学进去

Scrooge was a cold, greedy, mean, old man. Scrooge and Marley were business partners for years. Scrooge was his only friend and his only mourner when Marley died. He lived in Jacob Marley’s old apartment. It was very rundown.

That evening, the fog and frost hung over the black gateway to the house. And the yard was so dark that Scrooge had to feel his way along with his hands. To his surprise, Scrooge saw Marley’s face instead of the knocker（门环）when Scrooge put his key in the lock. Scrooge looked at the door knocker for several moments, and then it changed back to being a door knocker again.

Scrooge was quite scared. He quickly closed the door and then he went up to his room. It was very dark because Scrooge only had a candle. But darkness didn’t worry Scrooge, because darkness is cheap. And Scrooge liked cheap things.

Suddenly he heard a loud clanking sound. It came from downstairs. Somebody was pulling a heavy chain over the barrels in the wine merchant’s cellar. It was coming straight towards his room.

The face was the same. It was Marley, he was dragging a chain. Scrooge stared at the ghost of Marley as it stood there before him. But still he didn’t believe it was really there.

“Who are you?” asked Scrooge, calmly.

“In life I was your partner. Jacob Marley.”

“Why are you carrying that chain?” asked Scrooge, trembling.

Scrooge was trying very hard not to be scared. The Ghosts voice scared him and its cold eyes frightened him.

“I wear the chain that I made in life,” replied the Ghost. “I made it link by link, and metre to by metre. I wound it around myself. Does it look strange to you?”

“I had the opportunity to be kind and do good in life. But I did nothing. Now I’m dead. I regret that,” cried the Ghost. “I’m here tonight to warn you. You can still escape my fate（命运）. I’m giving you a chance... ”

—Taken from A Christmas Carol