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17 - Around The World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne · Classic Science Fiction Books

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  Speaker 1: Chapter seventeen, showing what happened on the voyage from Singapore
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  Speaker 1: to Hong Kong. The detective and Passepartout met often on
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  Speaker 1: deck after this interview, though, Fix was reserved and did
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  Speaker 1: not attempt to induce his companion to divulge any more
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  Speaker 1: facts concerning mister Fogg. He caught a glimpse of that
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  Speaker 1: mysterious gentleman once or twice, but mister Fogg usually confined
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  Speaker 1: himself to the cabin where he kept aouda company, or,
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  Speaker 1: according to his inveterate habit took a hand at whist
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  Speaker 1: Passepartout began very seriously to conjecture what strange chance kept
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  Speaker 1: Fix still on the route that his master was pursuing.
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  Speaker 1: It was really worth considering why this certainly very amiable
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  Speaker 1: and complacent person whom he had first met at Suez,
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  Speaker 1: had then encountered on board the Mongolia, who disembarked at Bombay,
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  Speaker 1: which he announced as his destination, and now turned up
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  Speaker 1: so unc spectaclely on the Rangoon was following mister Fogg's
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  Speaker 1: tracks step by step? What was Fix's object? Passepartout was
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  Speaker 1: ready to wager his Indian shoes, which he had religiously
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  Speaker 1: preserved that Fix would also leave Hong Kong at the
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  Speaker 1: same time with them, and probably on the same steamer.
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  Speaker 1: Passepartout might have cudgeled his brain for a century without
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  Speaker 1: hitting upon the real object which the detective had in view.
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  Speaker 1: He never could have imagined that Phileas Fogg was being
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  Speaker 1: tracked as a robber around the globe. But as it
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  Speaker 1: is in human nature to attempt the solution of every mystery,
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  Speaker 1: Passepartout suddenly discovered an explanation of Fix's movements which was
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  Speaker 1: in truth far from unreasonable. Fix, he thought, could only
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  Speaker 1: be an agent of mister Fogg's friends at the Reform Club,
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  Speaker 1: sent to follow him up and to ascertain that he
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  Speaker 1: really went round the world as had been agreed upon
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  Speaker 1: on it's clear, repeated the worthy servant to himself, proud
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  Speaker 1: of his shrewdness. He's a spy sent to keep us
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  Speaker 1: in view. That isn't quite the thing either, to be
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  Speaker 1: spying mister Fogg, who is so honorable a man, Ah,
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  Speaker 1: gentlemen of the Reform this cell cost you, dear Pasepartout,
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  Speaker 1: enchanted with his discovery, resolved to say nothing to his master,
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  Speaker 1: lest he should be justly offended at this mistrust on
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  Speaker 1: the part of his adversaries, but he determined to cheff
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  Speaker 1: Fix when he had the chance, with mysterious allusions, which, however,
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  Speaker 1: need not betray his real suspicions. During the afternoon of Wednesday,
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  Speaker 1: thirtieth October, the rangoon entered the Strait of Malaca, which
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  Speaker 1: separates the peninsula of that name from Sumatra. The mountainous
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  Speaker 1: and craggy islets intercepted the beauties of this noble island
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  Speaker 1: from the view of the travelers. The rangoon made anchor
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  Speaker 1: at Singapore the next day at four a m. To
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  Speaker 1: receive coal, having gained half a day on the prescribed
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  Speaker 1: time of her arrival. Phileas Fogg noted this gain in
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  Speaker 1: his journal, and then, accompanied by Aouda, who betrayed a
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  Speaker 1: desire for a walk on shore, disembarked. Fix, who suspected
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  Speaker 1: mister Fogg's every movement, followed them cautiously without being himself perceived,
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  Speaker 1: while passepartout laughing in his sleeve at Fix's maneuvers, went
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  Speaker 1: about his usual errands. The island of Singapore is not
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  Speaker 1: imposing in aspect, for there are no mountains, yet its
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  Speaker 1: appearance is not without attractions. It is a park checkered
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  Speaker 1: by pleasant highways and avenues. A handsome carriage drawn by
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  Speaker 1: a sleek pair of New Holland horses, carried Phileas Fogg
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  Speaker 1: and Aouda into the midst of rows of palms with
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  Speaker 1: brilliant foliage and of clove trees, whereof the cloves formed
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  Speaker 1: the heart of a half open flower. Pepper plants replaced
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  Speaker 1: the prickly hedges of European fields. Sago bushes, large ferns
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  Speaker 1: with gorgeous branches varied the aspect of this tropical climb,
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  Speaker 1: while nutmeg trees in full foliage filled the air with
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  Speaker 1: a penetrating perfume. Agile and grinning bands of monkeys skipped
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  Speaker 1: about in the trees, nor were tigers wanting in the jungles.
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  Speaker 1: After a drive of two hours through the country, Aouda
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  Speaker 1: and mister Fogg returned to the town, which is a
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  Speaker 1: vast collection of heavy looking irregular houses, surrounded by charming
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  Speaker 1: gardens rich in tropical fruits and plants. And at ten
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  Speaker 1: o'clock they re embarked, closely followed by the detective who
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  Speaker 1: had kept them constantly in sight, Passepartout, who had been
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  Speaker 1: purchasing several dozen mangoes, a fruit as large as good
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  Speaker 1: sized apples, of a dark brown color outside and a
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  Speaker 1: bright red within, and whose white pulp melting in the
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  Speaker 1: mouth affords Gourman's a delicious sensation, was waiting for them
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  Speaker 1: on deck. He was only too glad to offer some
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  Speaker 1: mangoes to Aouda, who thanked him very gracefully for them.
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  Speaker 1: At eleven o'clock, the Rangoon rode out of Singapore Harbor,
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  Speaker 1: and in a few hours the high mountains of Malacca
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  Speaker 1: would their forests, inhabited by the most beautifully furred tigers
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  Speaker 1: in the world, were lost to view. Singapore is distant,
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  Speaker 1: some thirteen hundred miles from the island of Hong Kong,
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  Speaker 1: which is a little English colony near the Chinese coast.
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  Speaker 1: Phileas Fogg hoped to accomplish the journey in six days
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  Speaker 1: so as to be in time for the steamer, which
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  Speaker 1: would leave on the sixth of November for Yokohama, the
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  Speaker 1: principal Japanese port. The Rangoon had a large quota of passengers,
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  Speaker 1: many of whom disembarked at Singapore, Among them a number
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  Speaker 1: of Indians, Ceylonese, Chinamen, Melays and Portuguese, mostly second class travelers.
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  Speaker 1: The weather, which had hitherto been fine, changed with the
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  Speaker 1: last quarter of the moon. The seas rolled heavily, and
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  Speaker 1: the wind at intervals rose almost to a storm, but
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  Speaker 1: happily blew from the southwest, and thus aided the steamer's progress.
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  Speaker 1: The captain, as often as possible, put up his sails,
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  Speaker 1: and under the double action of steam and sail, the
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  Speaker 1: vessel made rapid progress along the coasts of Anam and Cochin, China.
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  Speaker 1: Owing to the defective construction of the rangoon, however, unusual
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  Speaker 1: precautions became necessary in unfavorable weather. But the loss of
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  Speaker 1: time which resulted from this cause, while it nearly drove
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  Speaker 1: past Partiu out of his senses, did not seem to
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  Speaker 1: effect his master in the least. Passepartout blamed the captain,
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  Speaker 1: the engineer, and the crew, and consigned all who were
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  Speaker 1: connected with the ship to the land where the pepper grows.
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  Speaker 1: Perhaps the thought of the gas which was remorselessly burning
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  Speaker 1: at his expense in savile row had something to do
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  Speaker 1: with his hot impatience. You are in a great hurry,
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  Speaker 1: then said Fix to him, one day to reach Hong
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  Speaker 1: Kong a very great hurry, mister Fogg, I suppose is
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  Speaker 1: anxious to catch the steamer for Yokohama, terribly anxious. You
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  Speaker 1: believe in this journey around the world, then absolutely don't you,
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  Speaker 1: mister fix II, I don't believe a word of it.
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  Speaker 1: You're a sly dog, said Passepartout, winking at him. This
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  Speaker 1: expression rather disturbed Fix. Without his knowing, why had the
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  Speaker 1: Frenchman guessed his real purpose? He knew not what to think.
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  Speaker 1: But how could Passepartout have discovered that he was a detective? Yet,
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  Speaker 1: in speaking as he did, the man evidently meant more
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  Speaker 1: than he expressed. Passepartout went still further the next day.
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  Speaker 1: He could not hold his tongue. Mister Fix, said he
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  Speaker 1: in a bantering tone. Shall we be so unfortunate as
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  Speaker 1: to lose you when we get to Hong Kong, why,
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  Speaker 1: responded Fix, a little embarrassed. I don't know. Perhaps, ah,
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  Speaker 1: if you could only go on with us, an agent
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  Speaker 1: of the Peninsular Company, you know can't stop on the way.
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  Speaker 1: You are only going to Bombay, and here you are
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  Speaker 1: in China. America is not far off, and from America
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  Speaker 1: to Europe is only a step Fix looked intently at
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  Speaker 1: his companion, whose countenance was as serene as possible, and
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  Speaker 1: laughed with him. But Passepartout persisted in chaffing him by
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  Speaker 1: asking him if he made much by his present occupation. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: and no, returned Fix. They're is good amber ad luck
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  Speaker 1: in such things. But you must understand that I don't
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  Speaker 1: travel at my own expense. Oh I am quite sure
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  Speaker 1: of that, cried Passepartout, laughing heartily. Fix, fairly puzzled, descended
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  Speaker 1: to his cabin and gave himself up to his reflections.
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  Speaker 1: He was evidently suspected somehow or other the Frenchman had
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  Speaker 1: found out that he was a detective. But had he
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  Speaker 1: told his master? What part was he playing in all this?
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  Speaker 1: Was he an accomplice or not? Was the game then up?
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  Speaker 1: Fix spent several hours turning these things over in his mind,
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  Speaker 1: sometimes thinking that all was lost, then persuading himself that
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  Speaker 1: Fogg was ignorant of his presence, and then undecided what
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  Speaker 1: course it was best to take. Nevertheless, he preserved his
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  Speaker 1: coolness of mind and at last resolved to deal plainly
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  Speaker 1: with Passepartout if he did not find it practicable to
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  Speaker 1: arrest Fog at Hong Kong, and if Fogg made preparations
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  Speaker 1: to leave that last foothold of English territory, he Fix
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  Speaker 1: would tell Passepartout all either the servant was the accomplice
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  Speaker 1: of his master, and in this case the master knew
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  Speaker 1: of his operations and he should fail, or else the
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  Speaker 1: servant knew nothing about the robbery, and then his interest
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  Speaker 1: would be to abandon the robber. Such was the situation
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  Speaker 1: between Fix and Passepartout. Meanwhile, Phileas Fogg moved about above
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  Speaker 1: them in the most majestic and unconscious indifference. He was
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  Speaker 1: passing methodically in his orbit around the world, regardless of
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  Speaker 1: the lesser stars which gravitated around him. Yet there was
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  Speaker 1: near by what the astronomers would call a disturbing star,
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  Speaker 1: which might have produced an agitation in this gentleman's heart.
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  Speaker 1: But no, the charms of Aouda failed to act to
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  Speaker 1: Passepartout's great surprise, and the disturbances, if they existed, would
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  Speaker 1: have been more difficult to calculate than those of Uranus
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  Speaker 1: which led to the discovery of Neptune. It was every
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  Speaker 1: day an increasing wander to Passepartout, who read in Aouda's
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  Speaker 1: eyes the depths of her gratitude to his master. Phileas Fogg,
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  Speaker 1: though brave and gallant must be, he thought quite heartless.
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  Speaker 1: As to the sentiment which this journey might have awakened
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  Speaker 1: in him, there was clearly no trace of such a thing.
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  Speaker 1: While poor Passepartout existed in perpetual reveries. One day he
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  Speaker 1: was leaning on the railing of the engine room and
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  Speaker 1: was observing the engine when a sudden pitch of the
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  Speaker 1: steamer threw the screw out of the water. The steam
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  Speaker 1: came hissing out of the valves, and this made Passepartout indignant.
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  Speaker 1: The valves are not sufficiently charged, he exclaimed. We are
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  Speaker 1: not going oh these English If this was an American craft,
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  Speaker 1: we should blow up perhaps, but we should at all
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  Speaker 1: events go faster. End of chapter