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“ I wear the chain I made in life , ” answered the Ghost . “ I made it link by link and yard by yard . And your own chain , Ebenezer ? Seven years ago it was as long and heavy as this one . You have worked on it since then . It is a very heavy chain now ! ” Scrooge looked around him on the floor , but he could not see any chain . “ But you were always a good man of business , Jacob , ” he said . “ Business ! ” cried the Ghost . “ People were my business ! Kindness and mercy were my business . My work in the office was only a drop of water in the great sea of my business ! Why did I walk through crowds of people with my eyes on the ground ? Why did I never help the poor ? Hear me ! My time is nearly gone . I have come to warn you . You still have a chance to escape from my fate . Three Spirits will visit you . ” Scrooge’s face fell . “ I . . . I think I’d rather not , ” he said in a weak voice . “ Without them , you cannot escape my road . Expect the first one tomorrow , when the bell strikes one . The second will come on the next night at the same hour . The third will come on the night after that , at the last stroke of twelve . You will not see me again . For your own good , remember what happened between us ! ” The Ghost walked backwards to the window , and the window opened by itself . Outside , Scrooge heard sad voices crying in the dark . The Ghost listened for a moment . Then it joined in the sad song and floated out into the cold , dark night . Scrooge went to the window . The air was full of ghosts . Every one of them wore a chain like Marley’s , and Scrooge knew many of them when they were alive . One old ghost had a huge iron safe tied to its ankle . It was crying because it could not help a poor woman with a baby on a doorstep below . That was their pain . They wanted to help people now , but they lost that power for ever when they died . Then the ghosts faded into the fog , and the night was quiet again . Scrooge looked at his door . It was still locked twice . He tried to say “ Humbug ! ” but he stopped after the first sound . He was very tired , so he went straight to bed without taking off his clothes , and he fell asleep at once . IV . The Ghost of Christmas Past When Scrooge woke up , it was very dark . A church clock began to strike , and he counted to twelve . Twelve ! It was after two when he went to bed . Did he sleep through a whole day ? Was it all a dream ? He thought about it again and again . Then he remembered the Ghost’s warning . The first Spirit was going to come when the bell struck one . So he lay awake and waited . At last the bell struck a deep , dull ONE . At once , light flashed up in the room , and a hand pulled back the curtains of his bed .
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