A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens
Retold by Kieran McGovern

The Ghost of Christmas Past

3.1 School

The Ghost of Christmas past takes Scrooge back

to when he was a boy at boarding school.

Soon they passed through the wall, and stood

upon an open country road, with fields on
either hand. The city had entirely vanished.
The darkness and the mist had vanished
Now it was a clear, cold, winter day, with
snow upon the ground.
 `Good Heaven!' said Scrooge, clasping his
hands together, as he looked about him. `I grew
up in this place. I was a boy here.'
A thousand thoughts came flooding back.
Hopes, and joys, and cares long, long, forgotten.
`Do you remember the way?' asked the
Spirit.
`Remember it?' cried Scrooge; `I could walk
it blindfold.'
`Strange to have forgotten it for so many
years.' observed the Ghost. `Let us go on.'

Solitary Child

They walked along the road. Scrooge knew

every gate, post and tree. Soon a little town

appeared in the distance, with its bridge, its

church, and winding river.
Some ponies now were seen coming towards
them with boys upon their backs. All these boys

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were in great spirits. They shouted to each
other, until the fields were full of merry music
Scrooge knew these boys and named every
one. Why was he so happy to see them? Why
did his cold eye glisten? Why did his heart leap
up as they went past?
As they parted for their different homes,
the boys said ‘Merry Christmas! It made
Scrooge melancholy.
What was merry Christmas to Scrooge?
What good had it ever done to him?
`The school is not quite deserted,' said the
Ghost. `A solitary child,
neglected by his friends, is left
there still.'
‘I know,’ said Scrooge. And he
wept.

Dear Brother

They left the high road, and soon approached a

large house of dull red brick.
It had large rooms but their walls were
damp, their windows broken, and their gates
decayed. Chickens ran around the stables. The

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coach-houses and sheds were over-grown with
grass.
Glancing through the open doors, they saw
the chilly bareness of a building where there
was too much getting up by candlelight, and
not too much to eat.
The Ghost and Scrooge went across the
hall, to a door at the back of the house. It
opened before them into a long, bare,
melancholy room filled with rows of desks
At one of these a lonely boy was reading
near a feeble fire. Scrooge wept to see the poor
forgotten boy he used to be. Poor boy!’

Another Christmas

`I wish,' Scrooge muttered, putting his hand in

his pocket, and looking about him, after drying
his eyes with his cuff: `but it's too late now.'
`What is the matter.' asked the Spirit.
`Nothing,' said Scrooge. `Nothing. There was
a boy singing a Christmas carol at my door last
night. I should like to have given him
something: that's all.'

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 The Ghost smiled thoughtfully. It waved its
hand saying as it did so, `Let us see another
Christmas.'
Scrooge's former-self grew larger at the
words, and the room became a little darker and
more dirty. The boy was alone again. All the
other boys had gone home for the jolly holidays.
He was not reading now, but walking up
and down despairingly.
Scrooge looked at the Ghost, and with a
mournful shaking of his head, glanced
anxiously towards the door.

Dear Brother

It opened; and a little girl, much younger than

the boy, came darting in. Putting her arms
about his neck, she kissed
him `Dear, dear brother. I
have come to bring you
home.' said the child,
Fan collects Scrooge from his school clapping her tiny
hands, and bending
down to laugh. `To bring you home!'
`Home, little Fan.' said the boy.

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 `Yes.' said the child. `Home forever and ever.
Father is so much kinder than he used to be. I
was not afraid to ask him once more if you
might come home.'
'What did he say?''
'He said yes! And he sent me in a coach to
bring you home!.' said the child, opening her
eyes. 'We'll be together all the Christmas long,
and have the merriest time in all the world.'
`You are quite a woman, little Fan.'
exclaimed the boy.

A delicate creature

She clapped her hands and laughed, and tried

to touch his head; but was too little. Laughing
again, she stood on tiptoe to embrace him.
Then she began to pull him towards the door.
`She was a delicate creature,' said the
Ghost. `But she had a large heart.'
`So she had,' cried Scrooge. `You're right.’
`She died a woman,' said the Ghost,' and
had, as I think, children.'
`One child,' said Scrooge.
`True,' said the Ghost. `Your nephew.'

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 Scrooge seemed uneasy. ‘Yes,’ he answered
briefly.

Next > Fezziwig

Glossary/Vocabulary

Anxiously - nervous, uneasy

Blindfold - covers the eyes
Chilly - cold, uncomfortable
Clasp - holding tight
Deserted - empty
Desparingly - without hope
Glisten - shine with water or tears
Grasp - grip, the way you hold something
Jolly - full of fun
Neglected - not looked after or considered
Solitary - alone; without company
Uneasy - anxious, nervous, unhappy
Wept - cry without control

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