The detective passed down the quay, and rapidly made his way to the consul's office, where he was at once admitted to the presence of that official.
"Consul," said he, without preamble, "I have strong reasons for believing that my man is a passenger on the Mongolia." And he narrated what had just passed concerning the passport.
"Well, Mr. Fix," replied the consul, "I shall not be sorry to see the rascal's face; but perhaps he won't come here—that is, if he is the person you suppose him to be. A robber doesn't quite like to leave traces of his flight behind him; and, besides, he is not obliged to have his passport countersigned."
"If he is as shrewd as I think he is, consul, he will come."
"To have his passport visaed?"
"Yes. Passports are only good for annoying honest folks, and aiding in the flight of rogues. I assure you it will be quite the thing for him to do; but I hope you will not visa the passport."
"Why not? If the passport is genuine I have no right to refuse."
"Still, I must keep this man here until I can get a warrant to arrest him from London."
"Ah, that's your look–out. But I cannot—"
The consul did not finish his sentence, for as he spoke a knock was heard at the door, and two strangers entered, one of whom was the servant whom Fix had met on the quay. The other, who was his master, held out his passport with the request that the consul would do him the favour to visa it. The consul took the document and carefully read it, whilst Fix observed, or rather devoured, the stranger with his eyes from a corner of the room.
"You are Mr. Phileas Fogg?" said the consul, after reading the passport.
"I am."
"And this man is your servant?"
"He is: a Frenchman, named Passepartout."
"You are from London?"
"Yes."
"And you are going—"
"To Bombay."
"Very good, sir. You know that a visa is useless, and that no passport is required?"
"I know it, sir," replied Phileas Fogg; "but I wish to prove, by your visa, that I came by Suez."
"Very well, sir."
The consul proceeded to sign and date the passport, after which he added his official seal. Mr. Fogg paid the customary fee, coldly bowed, and went out, followed by his servant.
"Well?" queried the detective.
"Well, he looks and acts like a perfectly honest man," replied the consul.
"Possibly; but that is not the question. Do you think, consul, that this phlegmatic gentleman resembles, feature by feature, the robber whose description I have received?"
"I concede that; but then, you know, all descriptions—"
"I'll make certain of it," interrupted Fix. "The servant seems to me less mysterious than the master; besides, he's a Frenchman, and can't help talking. Excuse me for a little while, consul."
Fix started off in search of Passepartout.
Meanwhile Mr. Fogg, after leaving the consulate, repaired to the quay, gave some orders to Passepartout, went off to the Mongolia in a boat, and descended to his cabin. He took up his note–book, which contained the following memoranda:
"Left London, Wednesday, October 2nd, at 8.45 p.m. "Reached Paris, Thursday, October 3rd, at 7.20 a.m. "Left Paris, Thursday, at 8.40 a.m. "Reached Turin by Mont Cenis, Friday, October 4th, at 6.35 a.m. "Left Turin, Friday, at 7.20 a.m. "Arrived at Brindisi, Saturday, October 5th, at 4 p.m. "Sailed on the Mongolia, Saturday, at 5 p.m. "Reached Suez, Wednesday, October 9th, at 11 a.m. "Total of hours spent, 158+; or, in days, six days and a half."
These dates were inscribed in an itinerary divided into columns, indicating the month, the day of the month, and the day for the stipulated and actual arrivals at each principal point Paris, Brindisi, Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, New York, and London—from the 2nd of October to the 21st of December; and giving a space for setting down the gain made or the loss suffered on arrival at each locality. This methodical record thus contained an account of everything needed, and Mr. Fogg always knew whether he was behind–hand or in advance of his time. On this Friday, October 9th, he noted his arrival at Suez, and observed that he had as yet neither gained nor lost. He sat down quietly to breakfast in his cabin, never once thinking of inspecting the town, being one of those Englishmen who are wont to see foreign countries through the eyes of their domestics.
背景介绍和作者简介
这个故事节选自《八十天环游地球》，这是法国作家儒勒·凡尔纳于1873年创作的经典冒险小说。凡尔纳常被认为是科幻小说和冒险文学的先驱之一。他的作品以其富有想象力的情节、对技术和地理的详细描述以及探索精神而闻名。《八十天环游地球》讲述了英国绅士福格先生的故事，他是一位严谨而富有的绅士，打赌他能在八十天内环游地球，这在维多利亚时代是一个大胆的挑战。
故事的详细解读和意义
在这段文章中，我们遇到了两个关键人物：福格先生和侦探费克斯。费克斯怀疑福格是逃避法律的罪犯，并试图通过紧随其后以确认他的怀疑。福格的冷静、有条不紊的性格与费克斯的怀疑和紧迫感形成了引人入胜的动态。福格一丝不苟的记录和严格遵守他的时间表突显了他理性而有纪律的个性，这与他周围混乱和不可预测的世界形成了对比。
这个故事探讨了时间、旅行、正义和人性的主题。它表明外表可能具有欺骗性——福格在费克斯看来似乎可疑，但他实际上是一个诚实的人，受逻辑和决心的驱使。这部小说也反映了19世纪的精神，这是一个技术快速进步和全球探索的时代。
给学生的启示和见解
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计划和纪律的价值： 福格先生的旅程之所以成功，是因为他周密的计划和严格遵守他的时间表。这教导学生在实现目标时组织和时间管理的重要性。
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公正地评判他人： 费克斯对福格的怀疑提醒我们不要根据外表或不完整的信息就对他人下结论。它鼓励同情心和开放的心态。
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好奇心和探索： 这部小说激发了对世界的冒险精神和好奇心。它鼓励年轻读者了解不同的文化、地理和历史。
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毅力： 福格克服障碍完成旅程的决心表明了坚持和韧性的重要性。
在日常生活中应用这些经验
- 在学习中： 学生可以通过制定明确的学习计划并跟踪他们的进度来应用福格的方法。
- 在社交场合： 就像费克斯在怀疑福格时犯的错误一样，学生应该练习在形成观点之前克制判断并了解他人。
- 在个人成长中： 拥抱好奇心和探索新想法或地方的意愿可以拓宽视野并培养终身学习。
- 在面对挑战时： 福格在面对不确定性时的冷静和稳定的态度是优雅地处理压力和挫折的典范。
从故事中培养积极的特质
- 纪律： 鼓励学生养成有助于他们保持专注的日常习惯。
- 批判性思维： 教导他们质疑第一印象并在做出决定之前寻求证据。
- 冒险精神： 推广阅读和学习不同的文化和历史，以培养开放的心态。
- 韧性： 分享关于毅力的故事，并讨论克服困难的策略。
结论
儒勒·凡尔纳的《八十天环游地球》不仅仅是一次激动人心的冒险；它还是关于性格、判断和人类精神的丰富经验来源。通过学习这个故事，学生可以获得宝贵的见解，帮助他们在学业、社交和个人方面成长。它鼓励他们变得有纪律、公正、好奇和坚韧——这些品质将伴随他们一生。
