The second of the three spirits

When Scrooge woke up, he realized immediately that the church clock was just going to strike one. He felt sure that the second spirit would soon visit him. This time he wanted to be ready, so he pulled back all the curtains round his bed himself, and lay there, waiting. At one o’clock, instead of a spirit, a strong light shone down on Scrooge’s bed. He felt very frightened. After a few minutes he thought that perhaps the light was coming from the next room, so he got up and went to the door. When he touched it, a strange voice called his name, and asked him to enter. He obeyed.

Although he recognized it as his own room, it looked very different now. The walls were covered with bright green leaves, and there was a good fire burning in the fireplace. On the floor were big piles of the best Christmas food - wonderful rich dark cakes, warm soft bread, colourful apples and oranges, plates of yellow butter, cooked chickens, boxes of chocolates and sugared sweets. Sitting beside all this was a large, smiling spirit, who called out cheerfully to Scrooge, ‘Come in! Come in, man! I am the ghost of Christmas Present! Look at me!’

Since the first ghost’s visit, Scrooge was no longer very sure of himself. So although the spirit’s eyes were clear and kind, Scrooge was afraid to look straight into its face. But he could see that its body was dressed in a long green robe, its long brown hair fell freely down its back, and its face wore a warm and friendly smile. Light shone from the torch which it was holding in its strong right hand.

‘Spirit,’ said Scrooge quietly, ‘take me where you want. Last night I learned a lesson which is working now. If you have anything to teach me tonight, let me learn from you.’

‘Touch my robe!’ said the spirit, and Scrooge obeyed.

The food, the room, the fire all disappeared, and they were standing outside in the cold, snowy streets on Christmas morning. Although the sky was grey and the streets were dirty, the people looked surprisingly cheerful, as they hurried to the bakers’ shops with their Christmas dinners, all ready for cooking. The spirit seemed specially interested in poor people. He stood with Scrooge in a baker’s doorway and held his torch over the dinners as they were carried past him. Sometimes, when he saw people pushing each other or getting angry, he lifted his torch over their heads, and immediately they became kinder, or stopped arguing, ‘because it’s Christmas,’ they told each other.

‘What does your torch do, spirit?’ asked Scrooge.

‘It gives a special taste to people’s dinners on this day,’ answered the spirit.

‘Why do you use it most on poor people?’ said Scrooge.

‘Because poor people need it most,’ was the reply.

They went on through London, and came to the small house where Scrooge’s clerk lived. Here the spirit smiled, and held his torch high over the door. Inside, Bob Cratchit’s wife and second daughter, Belinda, in their everyday dresses, but looking clean and pretty, were putting plates on the table for their Christmas dinner. Bob’s son Peter was helping to cook the potatoes, and two smaller Cratchits, a boy and a girl, were running round excitedly. Just then the eldest daughter, Martha, arrived home from work.

‘Here’s Martha, mother!’ cried the two young Cratchits happily. ‘We’re having a really big chicken for dinner, Martha!’ In fact it was only a small chicken, but it seemed large to the excited children.

‘My dear, how late you are!’ said Mrs Cratchit, kissing her daughter several times.

‘We were so busy yesterday, mother!’ replied the girl. ‘That’s why we didn’t finish until this morning!’

‘Well! Never mind, now that you’re here. God bless you! Sit down by the fire, my dear!’

‘No, no! Father’s coming!’ cried the two young Cratchits. ‘Hide, Martha, hide!’

So Martha hid herself, and in came Bob in his thin coat and long white scarf, with his son Tiny Tim in his arms. Poor Tiny Tim! He had not walked since he was born, and although he could pull himself and his thin little legs along with the help of a wooden crutch, he was not strong enough to travel far alone.

‘Why, where’s Martha?’ cried Bob, looking round.

‘Not coming,’ said Mrs Cratchit.

‘Not coming!’ repeated Bob, his cheerful smile disappearing. ‘Not coming on Christmas Day!’

But Martha didn’t like to worry her father for a minute, so she ran out from behind the door and kissed him, while the two young Cratchits showed Tiny Tim the chicken, now ready to eat.

Scrooge and the spirit watched as the family sat down to eat. It was a poor enough meal, but to them it seemed wonderful, and they ate every bit of it. (на стр. 31)

Date: 2016-01-03; view: 1163