Christmas Carol 39 recto

39

had had her doubts about the quantity of flour. [????? ?ff??? ?????????]
[??????????]Everybody had something to say about it, but nobody said or thought it was at all a small
pudding for a large family. It would have been flat heresy to do so. Any Cratchit would
have blushed to hint at such a thing.

At last the dinner was all done; and the [???? table being] cloth was cleared and
the hearth swept, and the fire made up. The compound in the jug being tasted and
[????????] considered perfect, apples and oranges were put upon the table, and a shovel full
of chestnuts on the fire. Then all the Cratchit family drew round the fire hearth, in what
Bob Cratchit called a circle—meaning half a one—and [?? ????] at Bob Cratchit’s elbow, [???d] stood the family display of glass: two tumblers, and a custard cup without
a handle.

They These [??????] They held the hot stuff from the jug, however, as well as golden goblets
would have done; and Bob [?????] served it out with a beaming looks, while
the chestnuts on the fire, sputtered and crackled [?lee???? all on f???ments] noisily. Then Bob
proposed:

“A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us!”

Which all the family re-echoed.

“God bless us every one!” said Tiny Tim, the last of all.

He sat beside very close to his father’s [????????] side upon his [????????] little stool. Bob held his withered hand little
hand in his, as if he[ ???ude] loved the child, and wished to keep [the child c??d feared ???] him at by his side, and dreaded that he might be taken
from him.

“Spirit,” said Scrooge, with an interest he had never felt before. ["?????]
[???????] “Tell me if Tiny Tim will live.”

“I see a vacant seat,” replied the Ghost, “in this poor chimney corner, and a
crutch, without an owner, carefully preserved.[??? He] The child will die.”

“No no,” said Scrooge. [???????????????] “Oh no, [???] kind Spirit! Say he will be spared.”

"I am the last “None other of my race,” returned the Ghost, “will find him here. What
then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus
population.”

Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the Spirit, and was
somewhat overcome with penitence and grief.

“Man!” said the Ghost, “if man you be in heart; not [f???????] adamant;
forbear that wicked cant [?????????????????????????????????] until you have discovered [?????] What the surplus
[?????????????] is, and Where it is. Will you and such as you decide what men shall live, what men shall die! It may be, [???? ???? ????? of]
that in the sight of Heaven, you [???? ??? and ??? ??] are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this
poor man’s child. Oh God, to hear the Insect on the leaf, [de???? ??? ?????????] pronouncing on the too much life among
his hungry brothers in the dust!”

Scrooge bent before the [????] Ghost’s rebuke, and, trembling, cast his eyes upon the ground.
But he raised them speedily, on hearing his own name:[ p?????????ed]

“Mr. Scrooge!” said Bob. “I’ll give you Mr. Scrooge, the Founder of