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。凡爾納經常被認為是科幻小說和冒險文學的先驅之一。他的作品以其富有想像力的情節、對科技和地理的詳細描述以及探索精神而聞名。《八十天環遊世界》講述了精確而富有的英國紳士福格先生的故事，他打賭自己能在短短八十天內環遊世界，這在維多利亞時代是一個大膽的挑戰。
故事詳解與意義
在這段文章中，我們遇到了兩個關鍵人物：福格先生和偵探費克斯。費克斯懷疑福格是逃避法律的罪犯，並試圖通過緊跟福格來確認他的懷疑。福格的冷靜、有條不紊的性格與費克斯的懷疑和急迫感形成了引人入勝的動態。福格一絲不苟的記錄和嚴格遵守他的時間表，突顯了他理性而有紀律的個性，這與他周圍混亂和不可預測的世界形成了鮮明對比。
這個故事探討了時間、旅行、正義和人性的主題。它表明外表可能具有欺騙性——福格在費克斯看來似乎可疑，但他實際上是一個誠實的人，被邏輯和決心驅使。這部小說也反映了19世紀的精神，那是一個科技快速進步和全球探索的時代。
給學生的教訓和見解
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規劃和紀律的價值： 福格先生的旅程之所以成功，是因為他仔細的規劃和嚴格遵守他的時間表。這教導學生在實現目標時組織和時間管理的重要性。
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公正地評判他人： 費克斯對福格的懷疑提醒我們不要僅僅根據外表或不完整的信息就對他人下結論。它鼓勵同情心和開放的心態。
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好奇心和探索： 這部小說激發了對世界的冒險精神和好奇心。它鼓勵年輕讀者學習不同的文化、地理和歷史。
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毅力： 福格克服障礙完成旅程的決心表明了堅持和韌性的重要性。
在日常生活中應用這些教訓
- 在學習中： 學生可以通過設定明確的學習時間表並跟踪他們的進度來應用福格的有條不紊的方法。
- 在社交場合： 就像費克斯懷疑福格的錯誤一樣，學生應該練習克制判斷，並在形成觀點之前了解他人。
- 在個人成長中： 擁抱好奇心和探索新想法或地方的意願可以拓寬視野，培養終身學習。
- 在面對挑戰時： 福格在面對不確定性時的冷靜和穩定的態度是優雅地處理壓力和挫折的典範。
從故事中培養積極的特質
- 紀律： 鼓勵學生養成有助於他們保持專注的常規和習慣。
- 批判性思維： 教導他們質疑第一印象，並在做出決定之前尋求證據。
- 冒險精神： 促進閱讀和學習不同的文化和歷史，以培養開放的心態。
- 韌性： 分享關於毅力的故事，並討論克服困難的策略。
結論
儒勒·凡爾納的《八十天環遊世界》不僅僅是一場令人興奮的冒險；它還是關於性格、判斷和人類精神的豐富的教訓來源。通過學習這個故事，學生可以獲得有價值的見解，幫助他們在學業、社交和個人方面成長。它鼓勵他們自律、公正、好奇和堅韌——這些品質將在他們的一生中為他們提供良好的服務。
