The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-09-28
CHAPTER II.
II WHICH PAssEPARToUT IS CONVINCED THAT
HE HAS FOUND HIS IpEA04.


II WEIGH PAssEPARToUT rs CONVINCED THAT
HE HAS FOUND HIS IpEAA4.
Upon my word" said Passepartout
to himself, first. II have known all
Madame Tassaud's good people as live
Iy as my new MASTERY
1t is proper to say here that Madame
Tassaud's "good people" are wax
figures, much visited in London, and
who, indeed, are Only wanting in
speech.
Durjnr The few minutes that he had
interviewed Phiieas Fogg, Pass6partout
had examined his future master, rapidly
but carefully. He was man that
might be forty years old, of fine, hand.
some face, OF tall figure, which slight
corpulence did not disparage, his hail
and whiskers light. his forehead com
pact, without appearance of wrinkle:
at the temples. his face rather pale than
flushed, his teeth magnificent. de ap.
peared to possess in the highest degree
what physiognOmists call ''repose in
action" quality common to those who
do more work than talking. Calm,
phlegmatic, with a clear eye and i'm
movable eyelid, he was the finished
type of those cool-blooded Englishmen
so frequently met in the United. King.
dom, and whose somewhat academic
posture Angelica Kaufman has mar.
velously reproduced under her pencil.
Seen in the various acts of his existence,
this gentleman gave the idea of well.
balanced being in all his parts, evenly
hung, as perfect as Leroy or Earn.
shaw chrOnometer. Indeed, Phileas
Fogg was eXactness personifed, which
was seen clearly from 1.-THE expression
of his feet and his hands," for with
man, as well as with the animals, the
limbs themselves are organs expressive
of the passions.
Phileas Fogg was one Of those mathe.
matically exact people. who, never hur-
ried and always ready, are economical
of their steps and their motions. He
never made one stride too many, always
going by the shortest route He did
not give an idle look. He did not al
low himself a super6uous gesture He
had never been seen moved or troubled.
He was a man of the least possible haste,
but he always arrived On time. How
ever, it will be understood that he lived
alone, and, so to speak, outside of every
social relation, He knew that in life
one must take his share of friction, and
as frictions retard, he never rubbed
against any one.
AS for Jean, called Passepartout, a
true Partisan of Paris, he had sought
vainly for master to whom he could
attach himself, in the fiveyears that he
lived in England and served as q valet
in London. Passepartout was not one
of those Frontihs df Mascarilles, who,
with high shoulders, nose high in air, a
look of assurance, and staring eye, are
only impudent ounces. No. Passepar-
tout was good fellow, of amiable phys
iognomy, his lips little prominent, al
ways ready to taste or earess, o mild
serviceable being. with one of those
good round headsthat we like to see on
the shoulders of a friend His eyes
were blue, his complexion rosy, his
face fat enough for him to see his cheek
bones, his chest broad, his form full,
his muscles vigorous, and he possessed
herculean strength, which his youth
full exercise had splendidly developed.
His brown hair was somewhat tumbled.
If the ancient sculptors knew eighteen
ways OF arranging Minerva hair. Passe-
partout knew of but one for fixing his
own; three strokes of a largetoothed-
comb, and it was dressed.
The most meager stock of prudence
would not permit of saying that the
expansive character of this young man
would agree with that of Phileas Fogg.
Would Passepartout be in all respects
exactly the servant that his master
needed That would only be seen by
using him. After having been, as we
have seen, quite wanderiag youth,
he longed for repose. Having heard
the exactness and proverbial GOODNESS
OF the English gentlemen praised, he
came to seek his fortune in England.
But until the present. fate had treated
him badly. He had not been able to
take root anywhere. He had served in
ten different houses. In every one the
people were capricious and irregular.