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A silent steward brought us clothes and set the table . The meal was excellent : there was no bread and no wine , but there were several kinds of fish , and some dishes that I could not name . On every knife , fork and plate there was a letter N , with three Latin words around it : Mobilis in mobili , which means “ moving in the moving element ” . After the meal we lay down on the floor and fell into a deep sleep . When I woke up , the air in the room had become heavy , and I could hardly breathe . Suddenly a current of fresh sea air came in through a pipe above the door , and I felt the boat rocking . The machine had come up to the surface to breathe , exactly like a whale . Hours passed without any food , and Ned grew angrier and angrier . When the steward finally opened the door , Ned jumped on him , threw him down and took him by the throat . Conseil was trying to pull Ned away , and I was rushing to help , when I heard these words in perfect French . “ Be quiet , Master Land . And you , Professor , will you be so kind as to listen to me ? ” IV . Captain Nemo It was the commander of the ship who had spoken . Ned let go of the steward at once , and the poor man walked out , half strangled , at a sign from his master . “ Gentlemen , ” said the commander in a calm voice , “ I speak French , English , German and Latin equally well . I could have answered you at our first meeting , but I wanted to know you first and to think . Your stories agreed in every detail , so I know now who you are . Chance has brought me Professor Pierre Aronnax of the Museum in Paris , his servant Conseil , and Ned Land , harpooner on board the Abraham Lincoln . ” He spoke without any accent , but I did not feel that he was French . “ I have hesitated for a long time , ” he went on . “ Unlucky events have brought you to a man who has broken all ties with the rest of humanity . You have come to disturb my life . ” “ We did not mean to , ” I said . “ Did you not ? Was it by chance that the Abraham Lincoln chased me across all the seas ? Was it by chance that your guns fired at my ship , and that Master Land struck it with his harpoon ? ” I explained that the whole world had believed in a sea monster , and that the frigate had only wanted to free the oceans from it . A half smile appeared on his lips . “ Are you sure , Professor , that your frigate would not have chased and fired at a boat as quickly as at a monster ? I had the right to treat you as enemies . I could have left you on the deck and dived , and forgotten that you had ever lived . ” “ That might be the right of a savage , ” I answered , “ but not of a civilised man . ” “ Professor , ” he said sharply , “ I am not what you call a civilised man ! I have finished with society for reasons which I alone can judge . I do not obey its laws , and I ask you never to speak of them to me again ! ”
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