c hris t mas c aro l. in fou r sta! es . s t a! e o n e . marle ywgho s t . arley was dead, to begin...

ISTMAS CAROL.

HARLE S D I CK ENS .

OND ENS E D BY H IMS ELF , FO R HIS

READ INGS .

GAD’S H1LL, HIGHAM BY ROCHESTER, K s s '

r

Tenth October, 1867.

h e edition beau ng the imprint of Massas. T reason AND Flanns isthe only correct and au thorized edition ofmy READINGS.

CHARLES DICK ENS.

Enteredaccording toAct ofCongress, in the year 1867, by

T IC K NOR AND F I ELD S,

in the Clerk’sOffice ofthe District Cou rtofthe DistrictofMassachusetts

Univzssrrv PRESS ! WELCH, BIGELOW,

CAMBRIDGE .

A CHRIS TMAS CAROL.

IN FOUR STA! E S .

S T A! E O N E .

MARLE YWGHO S T .

ARLEY was dead , to begin with ,There is

no doubt whatever about that . The regis

ter of hi s burial was s igned by the clergyman,the clerk

,the undertaker , and the chief mourner .

Scrooge signed it . And Scrooge ’s name was good

upon ’Change for anything he chose to put his

hand to.

O ld Marley was as dead as a door-nail . .

Scrooge knew he was dead Of course he did .

How coul d it be otherwise ? Scrooge and he

were -partners for I'

don ’t know how many. years .

Scrooge was hi s sol e executor , hi s sole administrator

,hi s sole assign , his sole residuary legatee ,

hi s - sole friend , his sol e mourner .

Scrooge never painted ou t old Marl ey’s . name ,however; There it yet stood , years afterwards ,above the warehouse door , Scrooge andMarley.

The firm was known as Scrooge . and . Marley .

Sometimes people‘

new to the business called

4 A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

Scrooge Scrooge , and sometimes Marley . He

answered to both names . It was al l the same tohim .

Oh ! But he was a tight-listed hand at the

grindstone , was Scrooge ! a squeezing, wrenching ,grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sin

ner ! External heat and col d had l ittle infl u ence on

him . No warmth could warm,no cold coul d chil l

him. No wind that bl ew was bitterer than he ,n o falling snow was more intent upon its pur

p ose , n o pel ting rain less open to entreaty . Foul

weather did n ’t know where to have him. The

heaviest rain and snow and bail and sl eet could

b oast of the advantage over him in only one re

spect , they often ! came down ” handsomely,and Scrooge never did.

Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say ,w ith gladsome l ooks

,

! My dear Scrooge , how

are you ? When will you come to see me ? ”

No beggars impl ored him to bestow a trifle , n o

children asked him what it was o ’cl ock , no man or

woman ever once in al l hi s l ife inquired the way

to such and su ch a place , of Scrooge . Even the

blindmen’s dogs appeared to know him ; and when

they saw him coming on, would tug their owners

into doorways and u p courts ; and then would

wag their tail s as though they said,No eye at all

i s better than an evil eye , dark master !”

But what di d Scrooge care l It was the very

thing he liked . To edge hi s way along the

A CHRISTMAS CAROL . 5

crowded paths of l ife , warning all human sym

pathy to keep its distance,was what the know ing

ones call nuts ” to Scrooge .

Once upon a time— of all the good days in the

year , upon a Christmas eve— ol d Scrooge satbu sy in his counting-house . It was cold , bleak ,biting , foggy weather ; and the city Cl ocks had

only just gone three,but it was quite dark al

ready .

The door of Scrooge ’s counting-house was open ,that he might keep hi s eye upon his clerk , who;in a dismal little cel l beyond , a sort of tank , was

copying letters . Scrooge had a very smal l fire , but

the clerk ’s fire was so very much smaller that i t

l ooked like one coal . But he could n ’t replenish

it,for Scrooge kept the coal-box in hi s own room

an d so surely as the Clerk came in with the shovel

the master predicted that it woul d be necessary

for them to part . Wherefore the Clerk put on

hi s white comforter,and tried to warm himsel f at

‘

the candle ; in which efl'

ort, not being a man of a.

strong imag in ati on , he failed .

! A merry Christmas,uncle ! God save you !

cried a Cheerful voice . It was the voice of

Scrooge ’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly

that thi s was the first intimation Scrooge had ofhis approach .

! Bah ! ” said Scrooge ; ! humbug ! ”

Christmas a humbug, uncl’

e ! You don’t meanthat, I am sure ? ”

6 A CHRISTMAS CARoL.

I do . Out upon merry Chri stmas ! What ’sChri stmas time to you but a time for paying bi ll s

without money a time for finding yourself a year

older,and not an hour richer a time for balancing

your books and having every item in ’em through

a round dozen of months presen ted dead against

you ? If I had my w i l l , every idiot who g oes

about w i th ‘Merry . Christmas on his l ip s should

be boiled with his own pudding,and burie d with a

stake of holly through his heart . He shoul d !”

! Uncl e

Nephew,keep Christmas in you r own way,

and let me keep it i n mine .

”

Keep i t ! But you don’t keep i t . ”

Let me leave it al one , then . Much g ood mayi t do you Much good it has ever done you ! ”

There are many things from which I might

have derived good,by which I have not profited ,

I dare say , Chri stmas among the rest . But I am

sure I have always thought of Christmas time,when i t has come round

,—apart from the venera

tion due to its sacred origin, if anything bel onging

to i t can be apart from that , -as a good time ; a

kind, forg iving , charitable , pleasan t time ; the

only time I know’ of, i n the long cal endar of theyear

,when men and women seem’ by one consent

to open thei r shut-u p hearts freely , and to think

of people bel ow them as if they really were fel l ow

travellers to the grav e , and not another race of

creatures bou nd on other journeys . And there

A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

!

l

fore, un'

cle,thoug h it has never put a scrap of gold

or silver in my pocket , I bel ieve that it has done

me good,and will do me good ; and I say; God

bless it ! ”

The clerk in the tank involuntarily applauded .

Let me hear another sound fromyou , said

Scrooge,

! and you ’l l keep your Christmas by

losing your situation ! You ’re quite a powerful

speaker, sir,” he added , turning to his nephew.

! I wonder you don’t go into Parl iament . ”

Don ’t be angry,uncle . Come ! Dine with u s

to-morrow .

”

Scrooge said that he would see him—yes; indeed he did .

’

He went the whole , leng th of the

expressi on , and said that he would see him in

that extremity fi rst .! Bri t why ? ” cried Scrooge

’s nephew .

! Why ? ”

Why did you get married ?”

Because I fel l in love.

”

! Becau se you fel l in l ove l” growled Scrooge

,

as if that were the only one thing in the world

more ridicul ous than a merry Christmas Good

afternoon !

Nay , uncle , but you n ever came to see me be

fore that happened . Why give i t as a‘ reason for

not coming now

Good afternoon

I want nothing from you ; I ask nothing ofyou why Cannot we be friends

Good afternoon .

”

8 A CHR ISTMAS CAROL.

I am sorry , wi th al l my heart , to find you soresol ute . We have never had . any quarrel

, to

which I have been a party . But I have made the

tri al in homage to Chri stmas , and I’l l keep my

Chri stmas humor to the last . So A Merry Chri st

mas , uncl e !”

Good afternoon l ”

And A Happy New-Year

Good afternoon lHis nephew . left the room without an an

gry word , notwithstanding . The clerk,i n letting

Scrooge ’s nephew ou t, had let two other people in .

They were portly gentlemen , pleasant to behold ,and now stood

,with their hats off, in S crooge

’s

offi ce . They had books and papers in their hands ,andbowed to him .

Scrooge and Marley ’s , I believe , said one

of the gentlemen , referring to hi s li st . Have I

the pleasure of addressing Mr . Scrooge , or Mr .

Marley ? ”

Mr . Marley has been dead these seven years .

He died seven years ago; this very night ,”

A t this festive season of the year , Mr. Scrooge ,said the gentleman

,taking up a pen , ! i t i s more

than u sually desirable that we shoul d make some

slight provision for the poor and'

destitu te, who

suffer greatly at the present time . Many thousands

are i n want of common neces sarie s ; hundreds of

thous ands are in want of common comforts, sir .’

Are there no pri sons 7

ACHRISTMAS CAROL . 9

Pl enty of prisons . But under the impression

that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer -ofmind

or body to the u nofi‘

ending multitude , a few of u s

are endeavoring to raise a fund to buy the poor

some meat and drink, and mean s of warmth . We

choose this time,because it

!

i s a time , of all others,when Want is keenly fel t , and Abundance rejoices

! That shal l I put you down for ?Nothing

You wish to be anonymous! I wish to be left al one . Since you ask me

what Iwi sh , gentl emen , that i s my an swer . I don’t

make merry myself at Christmas , and I can’t afi

'

oni

tomake idle people merry. I hel p to support the

pri sons and - the workhouses ,— they cost enough ,and those who are badly off must go there .

”

Many can ’t go there ; and many would rather

If they would rather die , they had better do itsand decrease the surpl us population .

At length the hour of ishu tting . u p the coun ting

house arrived . With an ill-willS eroog e,dismount

ing from hi s stool , tacitly admitted the fact to theexpectant Clerk In the Tank , who in stantly snu fl

'

ed

hi s candle out , and put on hi s hat .You ’11want al l day to-morrow

,I suppose ?

If quite convenient,si r .

”

It ’s not convenient , and i t

’s not fair. ‘ If !was to stop half a crown for it, you

’d-think yourself

migh tily il l-used , I ’ll be bou ndl

'fi

A CHR ISTMAS CAROL.

Yes , si r.

And yet you don ’t think me il l-u sed, ~when I

pay a day’s wages for no work ”

It ’s only once a

'

year, si r .

A poor excu se for picking a man ’s pocket

every twenty-fifth of December ! But I suppose

you must have the whole day .'Be here al l the

earlier nextmorning .

”

The clerk promised that he would and Scrooge

walked ou t with a growl . The offi ce was cl osed in

a twinkling , and the clerk , with the l ong ends of

his white comforter dangling bel ow his wais t (fo r

he boasted n o great-coat ! , went down a sl ide , atthe en d of a lane of boys , twenty times , i n honor

of its being Christmas eve , and then ran home as

hard as he coul d pel t , to pl ay at blindman’s-b u fi

‘

.

Scrooge to ok hi s melan choly dinner i n his u sual

melan choly tavern and having read all the news

papers,and beguiled the rest Of the evening with

hi s banker ’s book , went home to bed . He l ived i n

chambers which had once bel onged to his deceased

partner . They were a gl oomy suite of room s , i n a

l owering pile of building up a yard . The building

was old enough now ,and dreary enough ; for no

body lived in it but Scrooge, the other rooms being

all let ou t as offices .

Now it i s a fact , that there was n othing at al lparticul ar about the knocker on the door of this

house,except that it was -very l arge ; al so , that

Scrooge had seen it,night and morning , during his

A, CHRISTMAS CAROL. 11

whole residence in that place ; al so , that Scrooge

had as l ittle of what i s called fancy about him as

any man in the city of London . And yet Scrooge ,having his key in the lock of the door, saw In the

knocker, without its undergoing any intermedi

ate process of change, n ot a knocker, but Marley’s

face .

Marley’s face,w ith a dismal light about it , l ike

a bad lobster i n a dark cel lar . It was not angry or

ferocious,but it looked at Scrooge as Marley used

to l ook ,— wi th ghostly spectacles turned up upon

its ghostly forehead .

A s Scrooge looked fixedly at this phenomenon ,i t was a knocker again . He said, Pooh , pooh ! ”

and closed the door with a bang .

The sound resounded through the house like

thunder . Every room above , and every cask inthe wine-merchant ’s cell ars bel ow , appeared to

have a separate peal of echoe s of i ts own. Scrooge

was not a man to be frightened by echoe s . Hefastened the door , and walked across the hall , andu p the stairs . Slowly too, trimming hi s candle as

he went .

Up Scrooge went , not caring a button for i ts

being very dark . Darkness i s cheap , and Scrooge

liked it . But before he shu t hi s heavy door, he

walked through his rooms to see that al l was rightHe had just enough recollection of the face todesi re to do that .

Sitting-room , bedroom , lumber-room ,all as they

12 A CHRISTMAS CAROL .

should be . Nobody under the table , nobody u n

der the sofa ; a small fire i n the grate ; spoon

and basin ready ; and the li ttle saucepan of grue l

(Scrooge had a Cold in hi s head! upon the hob.

Nobody under the bed nobody in the cl ose t.n o

body i n his dressrng -gown , which ,was hanging u p

i n a su Spiciou s attitude agaInst the wall . Lumber-room as usual . O ld fire-guard , Olds hoes , two

fish-baskets,washing-stand on three legs, and a

poker .

! uite satisfied , he cl osed his door, and l ocked

himselfin double-l ocked himselfin, which was not

his custom . Thus secured again st surpri se , he

took off hi s cravat , put on his dressing-gown and

slippers and his nightcap , and sat down before the

very 'l ow fire to take his‘g ru el h

A s he threw’

hi s head back in the chair, hi s

glance happened to rest upon a bell , a disused bell ,that hung. in the room , and communicated , for some

purpose now forgotten , with a chamber in thehighé

'

St'

stOry of the building . It?was with great

astonishment; and . with a strange , inexplicahle

dread , that , as he l ooked , he saw this bell begin to

swing. Soon it rang ou t l oudly , and sodidi

every

bel l i n the house .

'

This'

was su cceeded by a cl anki ng noi se , deep

down bel ow , as if some person were dragging a

heavy chain over. the casks in the wine-merchant ’s

cel lar .

.Then be h eard the noise much louder , on the

A CHR ISTMAS CAROL. 13

floors bel ow then coming up the stairs then

coming straight towards hi s door .It came on through the heavy

'

door, and a spectre

passed into the room before his eyes . And upon

its coming in , the dying flame leaped up , as though

it cried,I know him ! Marley ’

s ghost

The same face,the very same . Marl ey i n hi s

pigtail , usual waistcoat, tights , and boots . His

body was transparent so that Scrooge,observing

him , aild l ooking through his waistcoat, could seethe twobuttons on his coat behind .

Scrooge had often heard i t said that Marley had

nobowel s , but he had never believed it until now .

No , nor did he bel ieve i t even now . Though he

looked the phantom through and through,and saw

it standing before him , though he felt the chill ing

influence of its death -col d eyes , and . noticed the

very texture of the fol ded kerchief bound about its

head and Chin , — he was sti l l incredulous .

How now ! ” said Scrooge , caustic and cold asWhat do you want with me i

Much l Marley ’s voice , nodoubt about itWho are you

A sk .me who I was.

Who were you then 7

In l ife I was your partner, Jacob Marley .

”

Can you can you sit down

I can .

”

Do it , then .

Scrooge asked the question,because he didn

’t


know whether a gh ost so tran sparent might find

himselfin a condition to take a chair ;and felt that,in the event of it s being impossible

,it might in

v'

olve the necessity of an embarrassing expl anation .

Bu t the ghost sat down on the opposite s ide of the

firepl ace , as i f he were quite used to it .You don ’t bel ieve in me .

”

I don ’t .

What evidence would you have of my.

real ity

beyond that of you r sensesI don ’t know

Why do you doubt your senses

Becau se a little thing affects them . A slight

di sorder of the stomach makes them Cheats . You

may be an undigested bit of beef,a bl ot of mus

tard , a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an under

done potato . There ’s more of gravy than ofgrave

about you , whatever you'

are !

Scrooge was n ot much in the habit of cracking.jokes , nor did he feel i n his heart by any means wag

gish then . The tru th i s , that he tried to be smart, as

a mean s of distracting hi s own attention,and keep

ing down his horror .

But how much greater was his horror when,

' the

phantom taking off the bandage round its head , as

if it"were too warm to wear in-doors , its l ower jaw

dropped down upon its breast

Mercy Dreadful appari tion , why do you

trouble -me ? Why do spirits walk the earth,'

and

why do they come to me ?

A CHRISTMAS CAROL. 15

It i s required of every man , that the spirit

wi thin him should walk abroad among hi s fellow

men,and travel far and wide ; and if that spirit

goes not forth in l ife,it i s condemned to do so after

death . I cannot tel l you all I woul d . A very l ittle

more is permitted to me . I cannot rest , I cannot

stay , I cannot l inger anywhere. My spi rit never

walked beyond ou r counting-house mark me i

i n l ifemy spirit never roved beyond the narrowlimits

_

ofou r money-changing hole and weary jour

neys l ie before me! Seven years dead . And travell ing al l the

time You travel fast

On the wings of the wind .

You might have got over a great quantity of

ground in seven years .”

O blind man,blind man ! not to know that ages

Of i ncessant l abor by immortal creatures for thi s

earth must pass into eternity before the good of

which it i s susceptible i s all devel oped . Not ' to

know that any Christian spirit working'

kindly i n

its l ittle sphere , whatever i t may be , will find its

mortal life too Short for its vast means of useful

ness . Not to kn ow that n o space of regret can

make amend s for one l ife ’s Opportuni ties misu sed

Yet I was like thi s man ; I once was l ike this

man !

But you were always a good man of business,

Jacob ,” fal tered Scrooge , who now began to apply

this to himsel f.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

Business ! ” cried the Ghost,wringing its

hands again .

! Mankind was my business . The

common wel fare was my business charity,mercy

,

forbearance , benevolence , were al l my business.

The dealings of my trade were but a . drop of

water in the comprehensive ocean of my busi

ness

Scrooge was very much di smayed to hear the

spectre going on at thi s rate , and began toquakeexceedingly.

Hear me ! My time i s nearly gone.I wil l . But don ’t be hard upon me ! Don ’t

be flowery , Jacob ! Pray !

I am here to-night to warn you that you have

yet a chance and hOpe of escaping my fate . A

chance and hOpe of my procuring , Ebenezer .”

You were always a good friend to me .

Thank ’ee

You w i l l be haunted by Three Spi rits .”

Is that the chance and hope you mentioned ,Jacob ? I —I think I ’d rather n ot .”

Without their visits , you cannot hOpe to shun

the path I tread . Expect the first to-morrow night,when the bell toll s One . Expect the second on

the next night at the same hour . The third , u pon

the next night , when the last stroke of Twelve has

ceased to vibrate . Look to see me no more ; and

l ook that,for your own sake

, you remember what

has passed between us

It walked backward from him; and at every

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

A CHR ISTMAS CAROL.

S TA! E T W O

THE F IRST on THE THREE SPIRITS.

HEN Scrooge awoke , it was s o dark , thgt,l ooking out of bed

,he coiild scarcely di s

ting u ish the transparent window from thgopaqu e

walls of hi s chamber , until suddenly the church

cl ock tol led a deep ,’ dull

,hollow

,melancholy ONE.

Light flashed up in the room upon the in stant ,and the curtain s of hi s bed were drawn aside by

a strange fig u re,— l ike a chil d ! yet n ot so like

a child as like an old man , viewed through some

supernatural medium,which gave h im the ap

pearance of having receded from the ! iew,and

being diminished to a Ch il d ’s proportions . Its

hai r, which hung about i ts neck and down its

back,was white as if with age ; and yet the face

had n ot a wri nkle in i t , and the tenderest bl oom

was on the skin . It hel d a branch of fresh green

holly i n its hand ; and , i n singular contradicti on

of that wintry emblem , had its d ress trimmed with

summer flowers . But the strangest thing about it

was,that from the crown of its head there Sprung

a bright cl ear jet of l ight , by which all this was

visible ; and which was doubtless the occasion of

i ts u sing , in i ts dull er moments , a great extin

g u isher for a cap , which it now hel d under its arm.

A CHR ISTMAS CAROL . 19

A re you the Spirit, sir, whose coming was

foretold to me ? ”

I am

Whoand what are youI am the Ghost of Christmas Past .

”

Long past ?

No . Your past . The things that you wil l

see with me are shadows of the things that havebeen they will h ave n o consciousness of us . ”

Scrooge then made bold to inquire what bu s iness brought him there .

‘

Your welfare . Ri se,and walk with me

It would have been in vai n for Scrooge to plead

that the weather and the hour were not adapted to

pede strian purposes that bed was warm , and the

thermometer a long way bel ow freezing tt hat he

was clad but lightly in hi s sl ippers, dressing-gown,

and nightcap and that he had a cold upon him at

that time . The grasp, though gentle as a wo

man ’s hand , was not to be resisted . He rose bu t

finding that the Spi ri t made towards the window.

clasped its robe in supplication .

I am a mortal , and l iable to fal l .”

Be‘ar but a touch (if my hand there,” said the

Spi rit, l aying it upon his heart, and you shall be

u phel d inmore than this iA s the words were spoken , they passed thr ough

’

the wall, and stood in the busy thorou ghfares of

a city . It was made pl ain enough by the dress‘

ing of the shops that here , too , it was Christmastime .

1”


The Ghost stopped at a certai n warehouse door,

and asked Scro oge if he knew it .

Know it Was I apprenticed here !

They went in . At S ight of an ol d gentleman in

a Welsh Wig , Sitting behind such a high desk that ,i f he had been two inches taller, he must hav e

knocked hi s head again st the ceil ing,Scrooge

cried in great excitement Why, i t’s old Fez

ziwig ! Bless his heart,i t ’s Fezziwig

,al ive

again

O ld Fezziwig laid down hi s pen,an d l ooked up

at the clock , which pointed to the hour of Seven .

He rubbed his hands ; adjusted his capaciou s

waistcoat ; l aughed al l over himself, from his shoe s

to his organ of benevolence ; and called ou t i n a.

comfortable , oily , ri ch , fat , jovial voice Yo ho,there ! Ebenezer ! Dick ! ”

A l iving and moving picture of Scrooge ’s former

sel f,a young man , came briskly in , accompanied

by his fell ow-prenti ce .

Dick Wilkin s , to be sure !” sai d Scrooge to

the Ghost . My Ol d fellow-prentice , bless me ,yes . There he i s . He was very much attached

tome , was Dick . Poor D ick ! Dear , dear !

Yo ho, my boys ! said Fezziwig . No more

work to-night . Christmas eve , Dick . Chri stmas ,Ebenezer ! Let ’s have the shutters up , before a

man can say Jack Robin son ! C lear away, my

l ads,and let ’s have l ots of room here

Clear away There was nothing they would n’t


have cleared away, or coul d n ’t have cleared

away, with ol d Fezziwig l ooking on. It was

done in a m inute . Every movable was packed off,as if it were dismissed from public li fe forever

more ; the floor was swept and watered,the

l amps were trimmed , fu el was heaped upon the

fire ; and the warehouse was as snug and warm

and dry and bright a ball-room as you woul d desire

tosee u pon a winter ’s night .

In came a fiddler w ith a music-book,and went

up to the lofty desk , and made an orche stra of i t ,and tuned like fifty stomach-aches . In came Mrs .

Fezziwig, one vast substantial smile . In came the

three M iss Fezziwigs , beaming and lovable . In

came the six young fol lowers whose hearts they

broke . I n came all the young men and women em

ployed in the business . In came the hou semaid , with

her cousin the baker . In c ame the cook , with her

brother ’s particular friend the milkman . In they

all came one after\another ; some shyly, some

boldly,some gracefully

,some awkwardly, some

pushing,some pull ing ; in they al l c ame , anyhow

and evervhow . Away they all went, twenty coupleat once hands half round and back again the other

way ; down the middle and.

u p again ; round and

round in variou s stages of affectionate grouping ;old top couple always turning up in the wrong

place ; new top couple starting off again, as soon

as they got there al l top couples at last, and not

a bottom one to help them . When thi s resul t was


brought about , old Fezziwig, Clapping his hands

to stop the dance , cried out, Wel l done ! ” and

the fiddler plunged his hot face in to a -pot of por

ter especially provided for that purpose.

There were more dances, and there were forfeits ,and more dances , and there was cake ,

and there

was negus , and there was a great piece of Col d

Roast,and there was a great piece of' Cold Boiled

,

and there were m ince-pies , and pl enty of beer,But the great effect of the evening came afte r the

Roast and Boiled , when the fiddler struck u p Si r

Roger de Coverley .

” Then old' Fezziwig stood out

to dance wi th Mrs . Fezziwig . Top couple ,too ;

with a good stifl‘

piece of work . cut out for them

three or four and twenty pair of partners ; people

who were n ot to be trifledwith people who wou ld

dance,and had no n otion ofwalking .

But if they had been twice as many,

fou r otimes,oldFezziwig would have been a match for them

and so would Mrs . Fezziwig;As to her , She was

worthy to be hi s partner in every sense of the term

A positive l ight appeared to i ssue from Fezziwig ’s

calves. They shone in every part of the dance

You could n ’t have predicted,at any given time

,

what would become of ’em next . And . when old

Fezziwig and Mrs . Fezziwig had gone all through

the dan ce,

- advance and retire , turn your partner,bow and courtesy , corkscrew, thread the needl e ,and back again to your place, — Fezziwig cu t,

”

—cut so. deftly, that he appeared to wink with

his legs .


When the clock struck eleven this domesti c ball

broke up . Mr . and Mrs . Fezziwig took their sta

tions, one on either side ‘ the door, and , shaking

hands with every person individually as he or she

went ou t, wished him or her a Merry Christmas .

When everybody had retired but the two ’prentices ,they did the same to them and thus the cheerful

voices died away,and the lads were left -to thei r

beds , which were under a counter in the back shop .

! A small matter ,” said the Ghost , ! to make

these silly folks so full of gratitude . He has

spent but a few pounds of your mortal money,three or four perhaps . I s that so much that he

deserves thi s prai se ?! It i s n ’t that ,

” said Scrooge , heated by the

remark , and speaking u nconsciously likehis former,not his l atter sel f, i t i s n’

t that , Spirit. He has

the power to render u s happy or unhappy to make

ou r servi ce l ight or burdensome ; a pleasure or a

toil . Say that his power lies in word s and l ooks

in things‘

so,slight and insignificant that it

‘i s im

possible to add and count ’em up ! what then ? The

happiness he gives i s quite as great as if it cost a

fortune .

”

He felt the Spirit’s glance,and stopped .

What is the matter

Nothing particul ar .Something

,I think

NO , no. I shoul d like tobe able to say awordor twotomy clerk just now . That ’

s al l.”


My time g rows observed the Spirit .

! uick !”

This was n ot addressed to Scrooge,or to any

one whom he could see , but it produced an immediate effect . For again he saw himself. He was

older now ; a man in the prime oflife .

He was not alone , but sat by the side of"a fair

young girl in a black dress , inwhose eyes there

were tears .

It matters little,

” she said softly to Scrooge ’sformer self. ! To you , very l ittle . Another idol

Lac displ aced me and i f i t can comfort you i n time

to come , as I w ould have tried to do, I have no

just cause to grieve'

.

What Idol has di spl aced you

A golden one . You fear the world too much.

I have seen your nobler aspirations fall offone by

one , until the master-passion , Gain , engrosses you .

Have I not 7

What then ? Even if I have grown so much

wiser, what then ? I am not changed towards

you . Have I ever sought release from ou r eu

g ag ement ?”

In words , no. Never .In what , then ?

In a changed natu re ; i n an altered spirit ; i n

another atmosphere of l ife ; another Hope as its

great end . If you were free to-day, to-morrow,

yesterday, can even I bel ieve that you would choosea (lowerless girl or

,choosing her

,do I not know

A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

S T A ! E T H R E E .

‘

THE SEC OND OF THE THREE SPIRITS.

CROOGE awoke i n hi s own bedroom . There

was n o doubt about that . But i t and hi s own

adjoining sitting-room , into which he shuffled in hi s

sl ippers,attracted by a great l ight there

,had under

gone a surprising transformation . The wall s and

cei ling were so hung with l iving green , that it

l ooked a perfect . grove . The l eaves of holly,

mistletoe,and i vy reflected back the l ight , as i f so

many li ttle mirrors had been scattered there ; and

such a mighty blaze went roaring u p the chimney

as that petrifaction of a hearth had never known in

Scrooge’s time,or Marley’s , or for many and many

a winter season gone . Heaped upon the floor , to

form a kind of throne , were turkeys , geese , game ,

brawn,great joints of meat , sucking pigs , long

wreaths of sausages , mince-pies , pl um-puddings ,barrel s of oysters , red-hot chestnuts , cherry

cheeked apples , jui cy oranges , lu sci ou s pears ,immense twel fth-cakes , and great bowl s of punch . .

In easy state upon thi s couch there sat a Giant

glorious to see ; who bore a gl owing torch , in

shape not unl ike Plenty ’s horn , and who raised

i t high to shed i ts l ight on Scrooge , as he came

peeping round the door .


Come in , come in ! and know me better, man !

I am the Ghost of Christmas Present . Look upon

me ! You have never seen the like ofme before

Never .

Have never walked forth with the younger

members of my family ; meaning (for I am very

young! my elder brothers born in these later

years pursued the Phantom .

! I don ’t think I have , I am afraid I have not

Have you had many brothers , Spirit ?

More than eighteen hundred .

”

A tremendous family to provide for ! Spirit ,conduct me where you will . I went forth l ast

night on compul sion , and I learnt a lesson which

is working now . TO-night , i f you have aught toteach me , let me profi t by it .

”

f‘ Touch my robe

Scrooge did as he was told , and held i t fast.

The room and i ts contents al l vanished in stantly,and they stood in the city streets u pon a snowy

Christmas morning .

Scrooge and the Ghost passed on, invi sibl e ,straight to Scrooge’s clerk ’s ; and on the threshold Of the don. the Spi rit smiled , and stopped to

bless Bob Cratchit’s dwel ling with the sprinkl ings

ofhis torch . Think of that ! Bob had but fifteen

Bob a week himsel f ;he pocketed on Saturdays

but fifteen copies of his Christian name ; and yet

the Ghost of Christmas Present blessed hi s fou r

roomed house !

A CHR ISTMAS CAROL.

Then u p rose Mrs . Cratchit , Cratchit’s wife,

dressed ou t but poorly i n a twice—turned gown,but

brave in ribbons, which a re cheap and make a

goodly show for Sixpence ; and she l aid the Cl oth ,assi sted by Belinda Cratchit , second of her dau ghters , al so brave in ribbons ; while Master Peter

Cratchi t pl unged a fork into the saucepan of pota

toes , and , getting the corners of hi s monstrousshirt-coll ar (Bob

’s private property , conferred upon

his son and‘

heir in honor of the day! into his mouth ,rejoiced to

‘ find himsel f so gallantly atti red,and

yearned to Show his .l inen in the fashionable Parks .

And n ow two smaller Cratchits, boy and girl

came tearing in , screaming that outside the ba

ker ’s they had smelt the goose, and known it

for their own; and , basking in luxuriou s thoughts

of sage and on ion,these young Cratchits danced

about the table,and exalted Master Peter Cratchi t

to the skies , while he (not prou d , al though his

coll ars nearly choked him ! blew the fire , u nti l the

sl ow potatoes,bubbl ing u p ,

knocked l oudly at the

saucepan-lid to be let ou t and peeled .

What has ever got your pre ciou s father

then ? ” said Mrs . Cratchit. And your brother

Tiny Tim ! And Martha warn ’t as late last

Christmas day by hal f an hour ! ”

Here ’s Martha , mother ! said a gi rl , appear

ing as she spoke .

Here ’s Martha , mother ! ” cried the two you ngCratchits . Hurrah ! There ’

s su ch a goose ,Martha l ”


Why, bless your heart alive , my dear, howlate you are !

” said Mrs. Cratchit, kissing her adozen times, and taking Off her shawl and bonnet

for her.

We ’da deal of work to finish u p l ast night ,

”

repl ied the gi rl , ! and had to clear away th is

morning, mother !Wel l ! Never mind so long as you are come ,

said Mrs . Cratchi t . Si t ye down before the.

fire , my dear , and have a warm , Lord bless ye! No, n o ! There

’s father coming ,” cried the

two young Cratchits , who were everywhere at

once . Hide,Martha , hide

So Martha hid herself. and in came little Bob ,the father, with at least three feet of comforter , ex

elusive of the fringe , hanging down before him;

and his threadbare cl othes darned up and brushed ,tol ook seasonable ; and Tiny Tim upon hi s shoul

der . Al as for Tiny Tim , he bore a l ittle crutch ,and had his l imbs supported by an iron frame

Why, where’s ou r Martha ? cried Bob Cratch

It, l ooking round .

Not coming ,” said Mrs . Cratchi t .Not coming ! ” said Bob, with a sudden de

clension i n his high spirits ; for he had been

Tim ’s blood-horse all the way from chu rch , and

had come home rampant,— ! not coming upon

Chri stmas day !

Martha did n’t l ike to see him disappointed, if

it were only In joke so she came ou t prematu rely


from behind the cl oset door , and ran into his

arm s,while the two young Cratchits hustled Tiny

Tim,and bore him off i nto the wash-house , that he

might hear the pu ddIng Singing In the copper .And how did l i ttl e Tim behave asked Mrs .

Cratchi t,when she had ral lied Bob on hi s c re

du lity,and Bob had hugged his daughter to his

heart’s content .! As good as gold

,

” said Bob,

! and better .

Somehow he gets thoughtful , sittin g by himsel f

so much , and thinks the strangest things you

ever heard . He tol d me , coming home , that he

hoped the peopl e saw him in the church , because

he was a cripple , and it might be pleasant to them

to remember,upon Christmas day

,whomade l ame

beggars walk and blind men see .

”

Bob ’s voice was tremulous when he tol d them

this,and trembled more when

‘

he sai d that Tiny

Tim was growing strong and hearty .

His active l ittle crutch was heard upon the floor,

andback came Tiny Tim before another word wasspoken

, escorted by his brother and sister to hi s

stool beside the fi re ; and while Bob , turning up

his cu fl'

s,—as if, poor fellow, they were capable

of being made more shabby , — compounded some

hot mixture i n a jug with gin and lemons,and

stirred it round and round and pu t i t on the hob

to simmer , Master Peter and the two ubiquitou s

young Cratchits went to fetch the goose , with !

which they soon returned i n high procession .

A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

Mrs . Cratchit made the ~

g ravy (ready beforehand in a little saucepan ! hissing hot ; MasterPeter mashed the potatoes with incredible v igor ;Mi ss Belinda sweetened up the appl e -sauce Mar

tha dusted the hot plates ; Bob took Tiny Tim

beside him in a tiny corner at the table ; the two

young Cratchits se t Chairs for everybody,not

forgetting themselves,and mounting guard u pon

their posts , crammed spoons into their mouth s ,lest they shoul d shriek for goose before their tu rn

came to be helped . At l ast the dishes were set

on,and grace was said . It was succeeded by a

breathless pause , as Mrs . Cratchit , l ooking sl owly

all along the carving-knife,prepared to plunge

it in the breast ; but when she did, and when

the long-expected gush of stuffing i ssued forth ,one murmur of del ight arose all round the board ,and even Tiny .Tim, excited by the two young

Cratchits , beat on the table with the handle of hi s

knife , and feebly cried , Hurrah !

There never was such a goose . Bob said he

d id n ’t bel ieve there ever was such a goose cooked .

Its tenderness and flavor,size and cheapness , were

the themes of un iversal admiration . Eked out by

apple-sauce and mashed potatoes,it was a su ffi

cient dinner for the whole family ; indeed , as

Mrs . C ratchi t said with great del ight ( surveyingone small atom of a bone upon the dish ! , they

had n ’t ate it all at last ! Yet every one had had

enough , and the youngest Cratchits in particu lar


were steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows !But now , the

.

plates being changed by M i ss Be~

l inda, Mrs . Cratchi t left the room alone,— too ner

vou s to bear witnesse s, to take the pudding up,

and bring it in .

Suppose i t should not be done enough ! Supo

pose it shoul d break in turning out ! Suppose

somebody shoul d h ave got over the wal l of the

baék yard , an d stolen it, while they were merry

wi th the goose ,— a supposition at which the two

young Cratchits became livid ! All sorts of hor

rors were supposed .

Hall o ! A great deal of steam ! The pudding

was ou t of the Copper . A smel l like a washing

day ! That was the cloth . A smel l l ike an eating

house and a pastry-cook ’s next door to each other,w i th a l aundress ’s next door to that ! That was

the pudding ! In half a. minute M rs . Cratchit en~

tered,—flu shed but smiling proudly ,— with thepudding , l ike a speckl ed cannon-bal l , so hard andfirm,

'

blazing i n half of half a quartern of ign ited

brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck

into the top.

0,a wonderful pudding ! Bob Cratchit said ,

and calmly too, that be regarded it as the greatest

success achieved by Mrs . Cratchi t sin ce thei r

marri ag e . Mrs . Cratch it said that now the weight

was off her mind , she woul d confess she had had

her doubts about the quantity offlour . Everybody

had something tosay about it , but n obody said 01


Mr . Scrooge ! ” said Bob ;! I ’l l give you

M r. Scrooge , the Founder of the Feast !

The Founder of the Feast indeed cried Mrs .Cratchit

,reddening .

! I wish I had him here .

I ’d give him a piece of my mind to feast upon,

and I hOpe he’d have a good appetite for i t .”

My dear, said Bob , ! the children ! Christ~

mas day .

”

It should be Christmas day , I am sure , said

she, on which one drinks the health of such an

odious , stingy, hard , unfeeling man as Mr . Scrooge .

You know he i s , Robert Nobody knows it betterthan you do , poor fel low !

”

My dear,

” was Bob ’s mild answer,Christ

mas day .

”

! I ’ll drink hi s health for your sake and the

day ’s ,” said Mrs . C ratchi t , !

not for hi s . Long

l ife to him ! A merry Chri stmas and a happy

New Year ! He ’l l be very merry and very happy ,I have no doubt !

The children drank the toast after her . It was

the first of their proceedings which had nobearti

ness in i t. Tiny Tim drank it l ast of all , but hedid n’

t care twopence for it . Scrooge was the

Ogre of the fam ily. The mention of his name cast

a dark shadow 011 the party, which was not dis

pelled for full five minutes .

After it had passed away,they were ten times

merrier than before,from the mere rel ief of Scrooge

the Baleful being done with . Bob Cratchit told

A CHR ISTMAS CAROL.

them how he had a situation i n his eye for Master Peter, which would bring in if obtained ,full five and S ixpence weekly . The two young

Cratchits laughed tremendously at the idea of

Peter’s being a man of business ; and Peter him'

self looked thoughtfully at the fire from be

tween his collars,as if he were deliberating what

particular investments he should favor when he

c ame into the receipt of that bewildering income .

Martha,who was a poor apprentice at a mill i

n er’s , then told them what kind of work she had

to do, and how many hours she worked at a

stretch,and how she meant to lie abed to-morrow

morn ing for a good long rest ; to-morrow being

a holiday she passed at home . Al so how she

had seen a countess and a lord some days be

fore,and how the l ord ! was much about as

tal l as Peter ” at which Peter pulled up his col

l ars so high that you coul d n’t have seen his head

if you had been there . Al l this time the chest

nuts and the jug went round and round ; and by

and by they had a song,about a lost child travi

el l ing in the snow,from Tiny Tim , who had a

plaintive l ittle voice,and sang it very well in

deed .

There was . n oth ing of high mark in this . They

were n ot a handsome family ; they were not , well

d ressed ! thei r shoes were far from ben water

proof ;thei r cl othes were scanty and Peter 'might

have known,and very l ikely did

,the insideofapawrr


broker ’s . But they were happy , grateful , pleased

with one another , and contented with the time ;and when they faded , and l ooked happier yet inthe bright sprinkl ings of the Spiri t ’s torch at

parting ,‘ Scrooge had his eye upon them ,

and es

pecially on Tiny Tim , until the last .

It was a g reat surprise to S crooge , as thi s scene

vanished , to hear a hearty laugh . It was a much

greater surprise to Scrooge to recognize it as his

own nephew ’s , and tofind himself in a bright, dry,

gleaming room , with the Spirit standing smiling

by his side, and looking at that same nephew .

It i s a fai r, even-handed, nobl e adjustment of

th ings , that while there i s infection in disease and

sorrow , there i s nothing in the world so i rresistibly

contagious as laug hter and good-humor . When

Scrooge ’s nephew laughed, Scrooge’s ni ece by

marriage l aughed as h eartily as he . And theirassembled friends , being not a bit behindhand

,

laughed ou t lu stily .

! He sai d that Chri stmas was a humbug, as Il ive cried Scrooge ’s nephew . He bel ieved ittoo !

! More shame for him , Fred !” said Scrooge

’s

niece,indignantly . Bless those women ! they

never do. anything by hal ves . They are always

in earnest .She was very pretty exceedingly pretty . With

a dimpled,surpri sed-l ooking

,capi tal face ! a ripe

‘ittls month that seemed made to be kissed , - as


no doubt it was ; al l kinds of good littl e dots

about her chin , that melted into one another

when she laughed ; and the sunniest pair of eyes

you ever saw in any l ittle creature ’s head . A l to

gether she was what you would have cal led pro

voking , but satisfactory, too. O , perfectly sati s

factory .

! He ’s a comical old fell ow , sai d Scrooge ’s

nephew,

! that ’s the truth ; and not so pleasant

as he might be .

'However, hi s Ofi'

en'

ces carrytheir own punishment , and I have nothing to sayagain st him . Who su fl

'

ers by his i ll whims ?

Himself, always. Here he takes i t in to hi s head

to dislike us , and he won’t come and dine with

u s . What ’s the consequence ? He don ’t l ose

much of a dinner .”

! Indeed , I think he loses a very good dinner ,interrupted Scrooge’s niece . Everybody else said

the same, and they must be allowed to have been

c ompetent judges , because they had just had

d inner ; and , with the. dessert upon the table ,wereclustered round the fire , by lamp light .Well. I am very glad to hear i t , said

Scrooge’s nephew , because I have -n’

t any greatfaith . in these young housekeepers . What do yousay, Topper ?

Topper Clearly had his eye on one of Scrooge’

s

niece ’s si sters , for he answered that a bachel or

was a wretched outcast, who had no right to

express an Opinion on the subject . Whereat


Scrooge’s niece’s sister— the pl ump one withthe lace tucker ; not the one with the roses

blushed .

After tea they had some music . For they

were a musical family , and knew what they were

about , when they sung a Glee or Catch , I can as

sure you ,— especially Topper , who could growl! away in the bass l ike a good one , and never swel l

the l arge veins in his forehead , or get red in the

face over it.

But they did n’t devote the whole evening to

music . After a while they pl ayed at forfeits ; for

it i s .good to be Children sometimes,and never

better than at Christmas , when its mighty Founder

was a child himself. There was fi rst a game at

bl ind-man ’s-bu fi'

though . And I n o more bel ieve

Topper was real ly blinded than I bel ieve he had

eyes in‘

his boots . Becau se the way in which he

went after that plump sister in the lace tucker was

an outrag e on the credulity Of human nature .

Knocking down the fire-i ron s , tumbl ing over the

chairs,bumping up again st the pi an o , smothering

himself among the cu rtains , wherever she went

there went he 1 He always knew where the pl ump

sister was . He would n’t catch anybody el se . If

you had fal len up agai nst him , as some Of them did ,and stood there

,he would have made a feint Of eu

deavoring to seize you , which woul d have been an

affron t to your understanding, and would instantly

have sidled Off in the direction of the plump sister.


Here i s a new game, said Scrooge . One

half-hour, Spirit, only one !”

It was a Game called Yes and NO , where

Scrooge’s nephew had to think Of something , and

the rest must find out what ; he only an swering to

thei r questi on s yes or n o,as the case was . The

fi re of questioning to which he w as exposedel ici ted from him that he was thinking Of an animal ,a l ive animal , rather a disagreeable animal , a savage

animal , an animal that growled and grunted some

times , and talked sometimes , and l ived in London ,and walked about the streets

,an d was n ’t made a

show of, and was n’t led by anybody , and did n

’t

l ive i n a menagerie,and was never killed in a

market , and was not'

a horse , or an ass , or a cow ,

or a bull, or a tiger, or a dog , or a pig, or a cat, or

a bear . At every new question put to him,thi s

nephew burst into a fresh roar Of laughter ; and

was s o inexpressibly tickled,that he was obliged

to~ get u p Ofi‘

the sofa and stamp . At'

last the

plump sister cried ou t

I have found it ou t ! I knowwhat it i s , Fred !I know what i t i sWhat i s it .

7 cried Fred .

It ’s your uncle Scro-O-O-O-Og e

Which it certain ly was . Admirati on was the

universal sentiment , though s‘

ome objected that the

reply to ! Is it a bear ? ” ought tohave beenYes .

Uncle Scrooge had imperceptibly become so gay

40 A CHRISTMAS CAROL .

and l ight Of’

heart, that he woul d have drank tothe unconscious company in an inaudibl e speech

Bu t the whole scene passed off in the breath of

the last word spoken by his nephew ; and he and

the Spi rit were agai n upon their travel s .

Much they saw , and far they went , and many

homes they vi sited,but always with a happy end .

The Spirit stood beside sick-beds , and they were

cheerfu l on foreign l ands , and they were Cl ose at

home ; by struggling men , and they were patient

in their greater hope by poverty , and i t was rich .

In almshouse , hospital , and jail , i n m’

isery ’s every

refuge , where vainman in hi s l ittle brief authority

had not made fast the door , and barred the Spirit

ou t, he left hi s blessing , and taught Scrooge hi s

precepts . Suddenly, as they stood together in

an Open pl ace , the bel l struck twelve .

Scrooge looked about him for the Ghost , and

saw i t no more. A s the last stroke ceased to

vibrate , he remembered the prediction of Old Jacob

Marley,and , l ifting u p his eyes , behel d a solemn

Phantom ,draped and hooded , coming like a mist

al ong the ground towards him .

42 A CHR ISTMAS CAROL .

there they were in the heart Of it ; on’Change

,

amongst the merchants .

The Spirit stopped beside one l ittl e knot Of busi

ness men . Observing that the hand was pointed

to them , Scrooge advan ced to l i sten to their talk .

NO,

” said a g reat fat man with a monstrouschin , ! I don ’t knowmuch about it ei ther way . I

only kn ow he ’s dead .

”

When did he die inquired another .

Last night,

I believe .”

Why , what was the matter with him ? I

thought he ’d never die .

”

God knows,

” said the first , wi th a yawn .

What has he done with hi s money ? asked a

red-faced gentleman .

I have n’t heard ,

” said the man with the large

chin Company , perhaps . He has n’t left it to

me. That ’s all I know . By, by !”

Scrooge was at fi rst incl ined to be surpri sed that

the Spiri t shoul d attach importance to conversa

ti on apparently so trivial but feel ing assured

that i t must have some hidden . purpose , he set

h imsel f to con sider what i t was likely to be . It

c’

ould scarcely be supposed to have any bearing on

the death Of Jacob,hi s O ld partner , for that was

Past , and this Ghost’s province was the Future .

He looked about in that very place for his own

image ; but another man stood i n hi s accu stomed

corner , and though the Cl ock pointed to his u sual

time Of day for being there,he saw no l ikeness of


himself among the multitudes that poured in

through the Porch . It gave hirnl i ttle s urpri se ,however ; for he had been revolving in hi s mind a

change Of li fe,and he thought and hoped he saw

hi s new-born resoluti on s carried ou t i n thi s .

They left this busy scene , and went intoan Ob

scure part of the town , to a low shop wherei ron ,old rags

,bottles

,bones , and greasy Ofi

’

al were

bought . A gray-haired rascal , Of great age , sat

smoking his pipe .

Scrooge and the Phantom came into the pres

ence Of thi s man,just as a woman with a heavy

bundle sl unk into the shop . But she had scarcely

entered,when another woman

,similarly l aden,

came in too ; and she was cl osely fol lowed by a

man i n faded black . After a short period of blank

astoni shment , i n which the old man with the pipe

had joined them , they al l three burst into a laugh.

Let the charwoman alone to be the first l ”

c ried she who had entered first . ! Let the laun

dress alone to be the second ; and let the under

taker’s man alone tobe the third . Look here,Ol d

Joe , here’s a chance ! If we have n ’t al l three

met here without meaning it ! ”

You coul d n’t have met in a better place . You

were made free of it long ago, you know and the

other two ain ’t strangers . What have you got tosell What have you got to sel l

Half a minute’s patience,Joe,

‘

and '

you shall


! That odds then l What Odds,Mrs . Dilber ?

said the woman .

! Every person has a right to

take care Of themselve s . He always did Who ’s

the worse for the l oss Of a few things lik e these ?Not a dead man , I suppose .

”

Mrs . Dilber , whose manner was remarkable for

general propitiation , said , NO , indeed , ma’am .

”

If he wanted to keep’em after he was dead , a

wicked Ol d screw , why was n’t he natu ral in his life

time If he had been,he ’

d have had somebody tol ook after himwhen he was struck with Death , in

stead of lying gasping out his last there,alone by

himself. ”

It ’s the truest word ' that ever was spoke , i t

’s

ajudgment on him .

”

I w i sh i t was a littl e heavier judgment, and i t

shoul d have been , you may depend u pon it, if I

could have laid my hands on anything el se . Open

that bu ndle , Old Joe , and let me know the val ue Of

it. Speak ou t plain . I’mnot afraid to be the fi rst ,

nor afraid for them to see it.”

Joe went down on his knees for the greater

convenience Of Opening the bundle , and dragged

ou t a large and heavy rol l of some dark stuff.

What do you call thi s Bed-curtain s

Ah ! Bed-curtains 1 Don ’t dr op that Oil u pon

the blankets , now .

”

His bl anketsWhose el se ’s do you th ink ? He is n

’t

‘

likely

totake cold without ’em,I dare say . Ah ! You


may l ook through that shirt til l your eyes ache ;but you won

’t find a hole in it , nor a threadbare

pl ace . It ’s the best he had , and a fine one too.

They ’d have wasted it by dressing him up in it ,ifit had n’

t been for me .

Scrooge listened to thi s dial ogue in horror

Spirit ! I see , I see . The case of this u nhappy

man might be my own. M y life’

. tends that way ,now . Merciful Heaven , what is this

The scene had changed, and now‘ he almost

tou ched a bare , uncurtained bed . A pale l ight,ri sing in the outer air , fel l stra ight upon thi s bed

and On it , unwatched , unwept , uncared for, was

the body Of this plu ndered‘. u nknown man .

Spirit , let me see some tenderness connected

with a d eath , or this dark chamber, Spiri t, w il l be

forever present to me .

”

The Ghost conducted him to poor Bob Cratchit’s

house , the dwelling he had visited before, and

found the mother and the children seated round the

fire.

! uiet . ! ery quiet. The n oi sy littl e Cratchits

were as stil l as statues in one corner , and sat l ook~

ing u p at Peter , who had a book before him . The

mother and her daughter s were engaged in needle

work . But surely they were very quiet !

And he took a child , and set him in the'

midst

of them .

Where had Scrooge heard these word s .He hadnot dreamed them . The boy ,

mu st have read them


ou t, as he and the Spi rit crossed the threshol d.Why did he not go onThe mother laid her work upon the tabl e

,and

put her hand up to her face .

The col or hurts my eyes ,” she said .

The color ? Ah,poor Tiny Tim!

They ’re better now again . It makes them

weak by candl e-light ; and I woul d n’t show weak

eyes to you r'

father when he comes home, for the

world . I t must be near his time .

”

Past it rather ,” Peter answered

,shu tting up

hi s book . But I think he has walked a l ittl e

slower than he used , these few las t evenings,mother.

I have known himwalk wi th I have kn own

him walk with Tiny Tim upon hi s sho u lder, very

fast indeed .

”

And so have I ,” cried Peter . Often .

And so have I,

” excl aimed another . Sohad al l.

But he was very l ight to carry , and hi s father

l oved him so, that it was no trouble , -! n o trouble .

And there i s your father at the door ! ”

She buri ed ou t to meet him ; and l ittle BOb in

his comforter — he had need of it , poor fellow

came in .5His tea was ready for him on the hob ,

and they all tried who shou ld hel p him to it most .

Thenthe two yo u ng Cratchits go t upon hi s knees

andl aid , each child , a l ittl e cheek against his face ,as if 'they said,

Dan’t Haird it,father Dor ’

tbe

grieved


Bob was very Cheerfu l with them,and spoke

pleasantly to al l the family . He looked at the

work upon the tabl e , and praised the industry and

Speed Of Mrs . Cratchit and the girl s . They~wou ld

be done long before Sunday, he said .

Su nday ! You went tod ay , then Robert ?Yes , my dear ,

” returned Bob . I wish youcould have gone . It would have done you good to

see how green a place it i s . But you ’l l see i t

often . I promised him that I would walk there on

a Sunday . My little , l ittl e child ! My l ittle

Child

He broke down al l at once . He could n’

t help

‘

it.

If he coul d have helped it, he and his Child woul d

have been farther apart , perhaps , than they were .

Spectre ,” said Scro oge , something informs

me that our parting moment is at hand . I know

it,but I know not how . Tell me what man that

was,with the covered face , whom we saw lying

dead ?

The Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come conveyed

him to a dismal, wretched , ruinous churchyard .

The Spirit stood among the graves , and pointe d

down to One .

Before I draw nearer to that stone to which

you point , answer me one ! uestion . Are these

the shadows Of the things that Will be , or are they

shadows Of the. things that May be only ? ”

Stil l the Gh ost pointed downward to th e grave

by which i t stood .


Men ’s courses wi l l foreshadow certain ends , to

which , i f persevered in , they must l ead . But if

the courses be departed fromthe ends wil l change .

Say it i s thu s with what you show me!The Spiri t was immovable as ever .Scrooge crept towards i t , trembl ing as he went

and, fol lowing the finger,read upon the stone of

the neglected grave his own name , —EBENE ! ERSCROOGE .

! Am I that man wh o lay upon the bed ? NO ,

Spirit ! 0no , no ! Spirit ! hear me ! I am not

the man I was . I wil l n ot be the man I mu st

have been but for thi s interc ourse . Why show me

this , if I am past al l hope ? Assure me that I

yet may Change these shadows you have shown

me by an al tered l ife .

”

For the fi rst time the kind hand fal tered .

I will hon or Christmas in my heart , an d try to

keep i t al l the year . I wi l l l ive in the Past , the

Present,and the Futu re . The Spirits of al l th ree

shal l strive w ithin me . I will not shut ou t the les

sons that they teach . O, .

tell me I may sponge

away the writing on this stone ! ”

Hol ding up hi s hands in one l ast prayer to have

hi s fate reversed , he saw an al teration in the Phan

tom ’s hood and dress. It shrunk , collapsed , and

dwindl ed down into a bedpost .

Yes , and the bedpost was hi s own. The bed

was hi s own, the room was his own. Best

and happiest of al l , the Time before him was his

own,to make amends in !


direction where to take it. Come back with the

man,and I ’11give you a shill ing . Come back wi th

him in less than five minutes , and I’l l give you

hal f a crown

The boy was off l ike a shot .

I ’l l send it to Bob Cratchit’s l He sha’n t

know who sends i t . It ’s twice the si ze Of Tiny

Tim . Joe M iller never made su ch a joke as

sending it to Bob’s will be ! ”

The hand In which he wrote the address was nota steady one ; but write it he did , somehow,

and

went down stairs to Open the street door,ready

for the coming of the poulterer’s man .

It was a Turkey ! He never could have stood

upon hi s legs , that bird . He would have snapped’em short 05 in a m inute , l ike sticks Of seal ingwax .

Scrooge dressed himsel f al l i n his best,

” and at

last got ou t i nto the streets . The people were by

this time pouring forth,as he had seen them wi th

the Ghost Of Christmas Present and , walking with

his hands behind him, Scrooge regarded every

one w ith a delighted smile . He l ooked so irresist

ibly pleasant , in a word , that three or four good.

humored fell ows said ,! Good morning

,sir ! A

merry Chri stmas to you ! ” An d Scrooge said

Often afterwards , that, of all the blithe sounds he

had ever heard , those were the bl ithest in hi s ears .

In the afternoon,he turned his steps towards his

nephew ’s house .

A CHR ISTMAS CAROL . 51

He passed the door a dozen times , before he had

the courage to go up and knock . But he made a

dash,and did it .

! Is your master at home , my dear ?” said

Scrooge to the girl . Nice girl ! ! ery .

Yes,sir .”

Where i s be,my loveHe ’

s i n the dining-room,sir, along w ith mis

tress .”

! He knows me,sai d Scrooge

,w ith his hand

already on the dining -room lock.

! I ’l l go in

here , my dear .”

Fred !

Why,bless my soul ! ” cried Fred,

! who ’s

that

It ’s I . Your uncle Scrooge . I have come to

dinner . Will you let me in , Fred

Let him in ! It Is a mercy he did n ’t shake his

arm Off. He was at home in five minutes . Noth

ing could be heartier. His niece looked just the

same. SO did Topper when he came . SO did the

pl ump sister,when she came . SO did every one

when they came . Wonderful party, wonderful

games,wonderful unanimity

,won-der-ful happi

n ess !

But he’

was early at the office next morning .

0, he was early there If he coul d only be there

first , and catch Bob Cratchit coming late ! That

was the thing he had set his heart upon .

And he did it . The C l ock struck nine . N0Bob .


A quarter p ast . NO Bob . Bob was full eighteenminutes and a hal f behind his time. Scrooge sat

with his door wide Open , that he might see himcome into the Tank .

Bob ’s hat was Off, before he Opened the door ;hi s comforter too . He was on hi s stool i n a jifl

'

y

driving away with his pen , as if he w ere trying to

overtake nine O ’cl ock .

! Hall o ! ” growled Scrooge , in hi s accustomed

voice , as near as he could feign i t . What do you

mean by coming here at thi s time of day

I am very sorry,sir . I am behind my time .

You are ? Yes . I th ink you are . Step thi s

way , if you please .

”

It ’s only once a year , sir . It shal l n ot be re

peated. I was making rather merry yesterday ,sir

Now , I’l l tel l you what , my friend . I am

not going to stand thi s sort Of thing any longer .And therefore

,

” Scrooge con tinued , l eaping from

his stool,and giving Bob such a

!

dig in the waist

coat that he staggered back into the Tank again ,and therefore I am abou t to raise your salary !

Bob trembled , and got a l ittl e nearer to the

ruler .

A merry Chri stmas , Bob ! said Scr‘ooge , with

an earnestness that could n ot be mistaken , as he

cl apped him on the back . A merrier Chri stmas,

Bob , my good fell ow ,than I have given you for

many a year ! I ’ll raise you r salary , and eu


deavor to assist you r struggling family, and we

wil l di scuss your affairs this very afternoon , over

a Christmas bowl Of smoking bishop , Bob ! Make

up the fires , and buy a second coal-scuttle before

you dot another i , Bob Cratchit !”

Scrooge was better than hi s word . He did it

al l , and infinitely more ; and to Tiny Tim , who did

NOT die , he was a se cond father . He became as

good a friend , as good a master , and as good a

man as the good Old city knew, or any other good

old city , town , or borough in the good Ol d world .

Some people laughed to see the al teration in him

but hi s own heart l aughed , and that was quite

enough for him .

He had no further intercourse with Spirits, bu t

l ived in that respect upon the Total-Abstinence

Principle ever afterwards and it was always said

Of him , that he knew how to keep Chri stmas wel l ,i f any man al ive possessed the knowledge . May

that be truly said Of us, and all Of u s ! And so , as

Tiny Tim observed,God Bless Us , Every One !

c hris t mas c aro l. in fou r sta! es . s t a! e o n e . marle ywgho s t . arley was dead, to begin...

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