In

Chapter I

IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG AND PASSEPARTOUT ACCEPT EACH OTHER, THE ONE AS MASTER, THE OTHER AS MAN


Mr. Phileas Fogg lived, in 1872, at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, the house in which Sheridan died in 1814. He was one of the most noticeable members of the Reform Club, though he seemed always to avoid attracting attention; an enigmatical personage, about whom little was known, except that he was a polished man of the world. People said that he resembled Byron--at least that his head was Byronic; but he was a bearded, tranquil Byron, who might live on a thousand years without growing old.

In 1973, Secretariat became the first Triple Crown winner in twenty-five years.

He ran the Kentucky Derby in 1:59 2/5, a record that still stands today. In each quarter-mile, he ran faster than the one before. He was still accelerating in the last quarter-mile.

He also set a new record in the Belmont. His time of 2:24 flat still stands as the record for the Belmont and as the world record for the fastest one-and-a-half miles on dirt.

In trouble....in fact.....in transit.....in a bind.....in the refrigerator, in luck, in a good position.

In trouble. In debt. In the dog house. In the money. In the know. In a groove. In over your head. In deep doo--doo. In a rut. In harm's way. In limbo. In with the wrong crowd. In the wrong place at the wrong time. In the right place at the right time. In camera. In vogue. In season. In a manner of speaking. In.....Inescapable!!!!!

In the shadow of an archway nearly opposite, leading to one of the many passages which diverged from the main street, there lingered one, who, having taken up his position when the twilight first came on, still maintained it with undiminished patience, and leaning against the wall with the manner of a person who had a long time to wait, and being well used to it was quite resigned, scarcely changed his attitude for the hour together.

An optimist believes we live in the best of all possible worlds. A pessimist is sure of it!