Scrooge had a small fire but the clerk’s fire was much smaller It was so much smaller that it was almost out The clerk couldn’t replenish his fire because Scrooge kept the coal box in his own room What choice did the clerk have but to put on his white comforter and try to warm himself with a candle A merry Christmas Uncle God save you cried a cheerful voice It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew Bah said Scrooge Humbug You don’t mean that Uncle said his nephew I do said Scrooge Merry Christmas What right have you to be merry You’re poor enough Come then said the nephew happily What right do you have to be so dismal You’re rich enough Scrooge had the only answer he could think of Bah humbug 8
Don’t be angry Uncle What else can I be when I live in a world of fools Merry Christmas What’s Christmas to you but a time for paying bills without money A time for finding yourself a year older A time for balancing the books If I had my way everyone who wished a merry Christmas would be boiled in his or her own pudding Then he’d be buried with a stake of holly through his heart Uncle pleaded the nephew Nephew Scrooge shot back Keep Christmas in your own way and let me keep it in mine What good has Christmas ever done you Keep it repeated Scrooge’s nephew But you don’t keep it Let me leave it alone then said Scrooge Christmas is a good time A kind forgiving charitable pleasant time The only time I know of all year when men and women open their hearts freely and help those below them 9
Although it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket I believe it has done me good It will do me good I say God bless it The clerk applauded When he sensed Scrooge’s disgust he poked the fire and extinguished the last frail spark forever Scrooge glared at the clerk Let me hear one more word from you and you’ll lose your job forever He turned toward his nephew You are quite a powerful speaker I wonder why you don’t go into Parliament Don’t be angry Uncle Come Dine with us tomorrow the nephew pleaded Scrooge refused But why Uncle Why did you get married asked Scrooge Because I fell in love answered his nephew Because you fell in love growled Scrooge as if that were even more ridiculous than a merry Christmas Good afternoon Uncle you never came to see me before that happened Why give it as a reason for not 10
coming now the nephew asked Good afternoon said Scrooge I want nothing from you said the nephew I ask nothing of you Why can’t we be friends Good afternoon said Scrooge I am sorry with all my heart to find you so stubborn We have never had a fight But I have made this yearly journey in honor of Christmas I’ll keep my Christmas humor to the end So Merry Christmas Uncle Good afternoon said Scrooge And Happy New Year said the nephew His nephew left the room without an angry word He stopped to wish good tidings to the clerk Despite how cold the clerk was he was much warmer than Scrooge and returned the glad tidings There’s another fellow muttered Scrooge who overheard the clerk My clerk with fifteen shillings a week a wife and a family talking about a merry Christmas Ha 11
