world of fools as this Merry Christmas Out upon merry Christ mas What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money a time for finding yourself a year older but not an hour richer a time for balancing your books and having every item in em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you If I could work my will said Scrooge indignantly every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding and bur ied with a stake of holly through his heart He should Uncle pleaded the nephew Nephew returned the uncle sternly keep Christmas in your own way and let me keep it in mine Keep it repeated Scrooge’s nephew But you don’t keep it Let me leave it alone then said Scrooge Much good may it 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 returned the nephew Christmas among the rest But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time when it has come round apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin if anything belonging to it can be apart from that as a good time a kind forgiving charitable pleasant time the only time I know of in the long calendar of the year when men and women seem by MARLEY’S GHOST 12 A CHRISTMAS CAROL
one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys And therefore uncle though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket I believe that it has done me good and will do me good and I say God bless it The clerk in the Tank involuntarily applauded Becoming imme diately sensible of the impropriety he poked the fire and extinguished the last frail spark forever Let me hear another sound from you said Scrooge and you’ll 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 Parliament Don’t be angry uncle Come Dine with us tomorrow Scrooge said that he would see him yes indeed he did He went the whole length of the expression and said that he would see him in that extremity first But why cried Scrooge’s nephew Why Why did you get married said Scrooge Because I fell in love Because you fell in love growled Scrooge as if that were the only one thing in the world more ridiculous than a merry Christmas MARLEY’S GHOST 13 k CHARLES DICKENS
Good afternoon Nay uncle but you never came to see me before that happened Why give it as a reason for not coming now Good afternoon said Scrooge I want nothing from you I ask nothing of you why cannot we be friends Good afternoon said Scrooge I am sorry with all my heart to find you so resolute We have never had any quarrel to which I have been a party But I have made the trial in homage to Christmas and I’ll keep my Christmas humour to the last So a Merry Christmas uncle Good afternoon said Scrooge And a Happy New Year Good afternoon said Scrooge His nephew left the room without an angry word notwithstand ing He stopped at the outer door to bestow the greetings of the season on the clerk who cold as he was was warmer than Scrooge for he returned them cordially There’s another fellow muttered Scrooge who overheard him my clerk with fifteen shillings a week and a wife and family MARLEY’S GHOST 14 k A CHRISTMAS CAROL
talking about a merry Christmas I’ll retire to Bedlam This lunatic in letting Scrooge’s nephew out had let two other people in They were portly gentlemen pleasant to behold and now stood with their hats off in Scrooge’s office They had books and pa pers in their hands and bowed to him Scrooge and Marley’s I believe said one of the gentlemen re ferring to his list Have I the pleasure of addressing Mr Scrooge or Mr Marley Mr Marley has been dead these seven years Scrooge replied He died seven years ago this very night We have no doubt his liberality is well represented by his surviv ing partner said the gentleman presenting his credentials It certainly was for they had been two kindred spirits At the ominous word liberality Scrooge frowned and shook his head and handed the credentials back At this festive season of the year Mr Scrooge said the gentleman taking up a pen it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute who suffer greatly at the present time Many thousands are in want of common necessaries hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts sir MARLEY’S GHOST 15 k CHARLES DICKENS
