A Christmas Carol — Charles Dickens
You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org . If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title : A Christmas Carol Author : Charles Dickens Illustrator : Arthur Rackham Release date : December 24, 2007 [eBook #24022] Most recently updated: August 9, 2019 Language : English Original publication : Philadelphia and New York: J. B. Lippincott Company,, 1915 Other information and formats : www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24022 Credits : Produced by Suzanne Shell, Janet Blenkinship and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net *** START OF Various characteristics of each ebook are listed to aid in selecting the preferred file. Click on any of the filenumbers belowto quickly view each ebook. 46 (Original First Edition Cover; 1843 Original Illustrations in Color by John Leech) 19337 (Published in 1905; Illustrations in Black and White by G. A. Williams) 24022 (Published in 1915; Illustrations in Black and White and Color by By Arthur Rackham) 30368 (First edition with original hand written pages; Black and White illustrations.) "How now?" said Scrooge, caustic and cold as ever. "What do you want with me?" A CHRISTMAS CAROL BY CHARLES DICKENS ILLUSTRATED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY PHILADELPHIA AND NEW YORK FIRST PUBLISHED 1915 ISBN: 0-397-00033-2 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN PREFACE I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book to raise the Ghost of an Idea which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their house pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it. Their faithful Friend and Servant, C. D. December, 1843. CHARACTERS Bob Cratchit, clerk to Ebenezer Scrooge. Peter Cratchit, a son of the preceding. Tim Cratchit ("Tiny Tim"), a cripple, youngest son of Bob Cratchit. Mr. Fezziwig, a kind-hearted, jovial old merchant. Fred, Scrooge's nephew. Ghost of Christmas Past, a phantom showing things past. Ghost of Christmas Present, a spirit of a kind, generous, and hearty nature. Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, an apparition showing the shadows of things which yet may happen. Ghost of Jacob Marley, a spectre of Scrooge's former partner in business. Joe, a marine-store dealer and receiver of stolen goods. Ebenezer Scrooge, a grasping, covetous old man, the surviving partner of the firm of Scrooge and Marley. Mr. Topper, a bachelor. Dick Wilkins, a fellow apprentice of Scrooge's. Belle, a comely matron, an old sweetheart of Scrooge's. Caroline, wife of one of Scrooge's debtors. Mrs. Cratchit, wife of Bob Cratchit. Belinda and Martha Cratchit, daughters of the preceding. Mrs. Dilber, a laundress. Fan, the sister of Scrooge. Mrs. Fezziwig, the worthy partner of Mr. Fezziwig. CONTENTS STAVE ONE—MARLEY'S GHOST 3 STAVE TWO—THE FIRST OF THE THREE SPIRITS 37 STAVE THREE—THE SECOND OF THE THREE SPIRITS 69 STAVE FOUR—THE LAST OF THE SPIRITS 111 STAVE FIVE—THE END OF IT 137 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR "How now?" said Scrooge, caustic and cold as ever. "What do you want with me?" Frontispiece Bob Cratchit went down a slide on Cornhill, at the end of a lane of boys, twenty times, in honour of its being Christmas Eve 16 Nobody under the bed; nobody in the closet; nobody in his dressing-gown, which was hanging up in a suspicious attitude against the wall 20 The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste and moaning as they went 32 Then old Fezziwig stood out to dance with Mrs. Fezziwig 54 A flushed and boisterous group 62 Laden with Christmas toys and presents 64 The way he went after that plump sister in the lace tucker! 100 "How are you?" said one. "How are you?" returned the other. "Well!" said the first. "Old Scratch has got his own at last, hey?" 114 "What do you call this?" said Joe. "Bed-curtains!" "Ah!" returned the woman, laughing.... "Bed-curtains!" "You don't mean to say you took 'em down, rings and all, with him lying there?" said Joe. "Yes, I do," replied the woman. "Why not?" 120 "It's I, your uncle Scrooge. I have come to dinner. Will you let me in, Fred?" 144 "Now, I'll tell you what, my friend," said Scrooge. "I am not going to stand this sort of thing any longer." 146 IN BLACK AND WHITE Tailpiece vi Tailpiece to List of Coloured Illustrations x Tailpiece to List of Black and White Illustrations xi Heading to Stave One 3 They were portly gentlemen, pleasant to behold 12 On the wings of the wind 28 - 29 Tailpiece to Stave One 34 Heading to Stave Two 37 He produced a decanter of curiously light wine and a block of curiously heavy cake 50 She left him, and they parted 60 Tailpiece to Stave Two 65 Heading to Stave Three 69 There was nothing very cheerful in the climate 75 He had been Tim's blood-horse all the way from church 84 - 85 With the pudding 88 Heading to Stave Four 111 Heading to Stave Five 137 Tailpiece to Stave Five 147 STAVE ONE MARLEY'S GHOST Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Mind! I don't mean to say that I know of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the country's done for. You will, therefore, permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Scrooge knew he was dead? Of course he did. How could it be otherwise? Scrooge and he were partners for I don't know how many years. Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administ