastward, whereas, had he journeyed westward, he
would have lost a day.
fact, travelling towards the east, he had gone towards the south,
and consequently the days got shorter as many times four minutes as he
crossed degrees in that direction. are three hundred and sixty
degrees, and these multiplied by four minutes give exactly twenty-four
hours; that is the day gained. other words, while
, going east, saw the sun pass the meridian eighty times, his
friends in only saw it seventy-nine times, and that is why on
that day, which was , and not , as . thought,
they expected him at the .
-partout's wonderful watch, which had always kept time,
would have confirmed this had it only marked the days as well as the
hours and minutes.
had won his twenty thousand pounds, but as he had
expended nearly nineteen thousand pounds, his gain was small. ,
he had not bet for money. actually divided the thousand pounds that
remained between honest -partout and the unfortunate , against
whom he bore no malice. from -partout's share he deducted, on
principle, the cost of the gas which had been burning for one thousand
nine hundred and twenty hours. same evening . , as
tranquilly as ever, said to , " the prospect of our marriage
still agreeable to you?"
". ," she replied, "it is who ought to have asked you that
question. were ruined then, but now you are rich."
" me, madam," he replied, "this fortune belongs to you. you
had not thought of the wedding, my servant would never have gone to
see . , and should not have found out my mistake."
" . ," said the young lady.
" dearest ," replied .
marriage took place forty-eight hours afterwards, and
-partout, beaming and resplendent, gave the bride away. he
not saved her life, and was he not entitled to the honour?
the wedding morning -partout knocked at his master's door.
" is the matter, -partout?"
", sir, have just this moment found out that we might have gone
round the world in seventy-eight days only."
" doubt," replied . , "if we had not crossed ; but if
had not crossed we should not have rescued . , and she
would never have been my wife."
. shut the door quietly.
won his wager, and made the tour of the world in
eighty days. do this he had made use of every means of
transport--steamers, railways, carriages, yacht, trading-ship,
sledges, and elephants. eccentric gentleman had displayed all
through his most marvellous qualities of coolness and exactness; and
after all what had he really gained? had he brought back?
"," do you say? , perhaps so, if a charming woman is
nothing, who, however extraordinary it may appear, made him the
happiest of men.
in truth, reader, would not you go round the world for less than
that?