Page 313 - AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
P. 313
Around the World in 80 Days
Queenstown is the Irish port at which the trans-
Atlantic steamers stop to put off the mails. These mails are
carried to Dublin by express trains always held in readiness
to start; from Dublin they are sent on to Liverpool by the
most rapid boats, and thus gain twelve hours on the
Atlantic steamers.
Phileas Fogg counted on gaining twelve hours in the
same way. Instead of arriving at Liverpool the next
evening by the Henrietta, he would be there by noon, and
would therefore have time to reach London before a
quarter before nine in the evening.
The Henrietta entered Queenstown Harbour at one
o’clock in the morning, it then being high tide; and
Phileas Fogg, after being grasped heartily by the hand by
Captain Speedy, left that gentleman on the levelled hulk
of his craft, which was still worth half what he had sold it
for.
The party went on shore at once. Fix was greatly
tempted to arrest Mr. Fogg on the spot; but he did not.
Why? What struggle was going on within him? Had he
changed his mind about ‘his man’? Did he understand that
he had made a grave mistake? He did not, however,
abandon Mr. Fogg. They all got upon the train, which
was just ready to start, at half-past one; at dawn of day
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