A Christmas Carol - Script

MARTHA CRATCHIT: We'd a deal of work to finnish up last night, and had to clear away thismorning, mother!MRS. CRATCHIT: Well! Never mind so long as you are come, sit down by the fire, my dear, and havea warm, Lord bless you!PETER CRATCHIT: No, no! There's father coming.BELINDA CRATCHIT: Hide, Martha, hide![BOB CRATCHIT enters carrying TINY TIM upon his shoulders. TINY TIM bears a small crutch andwears an iron leg-frame.]BOB CRATCHIT: Why, where's our martha?MRS. CRATCHIT: Not coming.BOB CRATCHIT: Not coming! Not coming upon Christmas Day?MARTHA CRATCHIT: Here I am, father. I can't let them tease you so![They embrace.]BOB CRATCHIT: It would not have been Christmas at all without you, dear Martha!MRS. CRATCHIT: And how did little Tim behave?BOB CRATCHIT: As good as gold, and better. Somehow he gets thoughtful, sitting by himself somuch, and thinks the strangest things you ever heard. He told me, coming home, that he hoped thepeople saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to rememberupon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see. [Bob's voice is shaky.] Tim isreally getting to be much stronger and hearty... isn't he my dear?MRS. CRATCHIT: I wish it so. [She looks at him with great doubt.]PETER CRATCHIT: Tim! Sit here by the fire and have a warm.MRS. CRATCHIT: Patricia! Belinda! Bring Master Peter and fetch the goose![They exit to get the food. While the others are out, Bob seats Tim at the table. Upon return, all areseated.]BOB CRATCHIT: There never was such a goose!TINY TIM: Hurrah! [Hitting his spoon and fork on the table.]BOB CRATCHIT: Oh! And such a wonderful pudding!PATRICIA CRATCHIT: Such a lovely dinner, mother!BELINDA CRATCHIT: Yes, mother! Oh, yes!BOB CRATCHIT: A toast! A merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us!PETER CRATCHIT: Yes, a toast!TINY TIM: God bless us every one!SCROOGE: Spirit, tell me if Tiny Tim will live?CHRISTMAS PRESENT: I see a vacant seat in the poor chimney corner, and a crutch without anowner, carefully preserved. If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die.SCROOGE: No, no! Oh, no, kind Spirit, say he will be spared.CHRISTMAS PRESENT: If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race willfind him here. What then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.[Scrooge is overcome with penitence and grief, and lowers his head in shame.]FRED: He said that Christmas was a humbug, as I live! He believed it too!CHRISTINE: More shame for him, Fred!KATE: I don't believe it.MR. TOPPER: Surely not, Fred.FRED: He's a comical old fellow, that's the truth, and not so pleasant as he might be. However, hisoffenses carry their own punishment, and I have nothing against him.CHRISTINE: I'm sure he is very rich, Fred. At least you always tell me so.FRED: What of that, my dear! His wealth is of no use to him. He doesn't do any good with it. Hedoesn't make himself comfortable with it. [laughing] He hasn't the satisfaction of thinking that he is evergoing to benefit US with it.CHRISTINE: I have no patience with him!PHYLLIS: I have none either.KATE: Neither have I.MR. BELVUE: He is a churlish sort and I have no patience with those type.FRED: Oh, I have! I am sorry for him; I couldn't be angry with him if I tried. Who suffers by his illwhims! Himself, always. Here, he takes it into his head to dislike us, and he won't come and dine withus. What's the consequence?SCROOGE: Forgive me if I am not justified in what I ask, but I see something strange, and notbelonging to yourself, protruding from your skirts. Is it a foot or a claw?CHRISTMAS PRESENT: It might be a claw, for flesh there is upon it, look here.1516