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19 - Around The World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne · Classic Sci Fi Books - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Chapter nineteen, in which Passepartout takes a too great interest
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  Speaker 1: in his master and what comes of it. Hong Kong
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  Speaker 1: is an island which came into the possession of the
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  Speaker 1: English by the Treaty of Nankin after the War of
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  Speaker 1: eighteen forty two, and the colonizing genius of the English
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  Speaker 1: has created upon it an important city and an excellent port.
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  Speaker 1: The island is situated at the mouth of the Canton
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  Speaker 1: River and is separated by about sixty miles from the
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  Speaker 1: Portuguese town of Macao on the opposite coast. Hong Kong
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  Speaker 1: has beaten Macao in the struggle for the Chinese trade,
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  Speaker 1: and now the greater part of the transportation of Chinese
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  Speaker 1: goods finds its depot at the former place. Docks, hospitals, wharves,
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  Speaker 1: a Gothic cathedral, a government house, macadamized streets give to
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  Speaker 1: Hong Kong the appearance of a town in Kent or Surrey,
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  Speaker 1: transformed by some strange magic to the antipodes. Passepartout wandered
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  Speaker 1: with his hands in his pockets towards the Victoria Port,
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  Speaker 1: gazing as he went at the curious palanquins and other
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  Speaker 1: modes of conveyance, and the groups of Chinese, Japanese and
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  Speaker 1: Europeans who passed to and fro in the streets. Hong
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  Speaker 1: Kong seemed to him not unlike Bombay, Calcutta and Singapore,
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  Speaker 1: since like them, it betrayed everywhere the evidence of English supremacy.
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  Speaker 1: At the Victoria Port, he found a confused mass of
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  Speaker 1: ships of all nations, English, French, American and Dutch men
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  Speaker 1: of war and trading vessels, Japanese and Chinese junks, sempas,
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  Speaker 1: tankas and flower boats, which formed so many floating parterres.
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  Speaker 1: Passepartout noticed in the crowd a number of the natives
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  Speaker 1: who seemed very old and were dressed in yellow. On
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  Speaker 1: going into a barber's to get shaved, he learned that
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  Speaker 1: these ancient men were all at least eighty years old,
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  Speaker 1: at which age they are permitted to wear yellow, which
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  Speaker 1: is the imperial color. Passepartout, without exactly knowing why, thought
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  Speaker 1: this very funny. On reaching the key where they were
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  Speaker 1: to embark on the Carnatic, he was not astonished to
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  Speaker 1: find fix Walking up and down, the detective seemed very
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  Speaker 1: much disturbed and disappointed. This is bad, muttered passepartout for
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  Speaker 1: the gentleman of the Reform Club. He accosted Fix with
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  Speaker 1: a merry smile, as if he had not perceived that
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  Speaker 1: gentleman's chagrin. The detective had indeed good reasons to inveigh
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  Speaker 1: against the bad luck which pursued him. The warrant had
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  Speaker 1: not come. It was certainly on the way, but as
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  Speaker 1: certainly it could not now reach Hong Kong for several days,
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  Speaker 1: and this being the last English territory on mister Fogg's route,
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  Speaker 1: the robber would escape unless he could manage to detain him. Well,
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Fix, said passepartout, Have you decided to go with
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  Speaker 1: us so far as America? Yes, returned Fix through his
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  Speaker 1: set teeth. Good, exclaimed Passepartout, laughing heartily. I knew you
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  Speaker 1: could not persuade yourself to separate from us. Come and
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  Speaker 1: engage your berth. They entered the steamer office and secured
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  Speaker 1: cabins for four persons. The clerk, as he gave them
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  Speaker 1: the tickets, informed them that the repairs on the Carnatic
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  Speaker 1: having been completed, the steamer would leave that very evening
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  Speaker 1: and not next morning as had been announced. That will
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  Speaker 1: suit my master all the better, said Passepartout, I will
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  Speaker 1: go and let him know. Fix now decided to make
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  Speaker 1: a bold move. He resolved to tell Passepartout all. It
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  Speaker 1: seemed to be the only possible way to keep phileas
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  Speaker 1: Fogg several days longer at Hong Kong, He accordingly invited
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  Speaker 1: his companion into a tavern which caught his eye on
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  Speaker 1: the quay. On entering, they found themselves in a large room,
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  Speaker 1: handsomely decorated, at the end of which was a large
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  Speaker 1: camp bed furnished with cushions. Several persons lay upon this
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  Speaker 1: bed in a deep sleep. At the small tables which
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  Speaker 1: were arranged about the room, some thirty customers were drinking
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  Speaker 1: English beer, porter gin and brandy, smoking the while long
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  Speaker 1: red clay pipes stuffed with little balls of opium mingled
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  Speaker 1: with the essence of rose. From time to time, one
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  Speaker 1: of the smokers, overcome with a narcotic, would slip under
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  Speaker 1: the table, where upon the waiters, taking him by the
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  Speaker 1: head and feet, carried and laid him upon the bed.
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  Speaker 1: The bed already supported twenty of these stupefied sots. Fix
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  Speaker 1: and Passepartout saw that they were in a smoking house,
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  Speaker 1: haunted by those wretched cadaverous idiotic creatures, to whom the
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  Speaker 1: English merchants sell every year the miserable drug called opium,
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  Speaker 1: to the amount of one million, four hundred thousand pounds
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  Speaker 1: thousands of Devoted to one of the most despicable vices
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  Speaker 1: which afflict humanity, the Chinese government has in vain attempted
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  Speaker 1: to deal with the evil by stringent laws. It passed
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  Speaker 1: gradually from the rich to whom it was at first
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  Speaker 1: exclusively reserved to the lower classes, and then its ravages
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  Speaker 1: could not be arrested. Opium is smoked everywhere, at all
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  Speaker 1: times by men and women in the Celestial Empire, and
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  Speaker 1: once accustomed to it, the victims cannot dispense with it,
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  Speaker 1: except by suffering horrible bodily contortions and agonies. A great
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  Speaker 1: smoker can smoke as many as eight pipes a day,
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  Speaker 1: but he dies in five years. It was in one
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  Speaker 1: of these dens that Fix and Passepartout, in search of
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  Speaker 1: a friendly glass, found themselves. Passepartout had no money, but
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  Speaker 1: willingly accepted Fix's invitation in the hope of returning the
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  Speaker 1: obligation at some future time. They ordered two bottles of port,
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  Speaker 1: to which the Frenchmen did an ample justice, whilst Fix
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  Speaker 1: observed him with close attention. They chatted about the journey,
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  Speaker 1: and Passepartout was especially merry at the idea that Fix
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  Speaker 1: was going to continue it with them. When the bottles
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  Speaker 1: were empty. However, he rose to go and tell his
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  Speaker 1: master of the change in the time of the sailing
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  Speaker 1: of the Carnatic. Fix caught him by the arm and said,
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  Speaker 1: wait a moment, what for, mister Fix. I want to
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  Speaker 1: have a serious talk with you, A serious talk, cried Passepartout,
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  Speaker 1: drinking up the little wine that was left in the
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  Speaker 1: bottom of his glass. Well we'll talk about it tomorrow.
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  Speaker 1: I haven't time now. Stay. What I have to say
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  Speaker 1: concerns your master. Passepartout at this, looked attentively at his companion.
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  Speaker 1: Fix's face seemed to have a singular expression. He resumed
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  Speaker 1: his seat. What is it that you have to say?
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  Speaker 1: Fix placed his hand upon Passepartout's arm and, lowering his voice,
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  Speaker 1: said you have guessed who I am, Parbleu, said Passepartout, smiling.
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  Speaker 1: Then I'm going to tell you everything. Now that I
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  Speaker 1: know everything, my friend. Ah, that's very good, ha ha.
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  Speaker 1: But go on go on. First, though, let me tell
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  Speaker 1: you that those gentlemen have put themselves to a useless expense. Useless,
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  Speaker 1: said Fix, you speak confidently. It's clear that you don't
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  Speaker 1: know how large the sum is. Of course I do,
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  Speaker 1: returned Passepartout, twenty thousand pounds fifty five thousand, answered Fix,
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  Speaker 1: pressing his companion's hand. What cried the frenchman, has monsieur
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  Speaker 1: Fog dared fifty five thousand pounds? Well, there's all the
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  Speaker 1: more reason for not losing an instant, he continued, getting
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  Speaker 1: out hastily. Fix pushed Pastpartout back in his chair and
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  Speaker 1: resumed fifty five thousand pounds. And if I succeed, I
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  Speaker 1: get two thousand pounds. If you'll help me, I'll let
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  Speaker 1: you have five hundred of them. Help you, cried Passepartout,
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  Speaker 1: whose eyes were standing wide open. Yes, help me keep
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  Speaker 1: mister Fogg here for two or three days. Why what
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  Speaker 1: are you saying? Those gentlemen are not satisfied with following
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  Speaker 1: my master and suspecting his honor, but they must try
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  Speaker 1: to put obstacles in his way. I blush for them.
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  Speaker 1: What do you mean? I mean that it is a
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  Speaker 1: piece of shameful trickery. They might as well waylay mister
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  Speaker 1: Fogg and put his money in their pockets. That's just
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  Speaker 1: what we count on doing. It's a conspiracy, then cried Passepartout,
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  Speaker 1: who became more and more excited as the liquor mounted
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  Speaker 1: in his head. For he drank without pursuit. It a
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  Speaker 1: real conspiracy, and gentleman too, Bah Fix began to be puzzled.
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  Speaker 1: Members of the Reform Club continued Passepartout. You must know,
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  Speaker 1: monsieur Fix, that my master is an honest man, and
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  Speaker 1: that when he makes a wager, he tries to win
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  Speaker 1: it fairly. But who do you think I am, asked Fix,
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  Speaker 1: looking at him intently. Par Bleu, an agent at the
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  Speaker 1: members of the Reform Club, sent out here to interrupt
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  Speaker 1: my master's journey. But though I found you out some
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  Speaker 1: time ago, I've taken good care to say nothing about it.
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  Speaker 1: To mister Fogg. He knows nothing. Then nothing, replied Passepartout, again,
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  Speaker 1: emptying his glass. The detective passed his hand across his forehead,
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  Speaker 1: hesitating before he spoke again, what should he do? Passepartout's
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  Speaker 1: mistake seemed sincere, but it made his design more difficult.
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  Speaker 1: It was evident that the servant was not the master's accomplice.
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  Speaker 1: As Fix had been inclined to suspect Well, said the
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  Speaker 1: detective to himself. As he is not an accomplice, he
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  Speaker 1: will help me. He had no time to lose. Fogg
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  Speaker 1: must be detained at Hong Kong, and he resolved to
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  Speaker 1: make a clean breast of it. Listen to me, said
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  Speaker 1: Fix abruptly. I am not, as you think, an agent
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  Speaker 1: of the members of the Reform Club. Bah retorted Passepartout
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  Speaker 1: with an ale of raillery. I am a police detective
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  Speaker 1: sent out here by the London Office. You a detective.
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  Speaker 1: I will prove it. Here is my commission. Passepartout was
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  Speaker 1: speechless with astonishment when Fix displayed this document, the genuineness
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  Speaker 1: of which could not be doubted. Mister Fogg's wager resumed,
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  Speaker 1: Fix is only a pretext of which you and the
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  Speaker 1: gentlemen of the Reform are dupes. He had a motive
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  Speaker 1: for securing your innocent complicity, but why listen. On the
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  Speaker 1: twenty eighth of last September, a robbery of fifty five
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  Speaker 1: thousand pounds was committed at the Bank of England by
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  Speaker 1: a person whose description was fortunately secured. Here is his description.
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  Speaker 1: It answers exactly to that of mister Phileas Fogg. What nonsense,
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  Speaker 1: cried Passepartout, striking the table with his fist. My master
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  Speaker 1: is the most honorable of men. How can you tell
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  Speaker 1: you know scarcely anything about him? You went into his
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  Speaker 1: service the day he came away, and he came away
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  Speaker 1: on a foolish pretext, without trunks, and carrying a large
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  Speaker 1: amount in bank notes. And yet you are bold enough
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  Speaker 1: to assert that he is an honest man. Yes, yes,
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  Speaker 1: repeated the poor fellow mechanically. Would you like to be
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  Speaker 1: arrested as his accompli? Passpartout, Overcome by what he had heard,
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  Speaker 1: held his head between his hands, and did not dare
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  Speaker 1: to look at the detective Phileas Fogg, the savior of Aouda,
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  Speaker 1: that brave and generous man, a robber, And yet how
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  Speaker 1: many presumptions there were against him? Passepartout essayed to reject
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  Speaker 1: the suspicions which forced themselves upon his mind. He did
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  Speaker 1: not wish to believe that his master was guilty. Well,
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  Speaker 1: what do you want of me? Said he at last,
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  Speaker 1: with an effort see here, replied fix, I have tracked
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  Speaker 1: mister Fogg to this place. But as yet I have
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  Speaker 1: failed to receive the warrant of arrest for which I
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  Speaker 1: sent to London. You must help me to keep him
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  Speaker 1: here in Hong Kong. I but I I will share
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  Speaker 1: with you the two thousand pounds reward offered by the
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  Speaker 1: Bank of England. Never replied Passepartout, who tried to rise
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  Speaker 1: but fell back, exhausted in mind and body. Mister Fix,
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  Speaker 1: he stammered, Even should what you say be true? If
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  Speaker 1: my master is really the robber you are seeking, for
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  Speaker 1: which I deny, I have been am in his service.
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  Speaker 1: I have seen his generosity and goodness, and I will
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  Speaker 1: never betray him, not for all the gold in the world.
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  Speaker 1: I come from a village where they don't eat that
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  Speaker 1: kind of bread. You refuse, I refuse. Consider that I've
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  Speaker 1: said nothing, said Fix, and let us drink. Yes, let
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  Speaker 1: us drink. Passepartout felt himself yielding more and more to
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  Speaker 1: the effects of the liquor, Fix, saying that he must,
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  Speaker 1: at all hazards be separated from his master, wish to
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  Speaker 1: entirely overcome him. Some pipes full of opium lay upon
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  Speaker 1: the table. Fix slipped one into passepartout hand. He took it,
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  Speaker 1: put it between his lips lit it drew several puffs,
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  Speaker 1: and his head, becoming heavy under the influence of the narcotic,
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  Speaker 1: fell upon the table. At last, said Fix, singing passepartout unconscious.
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  Speaker 1: Mister Fogg will not be involved of the carnatic's departure,
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  Speaker 1: and if he is, he will have to go without
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  Speaker 1: this cursed Frenchman. And after paying his bill, Fix left
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  Speaker 1: the tavern. End of chapter