A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Part 3
Watch on KineScope.
‘Do you believe in me or not?’
‘Yes, I do – I must!’ Scrooge replied. ‘But why do you come to me?’
‘If a man’s spirit stays away from other people while he is alive, it must walk through the world after he is dead, but it cannot share the happiness of living people.’ And again the Ghost shook its chain with a sad cry.
‘Why are you wearing that chain?’ Scrooge asked, trembling.
‘Because I made it when I was alive. I stayed away from other people. I didn’t try to help them. I never loved anybody; I loved only money. So I made this chain for myself and now I must wear it. I lived like you, Scrooge! Seven years ago your chain was long and heavy. Now it is very long and very heavy!’
Again Scrooge trembled in terror. ‘Tell me more, old Jacob Marley. Help me!’
‘I cannot help you, Ebenezer Scrooge,’ answered the Ghost. ‘I cannot rest, I cannot stay here. When I was alive, my spirit never walked out of our office. It was locked in there while I made all my money. So now I must travel and never stop.’
‘Have you travelled all this time – for seven years?’
‘Yes. No rest. No peace. Always travelling.’
‘Do you travel fast?’
‘Very fast. Like the wind.’
‘Well, in seven years you have been to a lot of places then.’
‘Oh but I am a prisoner!’ cried the phantom, and it shook the chain again, a terrible sound in the silence of the night. ‘I was also a prisoner in my life because I didn’t try to help others.’
‘But you were a good man of business, Jacob.’ Scrooge was thinking of himself too.
‘Business! What was my business? My business was people, my business was charity, my business was love, my business was goodness! But I didn’t do anything good. I lived with my eyes closed. I didn’t see the poor and hungry people in the streets. But now I must go. Listen!’
‘I’m listening, Jacob,’ Scrooge said.
‘I am here tonight to tell you something. There is still hope for you, Ebenezer. You still have a chance.’
‘You were always a good friend, Jacob. Thank you.’
‘You will see three Ghosts.’
Scrooge looked frightened. ‘Are they the hope and the chance you spoke about, Jacob?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well – I don’t want to see them…’
‘You must! If you don’t want to be like me, you must! The first Spirit will come at one o’clock tomorrow morning.’
‘Can’t they all come at one o’clock and finish it quickly, Jacob?’
‘The second will come on the next night at the same time. The third will come on the night after that when the church bell strikes twelve midnight. You will not see me again. Remember my words!’
Then the Ghost put the handkerchief round its head and began to walk towards the window. It asked Scrooge to follow. But when the window opened, Scrooge stopped. He was very frightened because he could hear a great noise of crying outside. The air was full of ghosts. They were moving quickly here and there, and they all wore chains like Marley’s Ghost. Their cries were very sad. There was one old ghost with a big metal box of money on a chain. It was unhappy because it couldn’t help a poor woman and her baby out in the cold, foggy night without a home.
Marley’s Ghost went out into the night. In a moment it was with the other ghosts, and all of them disappeared. Scrooge closed the window and went to the door. It was locked. Did Marley’s Ghost really come through a locked door?
‘Bah!’ he said. And he began to say ‘Humbug!’ but stopped. He didn’t want to say it now.
It was late and he was tired. So he went to bed and fell asleep immediately.