'You are a French man, I believe,' Mr Fogg asked, 'and your name is John?' At exactly half-past eleven Mr Fogg would, according to his daily habit, leave Saville Row for the Reform Club.Ī rap sounded on the door and James Forster, the dismissed servant, appeared.Ī young man of thirty entered and bowed. His eyes were fixed on a complicated clock that indicated the hours, minutes, seconds, days, months and years. His hands rested on his kness, his body straight, his head erect. His feet were close together like those of a grenadier on parade. Phileas Fogg was seated squarely in his armchair. He was in fact waiting for his successor, who was due at the house between eleven and half-past. On this very 2nd of October he had dismissed James Forster, because he had brought him shaving water at eighty-four degrees Fahreinheit instead of eighty-six. The habits of its master, demanded little from the sole man-servant, but Phileas Fogg required him to be almost super-humanly prompt and regular. THe ,mansion in Saville Row, though not sumtuous, was exceedingly comfortable. They were reserved as a fund for his charities, for Mr Fogg played not to win, but for the sake of playing. He often won at this game, but his winnings did not go into his purse. His sole pastimes were reading the papers and playing whist. This much was certain that Phileas Fogg had not absented himself from London for many years. He pointed out the true probabilities as if gifted with a sort of second sight, so often did events justify his predictions. He knew the world familiarly, even the most secluded places, He even corrected, with a few clear words, the many conjectures advanced by other club members about lost and unheard-of travellers. His cheques were regularly paid from the Current Account, which was always flush. He was recommended to this exclusive club by the Banngs, where he banked. Phileas Fogg was a member of the Reform Club and that was all. He was neither a manufacturer nor a gentleman farmer, nor did he belong to any of the scientific and learned societies of London. He was never seen at the Stock Exchange or at the docks, where shipowners gathered, or in the courts. To be sure, he was an Englishman, but it was doubtful if he was a Londoner. Little was known about Mr Fogg except that he was a poilshed, enigmatic man of the world. He was one of the most noticeable members of the Reform Club, although he always seemed to avoid attracting attention. 7 Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, London. Mr Phileas Fogg lived in the year 1872, at No.
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