ered his service the
very day we left."

The effect which all these replies had upon the suspicious nature of
the detective may be imagined.

The hurried departure from London, so soon after the robbery, the
large sum in bank-notes, the haste to reach India, under the pretext
of an eccentric bet, all confirmed Fix, and not unnaturally, in his
previously conceived ideas. He made up his mind to pump the Frenchman
a little more, and make certain that the valet knew no more concerning
his master than that he lived alone in London, was reported to be very
rich, though no one knew from whence his fortune was derived, and that
he was a very mysterious man, etc. But at the same time. Fix felt sure
that Phileas Fogg would not land at Suez, and would really go on to
Bombay.

"Is Bombay far off?" asked Passe-partout.

"Pretty well. It is ten days' steaming from here."

"And whereabouts is Bombay?"

"It is in India."

"In Asia?"

"Naturally."

"The devil! I was going to say that there is something on my mind, and
that is my burner."

"What burner?"

"Why, my gas-burner, which I forgot to turn off when I left London,
and which is still alight at my expense. Now I have calculated that I
lose two shillings every four-and-twenty hours, which is just sixpence
more than my wages. So you see that the longer our journey is--"

It is not very likely that Fix paid much attention to this question of
the gas; he was thinking of something else. The pair soon reached the
bazaar, and leaving his companion to make his purchases. Fix hastened
back to the Consul's office, and now that his suspicions were
confirmed he regained his usual coolness.

"I am quite certain now," he said to the Consul, "that this is our
man. He wishes to pass himself off as an eccentric person who wants to
go round the world in eighty days."

"He is a very sharp fellow, and he probably counts on returning to
London, after having thrown all the police off the scent."

"Well, we shall see," replied Fix.

"But are you sure you are right?" asked the Consul once more.

"I am sure I am not mistaken."

"Well then, how do you account for the fellow being so determined upon
proving he had been here by having his passport _vised_?"

"Why--Well, I can't say," replied the detective; "but listen a
moment." And then in as few words as possible he communicated the
heads of his conversation with Passe-partout.

"Well, I must confess that appearances are very muc