Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with a happy smile, ‘My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?’ No poor man asked him for money,no children asked him the time, no man or woman ever,in all his life, asked him the way. Animals as well as people
were afraid of him. Dogs used to hide in doorways when they saw him coming. But what did Scrooge care! It was just what he wanted. He liked being on the edge of people’s busy lives, while warning everyone to keep away from him.
One Christmas Eve, old Scrooge was working busily in his office. It was cold, frosty, foggy weather. Outside it
was already dark, although it was only three o’clock in the afternoon, and there were candles in all the office
windows. The fog covered everything, like a thick grey blanket.
Scrooge kept his office door open, in order to check that his clerk, Bob Cratchit, was working. Bob spent his
days in a dark little room, a kind of cupboard, next to his employer’s office. Scrooge had a very small fire, but Bob’s
fire was much smaller. It was very cold in the cupboard,and Bob had to wear his long white scarf to try to keep warm.
‘Merry Christmas, uncle! God bless you!’ cried a happy voice. Scrooge’s nephew had arrived.
‘Bah!’ said Scrooge crossly. ‘Humbug!’
‘Christmas is humbug! Surely you don’t mean that,uncle?’ said his nephew.
‘I do,’ said Scrooge. ‘Why do you call it “merry”
Christmas? You’re too poor to be merry.’
Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with a happy smile, ‘My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?’ No poor man asked him for money,no children asked him the time, no man or woman ever,in all his life, asked him the way. Animals as well as peoplewere afraid of him. Dogs used to hide in doorways when they saw him coming. But what did Scrooge care! It was just what he wanted. He liked being on the edge of people’s busy lives, while warning everyone to keep away from him. One Christmas Eve, old Scrooge was working busily in his office. It was cold, frosty, foggy weather. Outside itwas already dark, although it was only three o’clock in the afternoon, and there were candles in all the officewindows. The fog covered everything, like a thick grey blanket. Scrooge kept his office door open, in order to check that his clerk, Bob Cratchit, was working. Bob spent hisdays in a dark little room, a kind of cupboard, next to his employer’s office. Scrooge had a very small fire, but Bob’sfire was much smaller. It was very cold in the cupboard,and Bob had to wear his long white scarf to try to keep warm. ‘Merry Christmas, uncle! God bless you!’ cried a happy voice. Scrooge’s nephew had arrived. ‘Bah!’ said Scrooge crossly. ‘Humbug!’ ‘Christmas is humbug! Surely you don’t mean that,uncle?’ said his nephew. ‘I do,’ said Scrooge. ‘Why do you call it “merry”Christmas? You’re too poor to be merry.’
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