The man sitting in front of the fire was once more a younger version of Scrooge. However, the man had aged since the party at Fezziwig's. His face no longer looked shy and eager. Now there was a hardness in his eyes and around his mouth.
The young woman beside him had tears in her eyes. Scrooge felt his heart twist with pain as he looked at lovely Belle. He had been in love with her long ago.
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"A new idol has displaced me in your heart," Belle said. "I hope it can cheer and comfort you in the future, as I would have tried to do."
Ebenezer looked confused. "I don't understand. What idol has displaced you?"
"Money," Belle said sadly.
Ebenezer scoffed. "That's the way of the world, Belle. Soft-hearted people might say it's wrong to think about money, but nobody wants to be poor, do they?"
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"No, but it's possible to fear poverty too much," she said. "You've set aside all your other hopes and dreams. Now your only passion is making money, more and more money."
Ebenezer shrugged. "That's because I'm wiser than most people in this world. And you're wrong to say that money is my only passion. My love for you hasn't changed at all."
She shook her head. "When we first met, we were both poor but content. But you have changed, Ebenezer, which means your feelings toward me have changed too. Back when we met, you were a completely different man."
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"I was a boy," he said impatiently. "I didn't understand wealth back then."
"It's something much more than that," Belle said. "That's why I've reached another sad conclusion."
"What is it?" Ebenezer said.
A tear slipped down Belle's cheek. "You once promised to marry me and take care of me. But I must release you from your promise."
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"What?" Ebenezer looked startled. "I don't want you to release me from my promise. So why are you doing this?"
Belle sighed. "Because you aren't the same man who made that promise. Imagine if we were to meet for the first time today. Would you bother trying to win my heart?"
Ebenezer hesitated. "Of course I would! You think I wouldn't?"
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"I wish I believed you would still try to win my heart. But I believe you would never choose a poor girl today. You'd never choose a girl with no family money to bring to a marriage. Not when you value everything in the world by how much it costs."
"Belle, I . . ."
Belle took a deep breath. "Therefore, with a full heart, I release you. May you be happy in the life you have chosen."
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Ebenezer opened his mouth again and looked ready to protest. But at the sight of Belle's determined face, he merely nodded and left.
Scrooge watched Belle collapse in tears.
"Spirit, show me no more!" he cried. "Why do you delight in torturing me? Please take me home!"
The ghost stretched out its finger. "We must see one more shadow."
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Scrooge found himself in a different room. A beautiful young woman sat near the fire, and for a moment, he thought she was Belle. Then he spied a middle-aged woman nearby. That was Belle, and he guessed that the younger woman was her daughter.
The room was in an uproar, with several children racing around shouting and laughing. Scrooge was so agitated by seeing Belle again that he didn't bother trying to count her children. Instead he watched as Belle and her oldest daughter laughed at the younger ones' noisy antics.
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Suddenly the door flew open, and a smiling man entered, his arms loaded with holiday gifts. The children raced over, nearly smothering him with hugs while shouting joyful greetings. The man finally managed to make his way past them to Belle. Leaning down, he gave her a fond kiss.
Scrooge couldn't help imagining himself in the other man's place.
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"What if I had married Belle, as we'd planned long ago?" he thought. "What if I were the one coming home to a house full of children who were happy to see me?"
Scrooge closed his eyes. "Stop!" he cried, trying to banish such thoughts from his mind. "Spirit, I don't want to see any more of this scene!"
But the ghost sounded unmoved by Scrooge's pain. "You must see more. And you will see it."