Bob Cratchit reached for Tiny Tim's hand. He squeezed it, looking at the frail little boy with deep love in his eyes.
"Cratchit adores that child," Scrooge said. "Spirit . . ." He paused to look at the ghost. "You must tell me, will Tiny Tim live to see another Christmas?"
"I'm afraid I see a vacant seat at next year's table," the spirit said solemnly. "I see a tiny crutch leaning against the empty chair." He turned to look at Scrooge. "If nothing happens to change the course of the future, the child will die before another Christmas arrives."
해석 데이터를 입력해주세요.
"No, no." Scrooge found himself filled with sadness at this terrible news. He looked again at Tiny Tim's little hand, still clasped in his father's loving grip. "Oh no, kind spirit. Please tell me the boy will be spared!"
"I'm surprised to hear such a request from you," the spirit said. "Your only concern with this child before tonight was how much it must cost to support him. You even hoped that his father didn't use him as an excuse to ask you for a raise."
Scrooge's face twisted with guilt. "I didn't mean it," he muttered. "I was just . . ."
해석 데이터를 입력해주세요.
At that moment he heard his own name. Bob Cratchit had raised a glass for a toast.
"To Mr. Scrooge, the provider of this feast!"
His wife scowled. "The provider of this feast? I won't drink to the health of a cold, stingy man like Mr. Scrooge."
"My dear," Bob Cratchit said mildly, "it's Christmas."
"Then I'll drink to his health for your sake and for the season," she said. "Not for Mr. Scrooge, who's the ogre of this family. He pays you as little as he can get away with."
해석 데이터를 입력해주세요.
"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Mr. Scrooge," Tiny Tim said. "Everyone deserves a blessing at Christmastime!"
Even his mother couldn't disagree with that, and so the family drank the toast.
"I'm grateful they're thinking of me," Scrooge muttered. "But blessings and toasts have little value in the real world. Cratchit should spend more time on figuring out how to help his sick child. It's a desperate situation."
해석 데이터를 입력해주세요.
Suddenly the house and the family disappeared. Scrooge stood once more on a city street. It was dark, and snow was falling, but the warm glow of fires lightened the gloom around them. Scrooge and the spirit began walking along, peeking through one window after another. They saw a family preparing for a cozy dinner with plates warming over the fire. A plump, smiling woman closed the curtains to shut out the cold and darkness. In another house the blinds were closed tightly. But Scrooge could see the shadows of people inside, dancing and laughing.
해석 데이터를 입력해주세요.
Then several lovely teenage girls came out of a house, wearing fur boots and warm, hooded coats. Chattering happily, they hurried next door to invite their neighbor to join their family for dinner.
Scrooge listened as the man accepted their invitation. "His face is glowing with joy," Scrooge thought.
He was just about to point out the man to the spirit when a church bell rang. To Scrooge's surprise, the Ghost of Christmas Present disappeared. So did everything else around him.
해석 데이터를 입력해주세요.
Scrooge heard a sound and turned to see a different phantom moving toward him. It was tall and covered in a black garment with a hood. Scrooge couldn't see its face, its body, or anything else except one thin, outstretched hand. Its mysterious presence filled Scrooge with a terrible dread.
"Am I . . . Are you the Ghost of Christmas Future?" Scrooge asked in a shaky voice.
The spirit said nothing. It only lifted its hand, pointing a finger past Scrooge.
"You're about to show me the shadows of things that will happen in the future," Scrooge said. "Is that true, spirit?"
The spirit tilted its head but still said nothing.
해석 데이터를 입력해주세요.
By now Scrooge was almost accustomed to his ghostly visitors. Even so, he felt so afraid of this new spirit that his whole body trembled.
"Ghost of the Future!" he cried. "I'm more afraid of you than the other ghosts. But I know your purpose is to do me good. I am prepared to follow where you will lead. But why won't you speak to me?"
The finger pointed again. Then the mysterious spirit began drifting in that same direction, and Scrooge followed it wearily.