Scrooge Flashcards
Now go away all of you! And let me get on with my work.
Enter Fred
Merry Christmas Uncle Ebenezer!
Humbug!
Who were you talking to?
Mind your own business Fred
Did I hear you say that Christmas is a humbug, uncle? Surely, you don’t mean that.
I do mean it. What reason do you have to be merry? You’re poor enough.
What reason do you have to be miserable? You’re rich enough.
Riches are relative. I am richer than a church mouse, but poorer than the Queen of England. Richer than a bullfrog in a garden pond, but poorer than Simon Cowell. Poorer than…
Yes, I get the idea, uncle.
What’s Christmas except a time for paying bills without money and a time for finding yourself a year
older, but not an hour richer? And to make it worse, you have to sit through the final of X-Factor.
But that’s the best bit.
What good has Christmas ever done you?
Well, if you ask me, uncle, I say Christmas is a miracle and God bless it!
(To Fred) Nephew. Don’t you have somewhere else to be? Shouldn’t you be sitting in your tastelessly
furnished living room playing tedious parlour games with your friends?
I shall choose to ignore that ugly remark, uncle. (To the charitable workers) Here is my donation, gentlemen.
McKinley Lovely speaking voice.
(To Mr Scrooge) So, I imagine you won’t be coming to have dinner with Emma and me tomorrow?
Frankly, sir, I would rather stick a pen in my eye.
That’s very clear.
Love? Love? That’s the only thing in the world more ridiculous than a Merry Christmas!
It’s no use, uncle. I will continue to wish you a Merry Christmas in spite of your rudeness. (Fred hangs his wreath.) Merry Christmas Bob!
Mrs Fezziwig Belle this is Ebenezer. Ebenezer this is Belle.
Very pleased to meet you, Belle.
Would you like a glass of punch?
No thank you. I’ve seen the recipe.
Awkward pause. 1
It’s… very warm in here.
Belle Yes.
Another awkward pause.
Would you like to go outside? Just for a moment to get some air. I know it’s snowing, but …
Belle enters and sits on a bench. She waits. Mr Scrooge as a young man enters.
Belle, darling. I hope you haven’t been waiting long.
I feel like I’ve been waiting forever.
I’m sorry. I got lost on the way here.
Unlikely
I locked myself in the office.
Nonsense
I was run over.
Run over? By what?
A… horse?
What?
A reindeer and sleigh?
No more implausible excuses, Ebenezer. Come and sit down.
I’m sure I was only five minutes late.
It’s not about that. You said we could not get married until we had a house, and I agreed.
Yes
But you’ve had your house for three years now.
Yes, but we also need something to live on.
I realize that, and you said that when you got promoted at work we’d have enough.
But, it wasn’t as much of a pay raise as I’d hoped. I thought we agreed.
We did agree, but now you’ve saved enough to buy another house. Ten houses if you wanted to. How much money is enough, Ebenezer?
But Belle…
I don’t care about money, Ebenezer. All I ever really needed was you. We could have been happy.
Could have been?
I’m sorry Ebenezer. It’s over.
What?
It’s not me it’s you.
You’re dumping me?
It’s for your own good, Scrooge.
But I love you.
Spirit of Christmas Present Look and listen.
And then my uncle said that Christmas was a humbug! He really did, and he believed it too.
But that’s an awful thing to say, Fred.
Oh, he’s a comical fellow really. I know he’s not as pleasant as he could be, but I’m sure his sins carry their own punishment. Even his wealth is of no use to him. He doesn’t do any good with it. He doesn’t even make himself comfortable with it.
It’s very hard to have any patience with him.
Oh, I couldn’t be angry with uncle if I tried. Who suffers because of Scrooge? Only he does. He’s decided to
dislike us, and he won’t come to dinner. What’s the consequence? No dinner for Mr Scrooge!
And it’s a very good dinner, even if I do say so myself!
Well, I shall continue to visit him every year. In the spirit of goodwill.
Very well.
We’ll play “Yes and No”. I’ve got a good one, too.
