"A poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every twenty-fifth of December!"
"The school is not quite deserted ... A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still."
"A small matter ... to make these silly folk so full of gratitude."
"I wear the chain I forged in life ... I made it link by link and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it."
"I am sorry, with all my heart, to find you so resolute. We have never had any quarrel, to which I have been a party. But I have made the trial in homage to Christmas, and I'll keep my Christmas humour to the last."
"If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race ... will find him here. What then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."
"My life upon this globe is very brief ... It ends to-night."
"What! ... would you so soon put out, with worldly hands, the light I give? Is it not enough that you are one of those whose passions made this cap, and force me through whole trains of years to wear it low upon my brow!"
"You have never seen the like of me before!"
"The consequence of his taking a dislike to us, and not making merry with us, is, as I think, that he loses some pleasant moments, which could do him no harm. I am sure he loses pleasanter companions than he can find in his own thoughts, either in his mou
"What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You're rich enough."
"Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business."
"Conduct me where you will. I went forth last night on compulsion, and I learnt a lesson which is working now. Tonight, if you have aught to teach me, let me profit by it."
"His wealth is of no use to him. He don't do any good with it. He don't make himself comfortable with it."
"But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time ... as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time."
"There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited."
"I told you these were shadows of the things that have been ... That they are what they are, do not blame me!"
"I hope to live to be another man from what I was, I am prepared to bear you company, and do it with a thankful heart."
I don't make merry myself at Christmas and I can't afford to make idle people merry."
"Strange to have forgotten it for so many years!"
"This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased."
"He's a comical old fellow ... that's the truth: and not so pleasant as he might be. However, his offences carry their own punishment, and I have nothing to say against him."
"I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now."
What's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer."
"I'll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family."
"Or would you know ... the weight and length of the strong coil you bear yourself? It was full as heavy and as long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago. You have laboured on it , since. It is a ponderous chain!"
"Who suffers by his ill whims! Himself, always."
"I am here to-night to warn you, that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate. A chance and hope of my procuring, Ebenezer."
"If they would rather die ... they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."
"Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough."
