Путешествие на Луну
The Passenger of the Atlanta
Onequestion,however,remained.Didsuchabeingexist?ThistelegramflashedacrossthedepthsoftheAtlantic,thedesignationofthevesselonboardwhichhewastotakehispassage,thedateassignedforhisspeedyarrival,allcombinedtoimpartacertaincharacterofrealitytotheproposal.Theymustgetsomeclearernotionofthematter.Scatteredgroupsofinquirersatlengthcondensedthemselvesintoacompactcrowd,whichmadestraightfortheresidenceofPresidentBarbicane.Thatworthyindividualwaskeepingquietwiththeintentionofwatchingeventsastheyarose.Buthehadforgottentotakeintoaccountthepublicimpatience;anditwaswithnopleasantcountenancethathewatchedthepopulationofTampaTowngatheringunderhiswindows.Themurmursandvociferationsbelowpresentlyobligedhimtoappear.Hecameforward,therefore,andonsilencebeingprocured,acitizenputpoint-blanktohimthefollowingquestion:"Isthepersonmentionedinthetelegram,underthenameofMichelArdan,onhiswayhere?Yesorno."
"Gentlemen,"repliedBarbicane,"Iknownomorethanyoudo."
"Wemustknow,"roaredtheimpatientvoices.
"Timewillshow,"calmlyrepliedthepresident.
"Timehasnobusinesstokeepawholecountryinsuspense,"repliedtheorator."Haveyoualteredtheplansoftheprojectileaccordingtotherequestofthetelegram?"
"Notyet,gentlemen;butyouareright!wemusthavebetterinformationtogoby.Thetelegraphmustcompleteitsinformation."
"Tothetelegraph!"roaredthecrowd.
