Faith Moore (0:01)

Hello and welcome to the Storytime for Grown Ups Christmas Spectacular. I'm Faith Moore and for the month of December we'll be reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Each episode I'll read one chapter from the book, pausing from time to time to give brief explanations so it's easier to follow along. It's like an audiobook with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea or a mug of hot chocolate, find a cozy chair, throw another log on the fire and settle in. It's story time. Foreign oh my goodness. This is it. The last Stave. The last chapter of A Christmas Carol. I really feel like December has just flown by. I don't know about you, but I just feel like, didn't we just start this book? But it is, as always, an absolute joy to be reading with you and this has been such a lovely way to spend December. I hope you feel the same. And I'm just, I just feel so lucky to get to do this, to get to read books with you all and talk about books together. And it's just a wonderful thing. So thank you for being here. Thank you for being a part of this. Thank you for being a part of the Storytime for Grown Ups Christmas Spectacular. The first ever first of many, hopefully. Thank you for being a part of this and for being a part of this show more generally. I am so grateful to you for being here. And so today is going to be the last chapter of this book. We are going to read Stave 5 today and then on Saturday, this Saturday, December 21st, you will get in your podcast feed the trailer for our season three book, the book that we're going to begin in January, which will take us all the way through till summertime. So please make sure that you're subscribed. That way you'll just get that trailer right in your podcast feed and you won't have to go looking for it. So that will drop and then we will have one more episode on Monday, 23rd December, and that will be our wrap up episode. So we will have finished the book, we won't have any more chapters to read, but we won't have gotten to Talk yet about Stave5. So I will take your comments and questions about Stave5 and we'll kind of wrap things up. We'll try to tie up any loose ends about the various themes and ideas that we've been talking about and we'll talk a little bit about the last chapter as well. So please do write in to me, keep those questions and comments coming. You can find me at my website, which is faith k.moore.com. you just click on Contact or there's just a link right here in the show notes to that page and you can click on that. Some people like to pause the episode when they think of a question or comment. Click that link, send me the email and then come back so you don't forget. I love it when that happens. But however you choose to do it, I would love it if you would get in touch. And as always, just a reminder to take a look in the show notes for the various links that are there. You can find the Merch Store. We have lots of cool designs. I just signed off on a new design and it's coming soon. So keep checking the Merch store and you'll find something new there very soon, hopefully. And there are links to my books. I'm still giving away signed book plates. I'm still entering people into a drawing to receive either your money back or an additional book with my signature in it. I will notify the winner of that drawing next week via email. So I'm not going to announce it on the show because it will only pertain to one person, but I will do that drawing. And so if you haven't heard from me by Christmas, it means that you didn't win. And if you do hear from me before Christmas, I will let you know how you can claim your prize. So you can still enter that. You can still get your book plate. So just take a look at those links and click on the ones that seem interesting to you and not the ones that don't. And then please do write to me after you listen to the trailer on Saturday and tell me what you think. I'm dying to hear your reactions to finding out what our January book is going to be. So please do write to me after that drops in your podcast feed. And as I say, write to me about this chapter as well, because we will be discussing that on Monday the 23rd. Then we're going to take a little break for Christmas. And after that we'll be back in January on Thursday, January 2nd, with our introduction episode to our new book. And then we'll begin reading the new book on Monday, January 6th. So I hope you'll stick around, I hope you'll stay with us. And there's so many amazing, fun, cool things coming up. So subscribe, Be with us. If you're enjoying the show, please tell a friend, email a link to someone that you know that you think might like it. And if you're in your podcast player and you happen to see those five stars, tap them. And if you have a couple of extra seconds, please do leave a positive review because I would love to start again in January with even more people than we have now. All right, let's do a recap of Stave 4, and then I have two related questions and comments that I would like to get to today. So here is the recap of Stave 4. So the ghost of Christmas Future is this creepy figure shrouded in black with just a pointed hand leading the way. And the spirit takes him to a busy street where he learns that someone nobody really cared about has died. And he looks around for himself, but he doesn't see himself. So then they go to a rag picker shop where three people are selling the personal effects of a dead person who was apparently very mean and died all alone with no one to love him or care for him, which is why they could steal his stuff. And then from there they go to a room where a dead man lies alone on a bed and the spirit points to the cloth over his face, but Scrooge is powerless to lift it and figure out who this man is. But Scrooge understands that he might be like this person. He might have to die all alone if he doesn't change. And so he asks to see someone who feels some emotion at the death of the man and is taken to the home of a couple who were terrified that they wouldn't be able to pay back their debts, but have learned that their creditor has died, so they won't have to go to a poor house. So they're happy that the man is dead, which is the only emotion anyone feels about this person's death. So Scrooge then asks to see some tenderness of feeling toward the dead. And he's taken to Bob Cratchit's house, where we see that Tiny Tim has died and the family is in mourning. And so here is a family who loved this child so much, which is a huge contrast to the man lying dead and alone in the room. So Scrooge asks to know who the man is, and the spirit takes him to a graveyard and he sees his own name written on the gravestone. So he is the man who died alone, with no one to care for him. And Scrooge falls to his knees and swears that he will honor Christmas and learn from all he has seen. And the spirit disappears. And in its place is his own bedpost. Alright, so as I say, I have two questions this time. The first one comes from Eric Blake. Eric writes, this last Phantom, clothed entirely in a dark hooded robe that covers all but a single scrawny hand, is clearly meant to invoke the Grim Reaper and everything that implies about a future centered on death. But on that note, it's very interesting that the Phantom doesn't have the characteristic scythe or sickle of the Reaper. Perhaps Dickens felt that would make everything too on the nose, both for Scrooge and the reader. After all, a major element in this chapter is Scrooge's seeming inability to get that he is the dead man in question. And if The Phantom were 100%, in no uncertain terms, the Grim Reaper, Scrooge would look like an idiot for not getting it from the moment he sees it. And the second one comes from Ashley Haddon. Ashley writes, does it mean anything that Scrooge doesn't know that he is the one dead in this stave? I feel like it should be so obvious, and he just doesn't get it. Does it mean that he truly was ignorant of how awful he was? Okay, so I think it's fair to say that Stave 4 is about death, right? Most of the chapter is about Scrooge's own death and all the ways that people are reacting to it. But we also get a glimpse of the Cratchits dealing with Tiny Tim's death. And as Eric points out, the last spirit is very clearly meant to evoke death in the guise of the Grim Reaper. So I think death is going to have to be the theme of today's intro, which I know is not particularly Christmassy on the face of it, but I hope as we go along, we can come to an understanding of why Dickens might have put so much emphasis on death here near the end of the narrative. So the first thing I want to point out is that while the Ghost of Christmas Future does look a great deal like the Grim Reaper and clearly has intentional ties to the Grim Reaper, he isn't, as Eric points out in his letter, an exact facsimile of the Grim Reaper, right? He isn't death incarnate. He's the Ghost of Christmas Future. So there have to be some differences between the two entities, right? But when you think about it, the future has to hold death within it because we all die. So go far enough into anyone's future and you're going to meet death. Death is inevitable for everyone. So death is wrapped up in the Ghost of Christmas Future. But it's not just that, right? This spirit is completely covered. There's something under the black cloak. Scrooge senses like eyes watching him. And he can see that one pale hand sticking out. There's something, some living entity under there. But Scrooge can't see it, and we can't see it. And that's the future, right? Something is going to happen. Events will take place, but we don't know what they are. We can't know what they are. The future is, by definition, a mystery to us. And the future can maybe be changed based on our actions in the present. So the future is death, because everyone's future is death. But the future is also unknown. And that's important here. But the interesting thing, I think, is that learning you are going to die shouldn't really be a big deal, right? Everyone dies. Everyone's future contains death. And knowing that no one cared about the fact that you were dead potentially shouldn't really matter either. I mean, what do you care? Because you're dead, right? At that point, it shouldn't matter. But it does. It does matter. And it matters a great deal to Scrooge when he learns that the dead man is actually him. And I think it would matter to all of us and should matter to all of us. And as Ashley points out, Scrooge is completely shocked to learn that the dead man is him. He had no idea. When, of course, to us it was like, duh, of course it's you, Scrooge, you absolute idiot. Right? But death is hard to imagine, right? Your own death is particularly hard to imagine, I think. How do you contemplate not being here anymore? And Scroog, Scrooge isn't dead, as far as he knows. He's there with the spirit, watching all of this unfold. He is him. He's alive. And he's conceptualized this whole experience. I think this experience with the spirit as kind of a look at his own life, a kind of curated retelling of his life story with the purpose of helping him to change his ways. And he keeps thinking that maybe the reason he's not in any of his usual places in the future is because he's made some changes based on the things that he's learned, and he's now maybe living a different sort of life in a different sort of place, which would all be very nice and everything, but not really the sort of complete and utter overhaul of, like, absolutely everything that I think the spirits are hoping for here. So Scrooge is thinking that the Ghost of Christmas Future might show him the way that he ought to be living in the future, right? So that he can then try to live up to that and become that man, starting now in the present. And he imagines that the case of this dead man, that the spirit keeps showing him different facets of, is a kind of cautionary tale. Remember, he says that he understands that. Here's a quote. The case of this unhappy man might be my own, but he doesn't see that it is his own. And what exactly is so bad about the fate of this dead man? I mean, like I was just saying, everyone dies. And if you're dead, who cares that someone took your bed curtains or whatever? It's not the fact of his death necessarily that is so horrifying to Scrooge, although that's part of it. It's the fact that he is suddenly confronted with his legacy, essentially. And not just his legacy, but the way in which he is viewed by the people around him, even now, while he's alive. You know, Ashley's question of whether Scrooge was just completely ignorant of how awful he is is a really good one. And the answer, I think, is yes, because to Scrooge, it's been the whole rest of the world. That was crazy, right? We talked about this a little a couple of episodes ago. I think Scrooge can't figure out why everyone wants to go around saying Merry Christmas and why they're happy even though they're poor, and why they want to give their money away to people in need and all of this. He's not a villain. All this time, he's felt that he is living a sane and rational life and that everyone else is crazy. And in feeling this way, in feeling like he's the only sane person in a sea of insanity, he's cut himself off from everyone, right? This is what we've been talking about all along. This idea of connection and love and kindness and family and friendship and fellow feeling and all of that, he has just turned that right off, right? He's severed all his human connections. He rebuffs any attempt to rekindle them, and he's gone through the world all alone rather than join in with something that he sees as kind of nonsensical. So if he were to ask himself what other people think of him, which it probably wouldn't occur to him even to do, but if he did, he would probably think that he's seen as a kind of sane, respectable, clear headed man of business, right? He's not a crook. You know, he doesn't steal people's money or anything like that. He's just completely Unforgiving. If they can't pay him back on the date that he asked for, he pays Bob Cratchit. He just doesn't take into account that Cratchit has a large family and a sick child and does a really good job, so he probably deserves a raise. He doesn't see the human side of any situation. He only sees logistics. So he probably thinks that he is seen as a very logical, serious, normal sort of person. And the various people that the spirit shows him are people that Scrooge would have expected to have some respect for him as a logical, serious, normal sort of person, right? The laundress and the charwoman would have been his. His servants, essentially. And he probably thought that he dealt with them the way any man would deal with his servants. He probably thought the man who owed him money saw him as a fair and rational businessman who would, of course, ask him to pay up at the appointed time. He probably thought that the other businessmen who he met at the London Exchange, he probably thought they viewed him as one of their own, like a good man of business who dealt fairly and honestly. And suddenly this ghost is showing him that none of these people view Scrooge on Scrooge's terms. They view him by the standard of humanity, essentially. They view him by the standard of love and connection and kindness. That the insanity that seemed to affect Fred and Bob Cratchit and the people asking for donations and everyone else is actually not insanity at all. It's the stuff of life. And this is devastating, which is really interesting, I think, because it means that life, life here on earth is important, that the connections that we make and the love we share here are important. Right? Scrooge is seeing the effects of his way of living on people dealing with his death. But it's not the fact of his death that's so horrible, because everyone dies. It's the fact that he didn't live properly while he was alive, that he missed the whole point of life. Which brings me to the Cratchits. Because what actually are the Cratchits really even doing in this chapter, right? Like, the whole plot of this chapter is basically Scrooge examining all the ways that his way of living have caused the people around him to not care at all that he's dead. He's seeing the fruits of the fact that he's shut everyone out and cut off all ties to the people around him. And he's learning that if he wants to change, the thing he has to change is how he connects with people. So why is this scene of the Cratchits mourning Tiny Tim even in there? Well, I think. Here's what I think. I think it's there as an example of what it looks like to die in the exact opposite way to Scrooge, right? Here is a little boy who was so, so loved. Here is a child who lived his short life in the absolute epicenter of love. He wasn't rich. He suffered physically. He missed out on much of what life has to offer, essentially. But he had parents who doted on him, siblings who loved him. And he never wanted for affection or kindness or warmth. And in return, he reached out and touched everyone around him. He made their lives better just by being himself, just by loving them and allowing them to love him in return. And this is another scene in this book that just slays me, this scene with the Cratchits in this chapter. Because even as the Cratchits are mourning the loss of this boy who was taken far too soon, right, even as they are clearly devastated and so bereft, they are also filled with joy. Not happiness, but joy. The joy of knowing that they got to be the family of Tiny Tim, that they got to have him with them, even for this short time. And they know that death is inevitable. I mean, this one came too soon, but it would have come at some time nonetheless. And they understand that. Here's what Bob Cratchit says. He says, but however and whenever we part from one another, I am sure we shall none of us forget poor Tiny Tim, shall we? Or this first parting that there was among us, right? This first parting. Because we all must part in one way or another. Peter will grow up and get married. So will all the Cratchit children. They'll all leave home, this happy, boisterous, raucous house. One day, it's going to fall. Silent Bob and his wife are going to die. They all will die at some time or another. Death is inevitable. Parting is inevitable. Goodbyes are part of life. Letting go is part of life. We can't avoid it. The Cratchits can't avoid it. Scrooge can't avoid it. I can't avoid it, and neither can you. All of us will one day pass away, and in the meantime, our lives will be filled with little goodbyes. And trying to deny that or avoid it or somehow stop it isn't the way to happiness or joy. The knowing is the way to joy, right? The knowing what you have when you have it, loving the people you love while you can love them, Gathering together when you can, because you know eventually you'll have to part, making the most of your time together and reveling in it and appreciating it. Because there's no way around it. Eventually it will end. Right? Tiny Tim's death is the opposite of Scrooge's death. Death is going to come. It's going to come for us all. But. And this is what the ghost is showing Scrooge, I think. But we want to live in such a way that when we do go, the people left behind think of us like the Cratchits think of Tiny Tim. Not the way the laundress or whoever thinks of Scrooge. Not because it's so important necessarily how people feel when you're dead, but because the way they do feel when you're dead is an indication of the way you touched them and connected with them when you were alive. It's like a metric of the connection you shared. And Scrooge's connection to others is essentially zero if what the Ghost of Christmas Future shows him is anything to go by. And it's this, this really stark image of how unconnected he is, coupled with the vision of what it looks like when someone who is connected in love dies. It's this that causes Scrooge to say, he's not the man he was. He sees that he has to change. He must change if he doesn't want the future he saw to come to pass. But can he? And if he can, what will that change look like? I mean, how can a man who has lived most of his life already live into this sort of connected joy that we're being told is necessary? That's what we need to find out in this last chapter. So let's get to the last chapter. Don't forget we have one more episode which will be a wrap up episode. I'll take your questions about Save Five, so write in faithkmore.com and click on Contact or use the link in the show notes. So we'll be together one more time to discuss this book and then we'll be back in January with a new book which will be revealed on Saturday. So make sure you're subscribed. All right, let's get started with Stave 5 of a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It's story time. Stave 5. The end of it. Yes. And the bedpost was his own. The bed was his own. The room was his own. Best and happiest of all the time before him was his own. To make amends in, I will Live in the past, the present and the future, Scrooge repeated as he scrambled out of bed. The spirits of all three shall strive within me. Oh, Jacob Marley, Heaven and the Christmas time be praised for this. I say it on my knees, old Jacob, on my knees. He was so fluttered and so glowing with his good intentions that his broken voice would scarcely answer to his call. He had been sobbing violently in his conflict with the spirit, and his face was wet with tears. They are not torn down. Cried Scrooge, folding one of his bed curtains in his arms. They are not torn down, rings and all. They are here. I am here. The shadows of the things that would have been may be dispelled. They will be. I know they will. His hands were busy with his garments all this time, turning them inside out, putting them on upside down, tearing them, mislaying them, making them parties to every kind of extravagance. I don't know what to do. Cried Scrooge, laughing and crying in the same breath and making a perfect Laocoon of himself with his stockings. So Laokoon was a Trojan priest who struggled with serpents. So Scrooge is struggling with his stockings as if his stockings were fighting back. I am as light as a feather. I am as happy as an angel. I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A Merry Christmas to everybody. A Happy New Year to all the world. Hello here. Whoop. Hello. He had frisked into the sitting room and was now standing there perfectly winded. There's the saucepan that the gruel was in. Cried Scrooge, starting off again and going round the fireplace. There's the door by which the ghost of Jacob Marley entered. There's the corner where the ghost of Christmas Present sat. There's the window where I saw the wandering spirits. It's all right. It's all true. It all happened, really. For a man who had been out of practice for so many years, it was a splendid laugh. A most illustrious laugh. The father of a long, long line of brilliant laughs. I don't know what day of the month it is, said Scrooge. I don't know how long I've been among the spirits. I don't know anything. I'm quite a baby. Never mind. I don't care. I'd rather be a baby. Hello, Hoop. Hello. Here he was checked in his transports by the churches, ringing out the lustiest peals he had ever heard. Clang, clang, hammer, ding, dong, bell, bell, dong, ding hammer, clang, clash. Oh, glorious, glorious running to the window. He opened it and put out his head. No fog, no mist. Clear, bright, jovial stirring. Cold, cold piping for the blood to dance to. Golden sunlight, heavenly sky, sweet fresh air. Merry bells. Oh, glorious, glorious. What's today? Cried Scrooge, calling downward to a boy in Sunday clothes who perhaps had loitered in to look about him. Eh? Returned the boy with all his might of wonder. What's today, my fine fellow? Said Scrooge. Today? Replied the boy. Why, Christmas Day. It's Christmas Day, Said Scrooge to himself. I haven't missed it. The spirits have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of course they can. Hello, my fine fellow. Hello, returned the boy. Do you know the poulterers in the next street but one at the corner? Scrooge inquired. I should hope I did, replied the lad. An intelligent boy, said Scrooge. A remarkable boy. Do you know whether they've sold the prize turkey that was hanging up there? Not the little prize turkey, the big one. What? The one as big as me? Returned the boy. What a delightful boy. Said Scrooge. It's a pleasure to talk to him. Yes, my buck, it's hanging there now, replied the boy. Is it? Said Scrooge. Go and buy it, Walker. Exclaimed the boy. Walker means. I don't think so. No, no, said Scrooge. I am in earnest. Go and buy it and tell him to bring it here, that I may give them the direction where to take it. Come back with the man, and I'll give you a shilling. Come back with him in less than five minutes and I'll give you half a crown. The boy was off like a shot. He must have had a steady hand at a trigger. Who could have got a shot off half so fast? I'll send it to Bob Cratchitz, whispered Scrooge, rubbing his hands and splitting with a laugh. He shan't know who sends it. It's twice the size of Tiny Tim. Joe Miller never made such a joke as sending it to Bob's. Will be so. Joe Miller was a comedian at the time. The hand in which he wrote the address was not a steady one, but right it he did somehow, and went downstairs to open the street door, ready for the coming of the poulterer's man. As he stood there waiting his arrival, the knocker caught his eye. I shall love it as long as I live. Cried Scrooge, patting it with his hand. I scarcely ever looked at it before. What an honest expression it has in Its face. It's a wonderful knocker. Here's the turkey. Hello ho. How are you? Merry Christmas. It was a turkey. He never could have stood upon his legs, that bird. He would have snapped em short off in a minute like sticks of sealing wax. Why, it's impossible to carry that to Camden Town, said Scrooge. You must have a cab. The chuckle with which he said this and the chuckle with which he paid for the turkey, and the chuckle with which he paid for the cab, and the chuckle with which he recompensed the boy, were only to be exceeded by the chuckle with which he sat down breathless in his chair again and chuckled till he cried. Shaving was not an easy task, for his hand continued to shake very much, and shaving requires attention even when you don't dance while you're at it. But if he had cut the end of his nose off, he would have put a piece of sticking plaster over it and been quite satisfied. He dressed himself all in his best and at last got out into the streets. The people were by this time pouring forth as he had seen them with the Ghost of Christmas Present. And walking with his hands behind him. Scrooge regarded every one with a delighted smile. He looked so irresistibly pleasant in a word, that three or four good humored fellows said, good morning, sir, a Merry Christmas to you. And Scrooge said often afterwards that of all the blithe sounds he had ever heard, those were the blithest in his ears. He had not gone far, when, coming on towards him, he beheld the portly gentleman who had walked into his counting house the day before and said, scrooge And Marley's? I believe so. He's passing one of the men who had come to his office asking for donations for the poor. It sent a pang across his heart to think how this old gentleman would look upon him when they met. But he knew what path lay straight before him, and he took it. My dear sir, said Scrooge, quickening his pace and taking the old gentleman by both his hands. How do you do? I hope you succeeded yesterday. It was very kind of you. A merry Christmas to you, sir. Mr. Scrooge. Yes, said Scrooge, that is my name, and I fear it may not be pleasant to you. Allow me to ask your pardon, and will you have the goodness here? Scrooge whispered in his ear. Lord bless me. Cried the gentleman, as if his breath were taken away. My dear Mr. Scrooge, are you serious? If you please, said Scrooge, Not a farthing less a Great many back payments are included in it, I assure you. Will you do me that favour? So he told the man, a very large sum which he would now like to donate. My dear sir, said the other, shaking hands with him, I don't know what to say to such munific. Don't say anything, please, retorted Scrooge. Come and see me. Will you Come and see me? I will. Cried the old gentleman, and it was clear he meant to do it. Thank ye. Said Scrooge. I am much obliged to you. I thank you 50 times. Bless you. He went to church and walked about the streets and watched the people hurrying to and fro, and patted children on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked down into the kitchens of houses and up to the windows, and found that everything could yield him pleasure. He had never dreamed that any walk, that anything, could give him so much happiness. In the afternoon he turned his steps towards his nephew's house. He passed the door a dozen times before he had the courage to go up and knock. But he made a dash and did it. Is your master at home, my dear? Said Scrooge to the girl. The girl is like the servant. Nice girl, very. Yes, sir. Where is he, my love? Said Scrooge. He's in the dining room, sir, along with Mistress. I'll show you upstairs, if you please. Thankyou. He knows me, said Scrooge, with his hand already on the dining room lock. I'll go in here, my dear. He turned it gently and sidled his face in round the door. They were looking at the table, which was spread out in great array, for these young housekeepers are always nervous on such points and like to see that everything is right. Fred, said Scrooge. Dear heart. Alive, how his niece by marriage started. Scrooge had forgotten for the moment about her sitting in the corner with the footstool, or he wouldn't have done it on any account. Why, bless my soul. Cried Fred. Who's that? It is I, your uncle Scrooge. I've come to dinner. Will you let me in? Fred, let him in. It is a mercy he didn't shake his arm off. He was at home in five minutes. Nothing could be hardier. His niece looked just the same. So did Topper when he came. So did the plump sister when she came. So did everyone when they came. Wonderful party, wonderful games, wonderful unanimity, wonderful happiness. But he was early at the office next morning. Oh, he was early there. If he could only be there first and catch Bob Cratchit coming late. That was the Thing he had set his heart upon. And he did it. Yes, he did. The clock struck 9. No, Bob. A quarter past. No, Bob. He was full 18 minutes and a half behind his time. Scrooge sat with his door wide open that he might see him come into the tank. His hat was off before he opened the door, his comforter, too. He was on his stool in a jiffy, driving away with his pen as if he were trying to overtake 9:00. Hello. Growled Scrooge in his accustomed voice, as near as he could feign it. What do you mean by coming here at this time of day? I am very sorry, sir, said Bob. I am behind my time. You are? Repeated Scrooge. Yes, I think you are. Step this way, sir, if you please. It's only once a year, sir, pleaded Bob, appearing from the tank. It shall not be repeated. I was making rather merry yesterday, sir. Now I'll tell you what, my friend, said Scrooge. I am not going to stand this sort of thing any longer. And therefore he continued, leaping from his stool and giving Bob such a dig in the waistcoat that he staggered back into the tank again. And therefore, I'm about to raise your salary. Bob trembled and got a little nearer to the ruler. He had a momentary idea of knocking Scrooge down with it, holding him and calling to the people in the court for help. And a strait waistcoat. A strait waistcoat is like a straitjacket. A merry Christmas, Bob, said Scrooge with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the back. A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many a year. I'll raise your salary and endeavor to assist your struggling family. And we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop. Bob, smoking bishop is a kind of hot punch. Make up the fires and buy another coal scuttle before you dot another. I, Bob Cratchit. Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all and infinitely more. And to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old city new or any other good old city, town or borough in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh and little heeded them. For he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset. And knowing that such as these would be blind Anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed, and that was quite enough for him. He had no further intercourse with spirits, but lived upon the total abstinence principle ever afterwards, and it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us. And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us, every one. Thank you so much for listening. This concludes our reading of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It's been an absolute joy reading this book with you. There will be one more episode of the Christmas Spectacular which will drop on Monday. I hope you'll join us. Don't forget to check out my novel Christmas Carol that's Carol with a K. Using the link in the Show Notes to hear me read an excerpt from the book tied to today's episode, click on the link in the Show Notes. I would be so grateful if you would consider buying a copy or a few copies for yourself or as a gift. If you buy a copy of the book and email me a screenshot of your receipt, you'll be entered into a drawing to receive your choice of either your money back or an additional signed copy. The email to send the receipt to is in the Show Notes. If you buy multiple copies, you can enter the drawing multiple times. The winner will be notified by email. Also, everyone who buys a copy of the book is entitled to a free signed bookplate which you can stick into the book to make it a signed copy. If you'd like one, just email the screenshot of your receipt to the email address listed in the Show Notes and let me know whom you'd like the book plate made out to and what address to mail it to. Thank you so much for supporting me and the work I do by buying my book this Christmastime. And of course, don't forget to get in touch with comments or questions about this episode. Please go to my website, faithkmoore.com click on contact and send me your questions and thoughts. Or you can click on the link in the Show Notes to contact me. I'll feature one or two of your entries at the start of the next episode. Alright everyone, story time is over. The end.