{"id":17134,"date":"2021-12-26T21:00:16","date_gmt":"2021-12-27T02:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/?p=17134"},"modified":"2021-12-23T21:40:53","modified_gmt":"2021-12-24T02:40:53","slug":"27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/","title":{"rendered":"27DEC2021 \u2013 Quote of the Day \u2013 A Christmas Carol – Part 23"},"content":{"rendered":"

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (IN PROSE BEING, A Ghost Story of Christmas)<\/p>\n

by Charles Dickens<\/p>\n

(OCF editing – Part 23)<\/p>\n

STAVE V:\u00a0 THE END OF IT<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

YES! and the bedpost was his own. The bed was his own,<\/strong><\/p>\n

the room was his own. Best and happiest of all, the Time<\/strong><\/p>\n

before him was his own, to make amends in!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scrooge repeated, as he scrambled out of bed. “The Spirits<\/strong><\/p>\n

of all Three shall strive within me. Oh Jacob Marley!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Heaven, and the Christmas Time be praised for this! I say<\/strong><\/p>\n

it on my knees, old Jacob; on my knees!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

He was so fluttered and so glowing with his good intentions,<\/strong><\/p>\n

that his broken voice would scarcely answer to his<\/strong><\/p>\n

call. He had been sobbing violently in his conflict with the<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spirit, and his face was wet with tears.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

“They are not torn down,” cried Scrooge, folding one of<\/strong><\/p>\n

his bed-curtains in his arms, “they are not torn down, rings<\/strong><\/p>\n

and all. They are here–I am here–the shadows of the<\/strong><\/p>\n

things that would have been, may be dispelled. They will<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. I know they will!”<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    His hands were busy with his garments all this time;<\/strong><\/p>\n

    turning them inside out, putting them on upside down,<\/strong><\/p>\n

    tearing them, mislaying them, making them parties to every<\/strong><\/p>\n

    kind of extravagance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “I don’t know what to do!” cried Scrooge, laughing and<\/strong><\/p>\n

    crying in the same breath; and making a perfect Laoco\u00f6n of<\/strong><\/p>\n

    himself with his stockings. “I am as light as a feather, I<\/strong><\/p>\n

    am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I<\/strong><\/p>\n

    am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to<\/strong><\/p>\n

    everybody! A happy New Year to all the world. Hallo<\/strong><\/p>\n

    here! Whoop! Hallo!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    He had frisked into the sitting-room, and was now standing<\/strong><\/p>\n

    there: perfectly winded.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “There’s the saucepan that the gruel was in!” cried<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Scrooge, starting off again, and going round the fireplace.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “There’s the door, by which the Ghost of Jacob Marley<\/strong><\/p>\n

    entered! There’s the corner where the Ghost of Christmas<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Present, sat! There’s the window where I saw the wandering<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Spirits! It’s all right, it’s all true, it all happened.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Ha ha ha!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Really, for a man who had been out of practice for so<\/strong><\/p>\n

    many years, it was a splendid laugh, a most illustrious laugh.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The father of a long, long line of brilliant laughs!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “I don’t know what day of the month it is!” said<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Scrooge. “I don’t know how long I’ve been among the<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Spirits. I don’t know anything. I’m quite a baby. Never<\/strong><\/p>\n

    mind. I don’t care. I’d rather be a baby. Hallo! Whoop!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Hallo here!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    He was checked in his transports by the churches ringing<\/strong><\/p>\n

    out the lustiest peals he had ever heard. Clash, clang,<\/strong><\/p>\n

    hammer; ding, dong, bell. Bell, dong, ding; hammer, clang,<\/strong><\/p>\n

    clash! Oh, glorious, glorious!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Running to the window, he opened it, and put out his<\/strong><\/p>\n

    head. No fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold;<\/strong><\/p>\n

    cold, piping for the blood to dance to; Golden sunlight;<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Heavenly sky; sweet fresh air; merry bells. Oh, glorious!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Glorious!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “What’s to-day!” cried Scrooge, calling downward to a<\/strong><\/p>\n

    boy in Sunday clothes, who perhaps had loitered in to look<\/strong><\/p>\n

    about him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “EH?” returned the boy, with all his might of wonder.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “What’s to-day, my fine fellow?” said Scrooge.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “To-day!” replied the boy. “Why, CHRISTMAS DAY.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “It’s Christmas Day!” said Scrooge to himself. “I<\/strong><\/p>\n

    haven’t missed it. The Spirits have done it all in one night.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    They can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of<\/strong><\/p>\n

    course they can. Hallo, my fine fellow!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Hallo!” returned the boy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Do you know the Poulterer’s, in the next street but one,<\/strong><\/p>\n

    at the corner?” Scrooge inquired.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “I should hope I did,” replied the lad.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “An intelligent boy!” said Scrooge. “A remarkable boy!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Do you know whether they’ve sold the prize Turkey that<\/strong><\/p>\n

    was hanging up there?–Not the little prize Turkey: the<\/strong><\/p>\n

    big one?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “What, the one as big as me?” returned the boy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “What a delightful boy!” said Scrooge. “It’s a pleasure<\/strong><\/p>\n

    to talk to him. Yes, my buck!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “It’s hanging there now,” replied the boy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Is it?” said Scrooge. “Go and buy it.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Walk-ER!” exclaimed the boy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “No, no,” said Scrooge, “I am in earnest. Go and buy<\/strong><\/p>\n

    it, and tell ’em to bring it here, that I may give them the<\/strong><\/p>\n

    direction where to take it. Come back with the man, and<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I’ll give you a shilling. Come back with him in less than<\/strong><\/p>\n

    five minutes and I’ll give you half-a-crown!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The boy was off like a shot. He must have had a steady<\/strong><\/p>\n

    hand at a trigger who could have got a shot off half so fast.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “I’ll send it to Bob Cratchit’s!” whispered Scrooge,<\/strong><\/p>\n

    rubbing his hands, and splitting with a laugh. “He sha’n’t<\/strong><\/p>\n

    know who sends it. It’s twice the size of Tiny Tim. Joe<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Miller never made such a joke as sending it to Bob’s<\/strong><\/p>\n

    will be!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The hand in which he wrote the address was not a steady<\/strong><\/p>\n

    one, but write it he did, somehow, and went down-stairs to<\/strong><\/p>\n

    open the street door, ready for the coming of the poulterer’s<\/strong><\/p>\n

    man. As he stood there, waiting his arrival, the knocker<\/strong><\/p>\n

    caught his eye.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “I shall love it, as long as I live!” cried Scrooge, patting<\/strong><\/p>\n

    it with his hand. “I scarcely ever looked at it before.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    What an honest expression it has in its face! It’s a<\/strong><\/p>\n

    wonderful knocker!–Here’s the Turkey! Hallo! Whoop!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    How are you! Merry Christmas!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    It was a Turkey! He never could have stood upon his<\/strong><\/p>\n

    legs, that bird. He would have snapped ’em short off in a<\/strong><\/p>\n

    minute, like sticks of sealing-wax.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Why, it’s impossible to carry that to Camden Town,”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    said Scrooge. “You must have a cab.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The chuckle with which he said this, and the chuckle with<\/strong><\/p>\n

    which he paid for the Turkey, and the chuckle with which<\/strong><\/p>\n

    he paid for the cab, and the chuckle with which he recompensed<\/strong><\/p>\n

    the boy, were only to be exceeded by the chuckle<\/strong><\/p>\n

    with which he sat down breathless in his chair again, and<\/strong><\/p>\n

    chuckled till he cried.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Shaving was not an easy task, for his hand continued to<\/strong><\/p>\n

    shake very much; and shaving requires attention, even when<\/strong><\/p>\n

    you don’t dance while you are at it. But if he had cut the<\/strong><\/p>\n

    end of his nose off, he would have put a piece of<\/strong><\/p>\n

    sticking-plaister over it, and been quite satisfied.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    He dressed himself “all in his best,” and at last got out<\/strong><\/p>\n

    into the streets. The people were by this time pouring forth,<\/strong><\/p>\n

    as he had seen them with the Ghost of Christmas Present;<\/strong><\/p>\n

    and walking with his hands behind him, Scrooge regarded<\/strong><\/p>\n

    every one with a delighted smile. He looked so irresistibly<\/strong><\/p>\n

    pleasant, in a word, that three or four good-humoured fellows<\/strong><\/p>\n

    said, “Good morning, sir! A merry Christmas to you!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    And Scrooge said often afterwards, that of all the blithe<\/strong><\/p>\n

    sounds he had ever heard, those were the blithest in his ears.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    He had not gone far, when coming on towards him he<\/strong><\/p>\n

    beheld the portly gentleman, who had walked into his<\/strong><\/p>\n

    counting-house the day before, and said, “Scrooge and Marley’s, I<\/strong><\/p>\n

    believe?”\u00a0 It sent a pang across his heart to think how this<\/strong><\/p>\n

    old gentleman would look upon him when they met; but he<\/strong><\/p>\n

    knew what path lay straight before him, and he took it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “My dear sir,” said Scrooge, quickening his pace, and<\/strong><\/p>\n

    taking the old gentleman by both his hands. “How do you<\/strong><\/p>\n

    do? I hope you succeeded yesterday. It was very kind of<\/strong><\/p>\n

    you. A merry Christmas to you, sir!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Mr. Scrooge?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Yes,” said Scrooge. “That is my name, and I fear it<\/strong><\/p>\n

    may not be pleasant to you. Allow me to ask your pardon.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    And will you have the goodness”–here Scrooge whispered in<\/strong><\/p>\n

    his ear.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Lord bless me!” cried the gentleman, as if his breath<\/strong><\/p>\n

    were taken away. “My dear Mr. Scrooge, are you serious?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “If you please,” said Scrooge. “Not a farthing less. A<\/strong><\/p>\n

    great many back-payments are included in it, I assure you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Will you do me that favour?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “My dear sir,” said the other, shaking hands with him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “I don’t know what to say to such munifi–“<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Don’t say anything, please,” retorted Scrooge. “Come<\/strong><\/p>\n

    and see me. Will you come and see me?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “I will!” cried the old gentleman. And it was clear he<\/strong><\/p>\n

    meant to do it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Thank’ee,” said Scrooge. “I am much obliged to you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I thank you fifty times. Bless you!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    He went to church, and walked about the streets, and<\/strong><\/p>\n

    watched the people hurrying to and fro, and patted children<\/strong><\/p>\n

    on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked down into<\/strong><\/p>\n

    the kitchens of houses, and up to the windows, and found<\/strong><\/p>\n

    that everything could yield him pleasure. He had never<\/strong><\/p>\n

    dreamed that any walk–that anything–could give him so<\/strong><\/p>\n

    much happiness. In the afternoon he turned his steps<\/strong><\/p>\n

    towards his nephew’s house.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    He passed the door a dozen times, before he had the<\/strong><\/p>\n

    courage to go up and knock. But he made a dash, and<\/strong><\/p>\n

    did it:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Is your master at home, my dear?” said Scrooge to the<\/strong><\/p>\n

    girl. Nice girl! Very.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Yes, sir.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Where is he, my love?” said Scrooge.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “He’s in the dining-room, sir, along with mistress. I’ll<\/strong><\/p>\n

    show you up-stairs, if you please.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Thank’ee. He knows me,” said Scrooge, with his hand<\/strong><\/p>\n

    already on the dining-room lock. “I’ll go in here, my dear.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    He turned it gently, and sidled his face in, round the door.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    They were looking at the table (which was spread out in<\/strong><\/p>\n

    great array); for these young housekeepers are always nervous<\/strong><\/p>\n

    on such points, and like to see that everything is right.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Fred!” said Scrooge.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Dear heart alive, how his niece by marriage started!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Scrooge had forgotten, for the moment, about her sitting<\/strong><\/p>\n

    in the corner with the footstool, or he wouldn’t have done<\/strong><\/p>\n

    it, on any account.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Why bless my soul!” cried Fred, “who’s that?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “It’s I. Your uncle Scrooge. I have come to dinner.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Will you let me in, Fred?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Let him in! It is a mercy he didn’t shake his arm off.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    He was at home in five minutes. Nothing could be heartier.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    His niece looked just the same. So did Topper when he<\/strong><\/p>\n

    came. So did the plump sister when she came. So did<\/strong><\/p>\n

    every one when they came. Wonderful party, wonderful<\/strong><\/p>\n

    games, wonderful unanimity, won-der-ful happiness!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    But he was early at the office next morning. Oh, he was<\/strong><\/p>\n

    early there. If he could only be there first, and catch Bob<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Cratchit coming late! That was the thing he had set his<\/strong><\/p>\n

    heart upon.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    And he did it; yes, he did! The clock struck nine. No<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Bob. A quarter past. No Bob. He was full eighteen<\/strong><\/p>\n

    minutes and a half behind his time. Scrooge sat with his<\/strong><\/p>\n

    door wide open, that he might see him come into the Tank.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    His hat was off, before he opened the door; his comforter<\/strong><\/p>\n

    too. He was on his stool in a jiffy; driving away with his<\/strong><\/p>\n

    pen, as if he were trying to overtake nine o’clock.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Hallo!” growled Scrooge, in his accustomed voice, as<\/strong><\/p>\n

    near as he could feign it. “What do you mean by coming<\/strong><\/p>\n

    here at this time of day?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “I am very sorry, sir,” said Bob. “I am behind my time.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “You are?” repeated Scrooge. “Yes. I think you are.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Step this way, sir, if you please.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “It’s only once a year, sir,” pleaded Bob, appearing from<\/strong><\/p>\n

    the Tank. “It shall not be repeated. I was making rather<\/strong><\/p>\n

    merry yesterday, sir.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “Now, I’ll tell you what, my friend,” said Scrooge, “I<\/strong><\/p>\n

    am not going to stand this sort of thing any longer. And<\/strong><\/p>\n

    therefore,” he continued, leaping from his stool, and giving<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Bob such a dig in the waistcoat that he staggered back into<\/strong><\/p>\n

    the Tank again; “and therefore I am about to raise your<\/strong><\/p>\n

    salary!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Bob trembled, and got a little nearer to the ruler. He<\/strong><\/p>\n

    had a momentary idea of knocking Scrooge down with it,<\/strong><\/p>\n

    holding him, and calling to the people in the court for help<\/strong><\/p>\n

    and a strait-waistcoat.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “A merry Christmas, Bob!” said Scrooge, with an earnestness<\/strong><\/p>\n

    that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the<\/strong><\/p>\n

    back. “A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I<\/strong><\/p>\n

    have given you, for many a year! I’ll raise your salary, and<\/strong><\/p>\n

    endeavour to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss<\/strong><\/p>\n

    your affairs this very afternoon, over a Christmas bowl of<\/strong><\/p>\n

    smoking bishop, Bob! Make up the fires, and buy another<\/strong><\/p>\n

    coal-scuttle before you dot another i, Bob Cratchit!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and<\/strong><\/p>\n

    infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was<\/strong><\/p>\n

    a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a<\/strong><\/p>\n

    master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or<\/strong><\/p>\n

    any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old<\/strong><\/p>\n

    world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him,<\/strong><\/p>\n

    but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was<\/strong><\/p>\n

    wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this<\/strong><\/p>\n

    globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill<\/strong><\/p>\n

    of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these<\/strong><\/p>\n

    would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they<\/strong><\/p>\n

    should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in<\/strong><\/p>\n

    less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was<\/strong><\/p>\n

    quite enough for him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon<\/strong><\/p>\n

    the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was<\/strong><\/p>\n

    always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas<\/strong><\/p>\n

    well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that<\/strong><\/p>\n

    be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim<\/strong><\/p>\n

    observed, God bless Us, Every One!<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Charles Dickens<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A CHRISTMAS CAROL (IN PROSE BEING, A Ghost Story of Christmas) by Charles Dickens (OCF editing – Part 23) STAVE V:\u00a0 THE END OF IT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[701],"tags":[1011,1010,94,744],"class_list":["post-17134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-quote-of-the-day","tag-a-christmas-carol","tag-charles-dickens","tag-christmas","tag-quote-of-the-day"],"yoast_head":"\n27DEC2021 \u2013 Quote of the Day \u2013 A Christmas Carol - Part 23 - Orion's Cold Fire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"27DEC2021 \u2013 Quote of the Day \u2013 A Christmas Carol - Part 23 - Orion's Cold Fire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A CHRISTMAS CAROL (IN PROSE BEING, A Ghost Story of Christmas) by Charles Dickens (OCF editing – Part 23) STAVE V:\u00a0 THE END OF IT\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orion's Cold Fire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-12-27T02:00:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-12-24T02:40:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"photog\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@orionscoldfire\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@orionscoldfire\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"photog\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"photog\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d11e80f83f3825ce9fe38a5303eb64d3\"},\"headline\":\"27DEC2021 \u2013 Quote of the Day \u2013 A Christmas Carol – Part 23\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-12-27T02:00:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-12-24T02:40:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/\"},\"wordCount\":2384,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"A Christmas Carol\",\"Charles Dickens\",\"Christmas\",\"Quote of the Day\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Quote of the Day\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/\",\"name\":\"27DEC2021 \u2013 Quote of the Day \u2013 A Christmas Carol - Part 23 - Orion's Cold Fire\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-12-27T02:00:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-12-24T02:40:53+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"27DEC2021 \u2013 Quote of the Day \u2013 A Christmas Carol – Part 23\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/\",\"name\":\"Orion's Cold Fire\",\"description\":\"All the Secrets of the Universe and Some Really Important Stuff Too!\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Orion's Cold Fire\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/DSC06141.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/DSC06141.jpg\",\"width\":4022,\"height\":1419,\"caption\":\"Orion's Cold Fire\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/orionscoldfire\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d11e80f83f3825ce9fe38a5303eb64d3\",\"name\":\"photog\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/photog-image.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/photog-image.jpg\",\"caption\":\"photog\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/author\/photog\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"27DEC2021 \u2013 Quote of the Day \u2013 A Christmas Carol - Part 23 - Orion's Cold Fire","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"27DEC2021 \u2013 Quote of the Day \u2013 A Christmas Carol - Part 23 - Orion's Cold Fire","og_description":"A CHRISTMAS CAROL (IN PROSE BEING, A Ghost Story of Christmas) by Charles Dickens (OCF editing – Part 23) STAVE V:\u00a0 THE END OF IT","og_url":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/","og_site_name":"Orion's Cold Fire","article_published_time":"2021-12-27T02:00:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-12-24T02:40:53+00:00","author":"photog","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@orionscoldfire","twitter_site":"@orionscoldfire","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"photog","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/"},"author":{"name":"photog","@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d11e80f83f3825ce9fe38a5303eb64d3"},"headline":"27DEC2021 \u2013 Quote of the Day \u2013 A Christmas Carol – Part 23","datePublished":"2021-12-27T02:00:16+00:00","dateModified":"2021-12-24T02:40:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/"},"wordCount":2384,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#organization"},"keywords":["A Christmas Carol","Charles Dickens","Christmas","Quote of the Day"],"articleSection":["Quote of the Day"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/","url":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/","name":"27DEC2021 \u2013 Quote of the Day \u2013 A Christmas Carol - Part 23 - Orion's Cold Fire","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-12-27T02:00:16+00:00","dateModified":"2021-12-24T02:40:53+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/26\/27dec2021-quote-of-the-day-a-christmas-carol-part-23\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"27DEC2021 \u2013 Quote of the Day \u2013 A Christmas Carol – Part 23"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/","name":"Orion's Cold Fire","description":"All the Secrets of the Universe and Some Really Important Stuff Too!","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#organization","name":"Orion's Cold Fire","url":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/DSC06141.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/DSC06141.jpg","width":4022,"height":1419,"caption":"Orion's Cold Fire"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/orionscoldfire"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d11e80f83f3825ce9fe38a5303eb64d3","name":"photog","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/photog-image.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/photog-image.jpg","caption":"photog"},"url":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/author\/photog\/"}]}},"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17134"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17135,"href":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17134\/revisions\/17135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orionscoldfire.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}