Chapter 19
Passepartout set the controls for a date when he knew that Rebecca would be home in the country alone. She was not with child in this time and would be free to go to the future. Passepartout ended the trip, moving the vehicle to the other side of hiding the place. Passepartout put on his hat and coat and walked out of the cave near the ridge of the valley.
He had not walked fifteen yards when a time machine came into being near the mouth of the cave. Passepartout blinked twice and backtracked, watching as it settled on the ground. The door opened and… another Passepartout came out of the cabin. He looked at himself as he walked across the grass. He looked haggard and very troubled.
Passepartout said to his other self, "Jean, why am I here, meeting myself like this?" He shook his head at the complete nonsense that had just come out of his mouth. Time travel is madness.
Jean looked at his earlier self and felt as confused as Passepartout looked. This was going to be difficult. "I am comprehending that this meeting must take place," he began. "I must stop us from doing Rebecca's bidding. Instead of helping the master live, our trip to future causing her to die with him. It very bad. Passepartout must not do as Rebecca asking."
"But what of Phileas Fogg and Jules Verne?" Passepartout said.
Jean looked at Passepartout near in tears. "I see two paths. One being very dangerous and the other making our former master very angry with us. But we are no longer the folly of Phileas Fogg of London England. I standing up to his anger if first path not working. I knowing now, I not making him give up until last chance is tried."
Passepartout did not know what Jean had based his decisions on. Before he could ask, Passepartout closed his mouth and nodded agreement. He did not want to know. "I doing as you say. What I telling Rebecca when I going back without doing her wishes?"
"Do not go back," Jean told him. "I am comprehending that if I have successfulness, all things that have happened will not happen, and Rebecca not knowing. None will know."
"Yes, Passepartout sees this, too. I taking time machine back to wait for this nothing to happen. Much luck and successfulness to us."
Jean accepted his words and was about to take Passepartout's hand in parting, but both men decided that shaking one's own hand was too much. They pulled back in unison, took formal stances, giving each other mock salutes with invisible swords. They smiled and turned away to accomplish their tasks.