Phileas Fogg was in prison. He had been shut up in the Custom House, and he was to be transferred to London the next day.
Passepartout, when he saw his master arrested, would have fallen upon Fix had he not been held back by some policemen. Aouda was thunderstruck at the suddenness of an event which she could not understand. Passepartout explained to her how it was that the honest and courageous Fogg was arrested as a robber. The young woman's heart revolted against so heinous a charge, and when she saw that she could attempt to do nothing to save her protector, she wept bitterly.
As for Fix, he had arrested Mr. Fogg because it was his duty, whether Mr. Fogg were guilty or not.
The thought then struck Passepartout, that he was the cause of this new misfortune! Had he not concealed Fix's errand from his master? When Fix revealed his true character and purpose, why had he not told Mr. Fogg? If the latter had been warned, he would no doubt have given Fix proof of his innocence, and satisfied him of his mistake; at least, Fix would not have continued his journey at the expense and on the heels of his master, only to arrest him the moment he set foot on English soil. Passepartout wept till he was blind, and felt like blowing his brains out.
Aouda and he had remained, despite the cold, under the portico of the Custom House. Neither wished to leave the place; both were anxious to see Mr. Fogg again.
That gentleman was really ruined, and that at the moment when he was about to attain his end. This arrest was fatal. Having arrived at Liverpool at twenty minutes before twelve on the 21st of December, he had till a quarter before nine that evening to reach the Reform Club, that is, nine hours and a quarter; the journey from Liverpool to London was six hours.
If anyone, at this moment, had entered the Custom House, he would have found Mr. Fogg seated, motionless, calm, and without apparent anger, upon a wooden bench. He was not, it is true, resigned; but this last blow failed to force him into an outward betrayal of any emotion. Was he being devoured by one of those secret rages, all the more terrible because contained, and which only burst forth, with an irresistible force, at the last moment? No one could tell. There he sat, calmly waiting—for what? Did he still cherish hope? Did he still believe, now that the door of this prison was closed upon him, that he would succeed?
However that may have been, Mr. Fogg carefully put his watch upon the table, and observed its advancing hands. Not a word escaped his lips, but his look was singularly set and stern. The situation, in any event, was a terrible one, and might be thus stated: if Phileas Fogg was honest he was ruined; if he was a knave, he was caught.
Did escape occur to him? Did he examine to see if there were any practicable outlet from his prison? Did he think of escaping from it? Possibly; for once he walked slowly around the room. But the door was locked, and the window heavily barred with iron rods. He sat down again, and drew his journal from his pocket. On the line where these words were written, "21st December, Saturday, Liverpool," he added, "80th day, 11.40 a.m.," and waited.
The Custom House clock struck one. Mr. Fogg observed that his watch was two hours too fast.
Two hours! Admitting that he was at this moment taking an express train, he could reach London and the Reform Club by a quarter before nine, p.m. His forehead slightly wrinkled.
At thirty–three minutes past two he heard a singular noise outside, then a hasty opening of doors. Passepartout's voice was audible, and immediately after that of Fix. Phileas Fogg's eyes brightened for an instant.
The door swung open, and he saw Passepartout, Aouda, and Fix, who hurried towards him.
Fix was out of breath, and his hair was in disorder. He could not speak. "Sir," he stammered, "sir—forgive me—most—unfortunate resemblance—robber arrested three days ago—you are free!"
Phileas Fogg was free! He walked to the detective, looked him steadily in the face, and with the only rapid motion he had ever made in his life, or which he ever would make, drew back his arms, and with the precision of a machine knocked Fix down.
"Well hit!" cried Passepartout, "Parbleu! that's what you might call a good application of English fists!"
Fix, who found himself on the floor, did not utter a word. He had only received his deserts. Mr. Fogg, Aouda, and Passepartout left the Custom House without delay, got into a cab, and in a few moments descended at the station.
Phileas Fogg asked if there was an express train about to leave for London. It was forty minutes past two. The express train had left thirty–five minutes before. Phileas Fogg then ordered a special train.
There were several rapid locomotives on hand; but the railway arrangements did not permit the special train to leave until three o'clock.
At that hour Phileas Fogg, having stimulated the engineer by the offer of a generous reward, at last set out towards London with Aouda and his faithful servant.
It was necessary to make the journey in five hours and a half; and this would have been easy on a clear road throughout. But there were forced delays, and when Mr. Fogg stepped from the train at the terminus, all the clocks in London were striking ten minutes before nine.
Having made the tour of the world, he was behind–hand five minutes. He had lost the wager!
背景介绍和作者介绍
这个故事节选自《八十天环游地球》，这是一部由法国作家儒勒·凡尔纳于1873年创作的经典冒险小说。凡尔纳常被称为“科幻小说之父”，因为他富有想象力且具有前瞻性的故事将冒险与科学和地理知识相结合。这部小说捕捉了19世纪的精神，当时世界通过铁路和轮船变得更加紧密，旅行开始缩小大陆之间的巨大距离。
详细故事分析和意义
故事讲述了福克，一位冷静、有条不紊的英国绅士，他打赌自己可以在八十天内环游世界。你读到的段落描述了福克即将完成旅程时被错误逮捕的关键时刻。尽管遭遇挫折，他冷静的态度和决心依然闪耀，展现了他面对逆境时的韧性。
福克的被捕是一个转折点，考验了他的耐心、勇气和对朋友的信任。他的仆人路路通为没有警告他关于侦探费克斯的怀疑而感到内疚，而他们在旅途中救出的年轻女子奥达，则对福克表现出深厚的忠诚和关心。这个故事突出了正义、毅力以及友谊和信任的重要性等主题。
给学生和年轻读者的教训和见解
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逆境中的毅力： 福克的冷静和决心，即使在被错误指控和监禁时，也教会了我们面对挑战时保持镇定和专注的重要性。生活常常会抛出意想不到的障碍，但保持清晰的头脑有助于我们找到解决方案。
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忠诚和友谊的价值： 路路通和奥达对福克的奉献提醒我们，拥有支持的朋友并在困难时期互相支持是多么宝贵。他们的关心和行动表明了团队合作和关怀如何帮助克服困难。
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诚实和正直： 福克的性格建立在诚实和正直的基础上。即使被不公正地指控，他也不会失去尊严或诉诸欺骗。这向年轻读者展示了坚守自己价值观的重要性。
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时间管理和计划的力量： 整部小说都围绕着福克精确的日程安排和计划展开。它教导学生明智地管理时间并为意外延误做好准备是多么重要，这是一项在学习和日常生活中都有用的技能。
如何在生活中应用这些教训
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在学校： 面对考试或项目时，学生可以从福克有条不紊的计划和毅力中学习。即使发生挫折，保持冷静和专注也将帮助他们取得成功。
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在社交场合： 就像路路通和奥达支持福克一样，建立在信任和忠诚基础上的牢固友谊至关重要。在需要时为朋友提供帮助并寻求帮助可以加强人际关系。
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在个人成长中： 福克的正直鼓励年轻读者诚实和负责任地行动，即使走捷径更容易。这培养了品格并赢得了尊重。
从故事中培养积极的特质
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韧性： 练习在事情没有按计划进行时保持冷静并清晰思考。尝试将障碍视为需要克服的挑战，而不是放弃的理由。
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同情和支持： 学会注意到朋友或同学何时需要帮助并提供你的支持。小小的善举可以产生很大的影响。
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责任感： 像路路通意识到自己的错误一样，对自己的行为负责。承认错误并从中学习是成熟的标志。
结论
《八十天环游地球》不仅仅是一场激动人心的冒险；它是一个充满了关于勇气、友谊、诚实和毅力的宝贵人生教训的故事。通过阅读和反思福克这样的角色，学生和年轻读者可以获得灵感，以充满信心和正直的态度面对自己的挑战，为他们在学校、人际关系和更广阔的未来中取得成功做好准备。
