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In the year 1872 little was known about Phileas
Fogg except that he was a perfect gentleman. He
might have been 40. There was hardly a wrinkle
on his face and he cut a tall handsome figure.
He spoke as little as possible, and this silence
made him all the more mysterious. He was
evidently very efficient; he would always go the
shortest way and never make a useless movement.
He never hurried but he would always be in time.
No one would ever see him disturbed or put out;
he seemed even-tempered enough.
Phileas Fogg was wealthy, but no one knew
how he had made his fortune. He had probably
journeyed far and wide for he had an extensive knowledge of the world. In fact, he could have
travelled everywhere; there was not a place,
however far away, that he did not seem to know
well. Yet he had not left London, where he lived
by himself, for many years.
It was no secret though that he was a member
of the elite Reform Club. He went only to his club
daily where he lunched and dined in the same
room and at the same table, always alone. Then
he would spend time at the club reading the papers
or playing cards. Anyone could see that Phileas
Fogg played cards only for the sake of playing and
not for the sake of winning but needless to say, he
always won and naturally, he gave all his winnings
to charity.
No one else could have been more precise in
his ways than Phileas Fogg. He spent exactly half
a day at home and half at the club. He always left
his house for the club at 11.30 every morning and
left the club for his home at 11.30 every evening.
He also demanded that the servant he employed
to look after him be as punctual and regular in his
ways.
That explains why on the morning of 2
October Mr Fogg was waiting to interview a new
servant. The previous man had brought him his
shaving-water at the temperature of 84 degrees
instead of the correct 86. He was instantly
dismissed, of course.
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