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. `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. Hallo here. Whoop. Hallo.'

     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. Ha ha ha.'

     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. Hallo. Whoop. Hallo here.'

     He was checked in his transports by the churches ringing
out the lustiest peals he had ever heard. Clash, 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 to-day.' 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 to-day, my fine fellow.' said Scrooge.

     `To-day.' 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.
Hallo, my fine fellow.'

     `Hallo.' returned the boy.

     `Do you know the Poulterer's, 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.'

     `Walk-er.' exclaimed the boy.

     `No, no,' said Scrooge, `I am in earnest. Go and buy it,
and tell them 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 Bon Cratchit's.' 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.'

     The hand in which he wrote the address was not a steady
one, but write it he did, somehow, and went down-stairs 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. Hallo. Whoop. How are
you. Merry Christmas.'

     It was a Turkey. He never could have stood upon his legs,
that bird. He would have snapped them 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 are at it. But if he had cut the end of
his nose off, he would have put a piece of sticking-plaister
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-humoured 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.' 
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.'

     `My dear sir,' said the other, shaking hands with him. `I
don't know what to say to such munificence.'

     `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 you,' said Scrooge. `I am much obliged to you. I
thank you fifty 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. 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 up-stairs, if you please.'

     `Thank you. 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's I. Your uncle Scrooge. I have 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 heartier. His
niece looked just the same. So did Topper when he came. So did
the plump sister when she came. So did every one 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 nine. No
Bob. A quarter past. No Bob. He was full eighteen 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 nine o'clock.

     `Hallo.' 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 am 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 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
endeavour to assist your struggling family, and we will
discuss your affairs this very afternoon, over a Christmas
bowl of smoking bishop, Bob. 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 knew, 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!