Marley was dead, to begin with. There was no doubt about that. Old Marley had been dead for seven years. His business partner, Ebenezer Scrooge, had signed the death certificate himself. Scrooge was a cold, hard man who loved only one thing: money. He was as hard as stone and as sharp as a knife. The cold within him froze his old face and made his eyes red. No warmth could warm him, and no winter could chill him more than he already was. Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say hello. Even the blind men's dogs seemed to know him and would pull their owners away. But Scrooge did not care. He liked being alone and keeping everyone away from him. It was Christmas Eve, and Scrooge sat busy in his counting house. Outside, the weather was cold and foggy. People walked quickly through the dark streets, trying to stay warm. The door of Scrooge's office was open so he could watch his clerk, Bob Cratchit. Bob sat in a small, dark corner, copying letters. Scrooge had a small fire, but Bob's fire was so much smaller that it looked like just one piece of coal. Bob could not add more coal because Scrooge kept the coal box in his own room. So Bob tried to warm himself by the candle, but that did not help much. 'A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!' cried a cheerful voice. It was Scrooge's nephew, Fred, who had come to visit. His face was red from the cold, and his eyes were bright with happiness. 'Bah!' said Scrooge. 'Humbug!' 'Christmas a humbug, uncle?' said Fred. 'You don't mean that, I am sure.' 'I do,' said Scrooge. 'What reason do you have to be merry? You're poor enough.' 'What reason do you have to be sad?' replied Fred. 'You're rich enough.' Scrooge could think of nothing better to say, so he said 'Bah!' again, followed by 'Humbug!' 'Don't be angry, uncle,' said Fred. 'Come and have dinner with us tomorrow.' 'Why did you get married?' asked Scrooge. 'Because I fell in love,' replied Fred. 'Love!' said Scrooge with disgust. 'Good afternoon!' 'I want nothing from you,' said Fred. 'Why can't we be friends?' 'Good afternoon,' said Scrooge coldly. 'Merry Christmas, uncle,' said Fred, and he left the office with a smile. As Fred left, two gentlemen came in. They were collecting money for the poor. 'At this festive time of year,' one of them said, 'we should help those who suffer.' 'Are there no prisons?' asked Scrooge. 'Are there no workhouses for the poor?' 'Many would rather die than go to those places,' said the gentleman. 'If they would rather die, then they should do it,' said Scrooge, 'and decrease the surplus population.' The two gentlemen left, shocked by his words. At last, it was time to close the office. 'You'll want all day tomorrow, I suppose?' Scrooge said to Bob. 'If it's convenient, sir,' said Bob. 'It's not convenient,' said Scrooge, 'and it's not fair. But I suppose you must have the whole day.' 'Be here all the earlier the next morning!' Bob promised he would and quickly left to enjoy Christmas Eve with his family. Scrooge took his dinner alone in his usual dark tavern. Then he went home to his cold, empty rooms. They had once belonged to his dead partner, Marley. The building was old and dark, and tonight it seemed darker than usual. As Scrooge put his key in the door, he looked at the knocker. It was just an ordinary knocker, but suddenly it changed. Scrooge saw Marley's face in the knocker, glowing with a ghostly light. It was not angry, but it looked at Scrooge with its ghostly glasses pushed up on its forehead. Then it became a knocker again. Scrooge was startled, but he said 'Humbug!' and went inside. He walked up the dark stairs to his rooms. He looked carefully around, but everything seemed normal. Scrooge locked himself in and sat down by his small fire. Suddenly, an old bell in the room began to ring. Then every bell in the house started ringing. The bells stopped, and then came a clanking noise from deep below. It sounded like chains being dragged across the floor. The noise came closer and closer, up the stairs, straight toward his door. 'It's humbug still!' said Scrooge, but his voice shook. The door flew open with a bang, and a ghost passed through it. It was Marley's ghost, wrapped in heavy chains. The chains were made of cash boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, and heavy steel purses. Scrooge could see right through the ghost's body. 'Who are you?' asked Scrooge. 'Ask me who I was,' replied the ghost. 'Who were you, then?' said Scrooge. 'In life, I was your partner, Jacob Marley.' 'Can you sit down?' asked Scrooge, looking at him doubtfully. 'I can,' said the ghost, and it sat in a chair across from Scrooge. 'You don't believe in me,' said the ghost. 'I don't,' said Scrooge. 'You might be a bit of undigested beef or a piece of bad cheese.' At this, the ghost raised a frightful cry and shook its chains. Scrooge fell to his knees in terror. 'Mercy!' he cried. 'Why do you trouble me?' 'I wear the chain I made in life,' replied the ghost. 'I made it link by link, yard by yard, through years of greed.' 'Do you know the weight of the chain you carry?' asked the ghost. 'It was as heavy as this one seven years ago, and you have worked on it since.' Scrooge trembled and looked at the floor, expecting to see chains around himself. 'But you were always a good man of business, Jacob,' said Scrooge weakly. 'Business!' cried the ghost, wringing its hands. 'Mankind was my business! Charity, mercy, and kindness were my business!' 'I am here tonight to warn you,' said the ghost. 'You have one chance to escape my fate.' 'You will be haunted by three spirits,' said Marley's ghost. 'Is that the chance you mentioned?' asked Scrooge. 'I think I'd rather not.' 'Without their visits, you cannot hope to avoid my path,' said the ghost. 'Expect the first when the bell strikes one.' The ghost walked backward toward the window, which opened by itself. As it passed through, Scrooge heard many voices crying in the night air. He looked out and saw hundreds of ghosts, all wearing chains like Marley. They were crying because they could no longer help the living. Scrooge closed the window and went straight to bed. He fell asleep instantly, exhausted and afraid of what was to come.
B1Chapter 1 / 51111 words103 sentences
Stave One: Marley's Ghost
Chapter 1 · A Christmas Carol · B1 English. Tip: Click on any word while reading to see its translation. Take your time with each chapter and review the vocabulary before moving on.
Chapter Summary
We meet Ebenezer Scrooge, a cold and miserly man who hates Christmas. On Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him that three spirits will come to help him change his ways.
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Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
How long had Jacob Marley been dead when the story begins?
2
Who visited Scrooge at his office on Christmas Eve?
3
What did Marley's ghost wear that represented his sins?
4