“‘Mr. Marley has been dead these seven years,’ Scrooge replied. ‘He died this very night.’
“Now, a chill went down my spine when I heard this, but whether it was from the lack of warmth in the office or in Scrooge’s tone, I cannot tell, but Darcy carried on, ‘We have no doubt his liberality is well represented by his surviving partner,’ he said.
“Scrooge frowned and shook his head. The cold seemed to freeze his features, nipped his pointed nose, and shriveled his cheek. Frost had settled on his head and on his eyebrows and his wiry chin.”
“Stop teasing, Father,” Alice exclaimed.
“I do not exaggerate,” claimed Uncle Gardiner.
“At least not very much,” Darcy responded dryly. “I explained the purpose of the visit, of gathering funds to provide some slight provisions for the poor and destitute.”
Mr. Gardiner continued, “I swear his eyes turned red, and his lips compressed into a thin blue line. In a grating voice he demanded ‘Are there no prisons? Are the workhouses still in operation? Are the Treadmill and the Poor Law still in full vigor?’
“When we agreed that indeed these institutions were still in operation, he said, ‘I was afraid that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course.’
“I then explained that these places could hardly supply much in the way of a Christmas celebration and asked how much he wished to contribute.
“‘Nothing!’ Scrooge replied.
“‘You wish to be anonymous?’ asked Darcy.
“‘I wish to be left alone,’ said Scrooge. ‘Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. I don’t make merry myself at Christmas and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned—they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there.’”
“Oh, he sounds a horrid fellow, Father,” exclaimed Alice.
The door to the parlor opened, and a young girl of perhaps six or so came into the room.
“Grandpapa!” she exclaimed and made her way to Mr. Gardiner for a welcoming hug. “Did you know we are to have turkey and stuffing and Christmas pudding? Very soon, I hope.”
“Rebecca, you should be in the back parlor with the rest of the children; the turkey will be in the dining room when it is ready,” her mother scolded.
“I can remember a time when you liked a roast goose well enough yourself, Alice,” recalled Mr. Gardiner, setting his granddaughter on his knee.
“I did not forever go on about it,” Alice said.
“Oh, did you not? Rebecca, your mother used to—” Robert started.
But Alice quickly interrupted. “Father has not finished his story. What happened then?”
“Where was I? Ah, yes, the poor were to go to the publicly supported institutions. I then replied that many would rather die than go to such places. ‘If they would rather die,’ said Scrooge, ‘they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.’”
“The man is positively dreadful,” exclaimed Elizabeth.
“Seeing clearly that it would be useless to pursue the point, we withdrew. We agreed that we had never met a more tight-fisted old sinner! Luckily for the Society, most of the businesses we approached were generous enough to give at least a little to our cause.”
“I agree that he was most unpleasant, but as there is nothing extraordinary in that part of the tale, misers are not uncommon,” Darcy remarked.
“I am getting to that part, never fear.” He took another sip of wine and leaned forward to continue his tale when the door to the parlor opened yet again.
“Dinner is served,” announced the butler.
“Can it not wait until the tale is done?” asked Alice.
“No, no, my dear, the turkey is ready and must not be kept waiting; I shall finish the tale after our grand feast. Come along, Rebecca.” Taking his granddaughter’s hand, he led the exodus out of the parlor and into the dining room.
Sometime later, when bellies were full of a bountiful Christmas repast, the family retired to the large drawing room, where a Christmas tree stood tall and proud.
“What think you of this new fashion, Darcy?” Mr. Gardiner asked, surveying the tree.
“I like it very much,” exclaimed Rebecca. “It is very pretty.”
“Yes, indeed, but I did not ask you, my dear.”
“It is an old custom in some parts of the world, I am told. Whether it will remain in fashion here, only time will tell, but I like it well enough.”
“As do I. Now dear Uncle, you have kept us in suspense long enough, do finish your story,” Elizabeth demanded.
“Very well, my dear. Some members of the Benevolent Society gathered this morning, so we could deliver the goods we had purchased.”
“Well, what happened to you?” demanded young Timothy Darcy.
“I had decided to walk to our meeting, it being such a beautiful morning. I had not gone far when I beheld Mr. Scrooge coming toward me. Having no wish to remember the unpleasantness of the day before, I did my best to ignore the old gentleman, only to be waylaid by a hail from Scrooge himself.
“‘My dear sir,’ he exclaimed, taking both my hands. ‘How do you do? I hope you succeeded exceptionally well yesterday. It was very kind of you. A Merry Christmas to you, sir!’
“‘Mr. Scrooge?’ I asked, for I was dumbfounded and wondering if my memory was so faulty that I had attributed Scrooge’s faults onto an innocent look-alike.
“He answered in the affirmative. ‘I fear my presence may not be pleasant to you. Allow me to ask your pardon. And will you have the goodness to accept a substantial donation to your cause, say £5,000?’”
“Lord bless me!” croaked Bingley, his breath being taken away.
“Was he serious, do you think?” commented Robert.
“Very serious, for while I was still doubting what I heard, he continued, ‘Not a farthing less. A great many back-payments are included in it, I assure you. Will you do me that favor?’
“‘My dear sir,’ I began to shake his hand most violently. ‘I don’t know what to say to such munificence—’
“‘Don’t say anything, please,’ retorted Scrooge. ‘Come and see me. Will you come and see me?’
“‘I will!’ I cried.
“‘Thank you,’ said Scrooge. ‘I am much obliged to you. I thank you fifty times. Bless you!’
“Well, I stood in the street for a good five minutes, trying to grasp what had just befallen before hurrying on to our meeting. I entered the room with such a stunned expression on my face that the others could not but wonder what had happened to me. So I told them the same story that I told you. The members rejoiced at what £5,000 could provide to those we serve. I mean to visit Scrooge at the earliest opportunity, for one cannot know how long such a transformation will last.”
“I will believe it when the money is received and not a moment before,” Darcy stated, such was his ill impression of the man.
“What could have occurred to cause such a transformation?” Elizabeth commented.
“I wondered that myself and so I asked him.”
“You spoke with him about it?” asked Jane.
“Scrooge again hailed me as I was on my way here, he looked so pleasant and also younger. Yesterday I would have figured he was as old or older than myself.”
“As ancient as that then?” Bingley asked with a twinkle in his eye.
“Quite ancient, but it was his spirit and demeanor that made him appear so aged—in reality he is only a little older than yourself and Darcy. One of the Society members vaguely remembered that he was a young man when he established his business some thirty years ago. But let us return to the present Mr. Scrooge. ‘Good day, sir! A Merry Christmas to you! It seems to be our day for chance meetings. You are still coming to see me tomorrow?’
“‘I nodded in agreement.’
“‘And where are you off to?’ he asked.
“I explained that I was going to have Christmas dinner with my family and he said he was about to do same. I thought he seemed excited yet anxious about the visit. He was about to turn away when I again thanked him very much for his generosity this morning.