Christmas Carol 03 recto

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people on the court outside, go [coughing] wheezing up and down, beating their hands upon
their breasts, and stamping their feet upon the pavement-stones to warm
them. The city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark
already — it had not been light all day — and candles were flaring in
the windows of the neighbouring offices, like ruddy smears upon the
palpable brown air. The [suffocating] fog came pouring in at every chink
and keyhole, and was so dense without, [that one might have thought] although
the court [of ?] was of the narrowest the houses opposite were mere phantoms.
To see the dingy cloud come [rolling ??????? obscuring everything] drooping down, obscuring everything [????????], one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on
a large scale.

The door of Scrooge’s Counting House was open that he might
[k???] keep his eye upon [?h??] his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond
— a sort of tank — was copying letters. Scrooge had a [?very?] very small fire, but
the clerk’s fire was so [very] very much smaller that it looked [one c?] like
one coal. But he couldn’t replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal box
[close beside him?] in his own room; and [whenever he saw?] so surely as the clerk coming
came in with the shovel, the master [Scrooge ??nv?????] [that he? ???? it ??????????]
[of saying that he?] ???????? predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. Wherefore ??????? ????? Wherefore the clerk put
on his white comforter, [?He? had ?? great coat, or he would have? ??????]
?that? ????? and tried to warm himself at the candle; in which effort [???????], not
being a [young?] man of a strong imagination, he [decidedly] failed.

A?
“A Merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice. It was the
voice of Scrooge’s nephew, [??????] who came upon him so [suddenly] quickly
that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

“Merry Christmas! Bah” said Scrooge, “Humbug.”

He had walked so fast heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, ?? this nephew of Scrooge’s,
that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy ? and handsome; his eyes sparkled; and heis
[????ed to breath?] breath smoked again.

“Christmas a humbug, uncle!” [said] [cried] said Scrooge’s nephew. “You don’t
mean that, [I'm sure?] I am sure.”

“I do,” said Scrooge. “Merry Christmas! [?B? Humbug] What right have you
to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor [enough ?????] enough.”

“Why Come then,” returned the nephew gaily. “What right have you to be [sad?] dismal ?
what reason have you to be morose? You’re rich enough [???le].”

Scrooge having no better [??? ?? ???????] answer ready on the spur of the
moment, said Bah! again—and followed it up with Humbug [??? also].

“Don’t be cross, uncle,” said the nephew.

“What else [should?] can I be?” returned the uncle, “when I live in such