Mr. Phileas Fogg's Wager of £20,000
菲利亚·福格先生的20000英镑赌注
Jules Verne
儒勒·凡尔纳
Mr. Phileas Fogg was a precise man living in London. He was one of the most noticeable members of the Reform Club. On October 2, 1872, Wednesday, at the Club, he wagered £20,000 against five club members and bet that he could go around the world in 80 days.
菲利亚·福格生活在伦敦,是一个严谨的人,也是改良倶乐部中最引人注目的成员之一。在 1872年10月2日星期三那天,福格先生在俱乐部里押注2万英镑,与另外五个倶乐部成员打赌他会在80天内环游地球一周。
After dinner, at twenty minutes before six, Mr. Fogg re-appeared in the reading-room, sat down and began to read the newspapers again. Half an hour later several members of the Reform came in and drew up to the fireplace, where a coal fire was steadily burning. They were Mr. Fogg's usual partners at whist: Andrew Stuart, an engineer; John Sullivan and Samuel Fallentin, bankers; Thomas Flanagan, a brewer; and Gauthier Ralph, one of the Directors of the Bank of England—all rich and highly respectable people.
5点40分吃过晚饭后,福格先生又出现在阅读室,他坐下来再次读起了报纸。半小时后,一些改良倶乐部的会员也进来了,紧挨着炭火烧得很旺的壁炉坐下。他们都是常和福格先生一起玩惠斯特牌的牌友:安德鲁·斯图尔特是工程师,约翰·苏利万和萨缪尔·法郎丹是银行家,托马斯·弗拉纳根是啤酒商,高杰·拉尔夫是英格兰银行董事会董事。这些人都是既有钱又有声望的人。
"Well, Ralph," said Thomas Flanagan, "what about that robbery?"
“喂,拉尔夫,”托马斯·弗拉纳根问,“那场盗窃案怎么样了?”
"Oh," replied Stuart, "the Bank will lose the money."
斯图尔特答道:“哦,银行会损失那笔钱。”
"On the contrary," broke in Ralph, "I hope we may catch the robber. Skilful detectives have been sent to all the principal ports of America and the Continent, and he'll be a clever fellow if he slips through their fingers."
高杰·拉尔夫打断他的话,说道:“相反,我想我们会抓住那个窃贼的。很多能干的侦探已经被派往美洲和西欧的重要港口,这位梁上君子要想逃脱侦探的手心可不容易。”