Christmas Carol 07 recto

7

Meanwhile the fog [???? ?? ??] and darkness thickened so, that people
ran about with [blaring] flaring links, proffering their services to go before [the?] heads
of horses in carriages, and conduct them on their way. A gruff old The [??] ancient tower of a church
whose [?] gruff old bell was always peering peeping slily down at Scrooge out of a gothic
window in the wall, high up became invisible, [as] and struck the hours and
quarters in the clouds, with a tremulous vibrations afterwards, as [though] if
its teeth were chattering in its head frozen head up there. The cold became intense. At
the co In the main street at the corner of the court where a party of some
labourers were repairing the gas pipes and had lighted a great fire in a
brazier, round which a [knot] of knot of men and boys [?????] people [thin ? clad] an [assemblage] a party of ragged men and boys
had? were gathered, [??? all?] warming their hands and winking their eyes before
the [?? jolly] [g??? ?????] blaze in rapture. The [????????????????] water plug [was ????? des??????] [???????] being left [?? ????] in solitude,
its overflowings sullenly congealed congealing, fell asleep and trickled off congealed stopped and and turned to
[so far then.] misanthropic ice. The brightness of the shops where holly
sprigs and berries crackled in the [gl?] lamp-heat of the windows was
made pale faces [???] and [???? ???? bright] ruddy as they passed. [The poulterers] Poulterers’
and grocers’ trades became a splendid joke, a glorious glorious [????? glorious joyous] glorious pageant Not a [matter] it was not
[ of a ???? imp] difficultwith which it was next to impossible to believe that such dull principles as bargain and sale had anything to
do. [with it with such festivities. The Lord Mayor] The Lord Mayor in [his] the
stronghold of the awful Mansion House [???] the Mansion House ordered gave orders to his fifty cooks and butlers [???]
[paced himself] to keep Christmas as a Lord Mayor’s should household should;
and even the little tailor whom he had fined five shillings on the previous
Monday for being drunk and blood thirsty in the streets, stirred up [???]
[???] tomorrow’s pudding in his [??? pair? bac?] garret, while his lean wife and the baby sallied
out to buy the goose beef.

Foggier and still yet, and colder! Piercing, searching, biting cold. If the good Saint Dunstan
had but nipped the Evil Spirit’s nose [with such as that night nipped the] with a touch of such weather as that, [????]
???? instead of using his familiar weapons, then indeed he would have [roared] [made him] roared to lusty purpose. The owner of one scant and young
nose, [??? the hungry cold had] gnawed and mumbled by the hungry cold, as bones are gnawed gnawed by dogs, stooped down at Scrooge’s [door] keyhole, to ????????? regale him with a Christmas
Carol; but at the first sound of

God bless you merry gentleman! May nothing you dismay!

Scrooge [??] seized the ruler with such force energy of action that the singer fled
off ?????ing in wild [dis] terror: [and lef] and left leaving the keyhole to the fog and
????? ?? even more congenial frost.

It It was At length the hour of [??????ing down?] shutting up the counting-house arrived.
With an ill will, Scrooge at length said [kno?] dis-
mounted from his stool, and told the clerk to ["Go"] tacit [published text: tacitly] [admit??] admitted
the fact to the expectant clerk in the tank, who [having had the mufflers ready for the] instantly snuffed [????] his candle out, and
put on his hat.

“You’ll want all day tomorrow, I suppose?” said Scrooge.