[adapted]

by
Jules Verne

Chapter 1
Phileas Fogg and His New Servant

In 1872, Mr. Phileas Fogg lived at No. 7 Saville Row in London. He was a member of the Reform Club. People saw him there every day, but almost nothing was known about his life. He was a calm and polite man, about forty years old, with a serious face and quiet manner.

No one knew his job or how he made his money. He did not work in business or government. Still, he was clearly rich. His bank always paid his cheques, and he never seemed worried about money. When he heard about a good cause, he sometimes gave money quietly.

Mr. Fogg spoke little and avoided attention. His life followed a strict routine. Every day he went to the Reform Club, read newspapers, and played the card game whist. He played well and often won, but he gave the money he won to charity.

He had no wife, no children, and no close friends. He lived alone in his comfortable house on Saville Row with only one servant. His habits were exact. He ate at the club at the same time every day and returned home exactly at midnight.

Mr. Fogg expected the same exactness from his servant. On the morning of October 2, he dismissed his servant, James Forster, because the shaving water was two degrees too cold. At half past eleven that morning, Mr. Fogg waited for a new servant.

Soon there was a knock at the door. James Forster entered and announced the new man. A young Frenchman stepped forward and bowed.

“You are French,” said Mr. Fogg. “Your name is John?”

“Jean, if you please, monsieur,” the man replied. “Jean Passepartout. People call me Passepartout because I have worked in many different jobs.”

Passepartout explained that he had once been a singer, a circus rider, a gymnastics teacher, and a fireman in Paris. Five years earlier he had come to England. Now he wanted a quiet life with a calm and regular master.

“You know my conditions?” asked Mr. Fogg.

“Yes, monsieur.”

“What time is it?”

“Twenty-two minutes past eleven,” said Passepartout, taking out a large silver watch.

“Your watch is four minutes slow,” said Mr. Fogg calmly. “But that is not important. From this moment, twenty-nine minutes past eleven in the morning on Wednesday, October second, you enter my service.”

Mr. Fogg stood up, took his hat, and left the house without another word.

Passepartout heard the door close. His new master had gone out. Soon after, the former servant left as well. Passepartout was now alone in the house on Saville Row.

Chapter 2
Passepartout Finds the Life He Wanted

Passepartout looked around the quiet house and said to himself, “My new master moves less than the wax figures at Madame Tussaud’s.”

During their short meeting, he had carefully watched Mr. Fogg. The man looked calm and perfectly controlled. Every movement was exact. He never hurried, never wasted a step, and always arrived exactly on time.

Mr. Fogg lived alone and avoided social life. Because of this, he had no problems with anyone.

Passepartout was very different. He was a cheerful man from Paris with a friendly face and strong body. In his youth he had worked in many active jobs and traveled a lot. But now he wanted peace and a stable home.

In England he had already served in ten houses, but none had suited him. His masters often lived wild and irregular lives. His last master, Lord Longferry, spent many nights drinking in taverns and sometimes had to be carried home by the police. After politely complaining, Passepartout lost that position.

When he heard that Mr. Phileas Fogg lived a perfectly regular life and never traveled, Passepartout felt sure this was the right place for him.

At half past eleven he began to explore the house from top to bottom. Everything was clean, quiet, and perfectly organized. He quickly found his own room and liked it very much.

In the house he saw electric bells and tubes to speak between rooms. He also noticed two electric clocks that showed exactly the same time.

Then he saw a card on the wall. It showed the daily schedule of the house. It listed everything the servant must do, from the moment Mr. Fogg woke up in the morning until he left for the Reform Club at half past eleven.

Every detail was planned: tea and toast in the morning, shaving water, and clothing prepared at exact times.

Passepartout smiled with satisfaction. “This is exactly what I wanted,” he said. “Mr. Fogg is like a machine. But I do not mind serving a machine.”

Chapter 3
The Wager

After leaving his house at half past eleven, Phileas Fogg walked to the Reform Club in Pall Mall. He followed his usual routine. He ate his meal, read the newspapers, and later joined several friends to play whist.

His usual partners were Andrew Stuart, John Sullivan, Samuel Fallentin, Thomas Flanagan, and Gauthier Ralph.

That day everyone was talking about a robbery at the Bank of England. Someone had stolen fifty-five thousand pounds in banknotes. Detectives had gone to many ports around the world to find the thief.

Some people believed the robber would soon be caught. Others thought he would escape easily.

“The world is big,” said Stuart. “The thief can hide somewhere.”

“It was big once,” said Phileas Fogg quietly.

“What do you mean?” asked Stuart.

“The world has become smaller,” said Ralph. “Today we can travel around the world much faster than before.”

“In eighty days,” said Phileas Fogg calmly.

The others looked at him with surprise. Sullivan then explained a route published in the newspaper. With modern railways and steamships, it was now possible to travel around the world in eighty days.

Stuart shook his head. “That is only theory. Many things can go wrong.”

“All included,” said Fogg calmly as he played his cards.

“I would like to see you do it,” Stuart said.

“It depends on you,” Fogg replied. “Shall we try?”

Stuart laughed. “I bet four thousand pounds that such a journey is impossible.”

“Very well,” said Fogg. “I bet twenty thousand pounds that I can travel around the world in eighty days.”

The men were shocked. Twenty thousand pounds was a huge sum.

“When will you leave?” asked Stuart.

“This evening,” said Fogg.

He checked his calendar. “Today is Wednesday, October second. I will return here to the Reform Club on Saturday, December twenty-first at 8:45 in the evening. If I do not arrive by that time, the twenty thousand pounds will be yours.”

The wager was written down and signed by all six men.