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!
背景介紹與作者介紹
這個故事節選自《八十天環遊世界》，這是法國作家儒勒·凡爾納於1873年創作的經典冒險小說。凡爾納常被稱為「科幻小說之父」，因為他富有想像力且具有前瞻性的故事，將冒險與科學和地理知識結合在一起。這部小說捕捉了19世紀的精神，當時世界正通過鐵路和輪船變得更加緊密，旅行開始縮短了各大洲之間的巨大距離。
詳細故事分析與意義
故事講述了福克，一位冷靜、有條不紊的英國紳士，他打賭自己能在八十天內環遊世界。你所讀到的段落描述了福克即將完成旅程時被錯誤逮捕的關鍵時刻。儘管遭遇挫折，他沉著的舉止和決心依然閃耀，展現了他面對逆境時的韌性。
福克的逮捕是一個轉折點，考驗了他的耐心、勇氣以及對朋友的信任。他的僕人路路通為沒有提醒他關於偵探費克斯的懷疑而感到內疚，而他們在旅途中救出的年輕女子奧達，則對福克表現出深厚的忠誠和關懷。這個故事突出了正義、毅力以及友誼和信任的重要性。
給學生和年輕讀者的教訓和啟示
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逆境中的毅力： 福克的冷靜和決心，即使在被錯誤指控和監禁時，也教導我們在面對挑戰時保持鎮定和專注的重要性。生活常常會拋出意想不到的障礙，但保持清晰的頭腦有助於我們找到解決方案。
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忠誠和友誼的價值： 路路通和奧達對福克的忠誠提醒我們，擁有支持性的朋友並在困難時期互相扶持是多麼寶貴。他們的關懷和行動表明，團隊合作和關懷如何幫助克服困難。
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誠實和正直： 福克的性格建立在誠實和正直的基礎上。即使被不公正地指控，他也不會失去尊嚴或訴諸欺騙。這向年輕讀者展示了堅守自己價值觀的重要性。
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時間管理和規劃的力量： 整部小說圍繞著福克精確的日程安排和規劃展開。它教導學生明智地管理時間並為意外延誤做好準備是多麼重要，這是一項在學習和日常生活中都有用的技能。
如何在生活中應用這些教訓
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在學校： 當面臨考試或專案時，學生可以從福克有條不紊的規劃和毅力中學習。即使發生挫折，保持冷靜和專注也會幫助他們取得成功。
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在社交場合： 就像路路通和奧達支持福克一樣，建立在信任和忠誠基礎上的牢固友誼至關重要。在需要時為朋友提供幫助並尋求幫助可以加強人際關係。
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在個人成長中： 福克的正直鼓勵年輕讀者誠實和負責任地行事，即使走捷徑更容易。這可以培養品格並贏得尊重。
從故事中培養積極的特質
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韌性： 練習在事情沒有按計劃進行時保持冷靜並清晰思考。嘗試將障礙視為需要克服的挑戰，而不是放棄的理由。
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同情和支持： 學會注意到朋友或同學何時需要幫助並提供你的支持。小小的善舉可以產生很大的影響。
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責任感： 像路路通意識到自己的錯誤一樣，對自己的行為負責。承認錯誤並從中學習是成熟的標誌。
結論
《八十天環遊世界》不僅僅是一場令人興奮的冒險；它是一個充滿關於勇氣、友誼、誠實和毅力的寶貴人生教訓的故事。通過閱讀和反思福克等人物，學生和年輕讀者可以獲得啟發，以自信和正直地面對自己的挑戰，為他們在學校、人際關係及其他方面取得成功做好準備。
