Christmas Carol: 4.1 Tiny Tim
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Transcript of Christmas Carol: 4.1 Tiny Tim
http://christmascarol.esolebooks.com/
A Christmas Carolby Charles Dickens
Retold by Kieran McGovern
4.1: Tiny Tim`I am the Ghost of Christmas Present,' said the Spirit. `Look upon me.'
The ghost now takes Scrooge to his present life,
but forward to Christmas Day. They first visit the
Cratchit family home where Mrs Cratchit is
cooking Christmas dinner. Bob, and his very ill
son, Tiny Tim, have just arrived. His eldest
daughter is hiding from them for a joke.
2
Bob returns home
Tiny Tim had a little crutch, and had his limbs
supported by an iron frame.
`Why, where's our Martha.' cried Bob
Cratchit, looking round.
`Not coming,' said Mrs Cratchit.
`Not coming.' said Bob, with drop in his
high spirits. `On Christmas Day?'
Martha didn't like to disappoint her father,
even as a joke. She rushed out from behind the
closet door, and ran into his arms. The two
young Cratchits took Tiny Tim to see the
Christmas pudding.
`And how did little Tim behave. asked Mrs
Cratchit when Bob had hugged his daughter.
`As good as gold,' said Bob, with a tremble
in his voice. 'Tiny Tim is growing stronger.’
Before he could say another word, Tiny Tim
returned, his little crutch banging against the
floor. His brother and sister took him to his
stool before the fire.
3
Then the two young Cratchits went to fetch
the goose. They soon returned with the tiny
bird.
A special Christmas dinner
Mrs Cratchit made the gravy hissing hot.
Master Peter mashed the potatoes. Miss Belinda
sweetened the apple-sauce. Martha brought out
the plates.
The two young Cratchits set chairs for
everybody. Bob took Tiny Tim beside him in a
tiny corner at the table.
At last the dishes were ready, and they said
grace. There was then a breathless pause, as
Mrs Cratchit slowly pressed the carving-knife
into the breast. When she did there a murmur
of delight arose all round the table.
4
Even Tiny Tim beat on the table with the
handle of his knife, and feebly cried Hurrah.
‘There never was a goose like this one!’ said
Bob, as they ate every last crumb of the food
before them.
Pudding
Then it was time for Mrs Cratchit to serve the
Christmas Pudding.
‘Oh, what a wonderful pudding!’
Bob Cratchit said to his wife. ‘The
best you have ever made.’
‘I wasn’t sure about the amount of flour.’
‘No, it was exactly right!’
Everybody had something to say about it,
but nobody said or thought it was at all a small
pudding for a large family. Any Cratchit would
have blushed to hint at such a thing.
After dinner all the Cratchit family gathered
in a half-circle round the fire to try the punch.
Bob served it into their ‘glasses’: one of which
was a custard-cup without a handle. These held
the punch as well as golden goblets.
5
Bob served it out with beaming looks, while
the chestnuts on the fire cracked noisily. Then
Bob proposed a toast:
`A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears.
God bless us.'
‘God bless us!’ cried all the family.
`God bless us every one.' said Tiny Tim, the
last of all.
He sat very close to his father's side upon
his little stool.
Bob held his withered little hand in his. He
loved the child, and wished to keep him by his
side. He dreaded what the future might bring.
Will Tiny Tim live?
`Spirit,' said Scrooge, with an interest he had
never felt before, `tell me if Tiny Tim will live.'
`I see a vacant seat in the corner,' replied
the Ghost, `and a crutch without an owner. If
these shadows remain unaltered by the Future,
the child will die.'
`No, no,' said Scrooge. `Oh, no, kind Spirit.
say he will be spared.'
6
`If these shadows remain unaltered by the
Future,' returned the Ghost, `will find him here
But if he dies won’t that decrease the surplus
population?'
Scrooge hung his head with grief to hear
his own words quoted by the Spirit.
Mr Cratchit now proposed a final toast. ‘Mr
Scrooge.' said Bob;
`Mr, Scrooge indeed.' cried Mrs Cratchit, her
face going red. `I wish I had him here. I'd tell
him - ‘
`My dear,' said Bob, `Not in front of the
children.'
A hard, unfeeling man
`He is a hard, unfeeling man as Mr Scrooge.
You know he is, Robert. Nobody knows it better
than you do, poor fellow.'
`My dear,' said Bob. `It’s Christmas Day.'
`I'll drink his health for your sake,' said
Mrs Cratchit, `not for his. Long life to him. A
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. He'll
be very merry and very happy, I have no doubt.'
7
The children drank the toast after her. Tiny
Tim drank it last of all, but he didn't care
twopence for it.
Scrooge was the Monster of the family. The
mention of his name cast a dark shadow on the
party. But this passed and soon they were ten
times merrier than before.
Ghost now takes Scrooge to Fred’s house.
Glossary/Vocabulary
Beaming - producing light, like the sun
Crutch - a stick to help with walking
Dreaded - had great fear
Feebly - weakly, without strength
Blame - accuse somebody of something
Irresistible - compels you to do something
Murmur - speaking in low voices
Punch - special drink (see recipe here)
Toast - touch glasses in celebration
Tremble - a vibration, unsteady
Withered - badly damaged
A glossary, comprehension exercises, key quotes and other learning activities related to this text are here
http://christmascarol.esolebooks.com/