Rushing to the window, he opened it, and put out his head. No fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial. Stirring, cold; cold piping for the blood to dance to; Golden sunlight; Heavenly sky; sweet fresh air, merry bells. Oh, glorious. Glorious!
“What’s to-day?” cried Scrooge, calling downward to a boy in Sunday clothes, who perhaps had loitered in to look about him.
“EH?” returned the boy, with all the might of wonder.
“What’s to-day, my fine fellow?” said Scrooge.
“To-day!” replied the boy. “Why, CHRISTMAS DAY!”
“It’s Christmas Day!” said Scrooge to himself. “I haven’t missed it. The Spirits have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of course they can. Hallo, my fine fellow!”
“Hallo!” returned the boy.
“Do you know the poulterer’s, in the next street but one, at the corner?” Scrooge inquired.
“I should hope I did,” replied the boy.
“An intelligent boy!” said Scrooge. “A remarkable boy! Do you know whether they’ve sold the prize Turkey that was hanging up there? Not the little prize Turkey: the big one?”
“What, the one as big as me?” returned the boy.
“What a delightful boy!” said Scrooge. “It’s a pleasure to talk to him. Yes, my buck!”
“It’s hanging there now,” replied the boy.
“Is it?” said Scrooge. “Go and buy it.”
“Walk-ER!” replied the boy.
“No, no,” said Scrooge, “I am in earnest. Go and buy it, and tell ‘em to bring it round here. That I may give them the directions where to take it. Come back with the man and I’ll give you a shilling. Come back with hi in less than five minutes, and I’ll give you half-a-crown!”
The boy was off like a shot. He must have had a steady hand at a trigger who could have got a shot off half as fast.
“I’ll send it to Bob Cratchit’s!” whispered Scrooge, rubbing his hands and splitting with a laugh, “He shan’t know who sends it. It’s twice the size of Tiny Tim. Joe Miller never made such a joke as sending it to Bob’s will be!”
Dickens would bring the house down when he performed this sequence live, and only the most daring movie versions dare to do without it. The boy serves the same purpose as the charlady who is sometimes inserted into these sections: je hives a rational outsider’s reaction to so obvious a change of personality.
Certain conventions are generally observed during this scene:
a.When Scrooge throws his window open, there is ALWAYS fresh snow on the sill for him to knock down with the sash.
b.Attention must be paid to Scrooge’s sudden decision to spend money on fripperies like cheer and comfort. (The sum he differs the boy varies, and he often recklessly tosses the money to the boy before the errand is executed; something unlikely with the earlier Ebenezer.)
c.If the film is going for the Cheat Ending (see the chapter after next), it is here where the cheat begins. Scrooge goes out to buy the turkey himself, or arranges to meet the boy with it.
Hicks looks out on a day much like the one described in the text, himself saying “Oh, glorious! Glorious!” His boy is the most ragged of all. Scrooge calls, “A Merry Christmas! Ot is Christmas Day, isn’t it?” “Why, of course!” “I knew I hadn’t missed it! The Spirits have done it all in one night! Hey!” He inquires after the Poulterer’s, and orders a turkey. The boy replies the incredulous “Walk-ER!” as indicated; Scrooge makes the offer of a shilling and a half-a-crown. Crying “Hooray!”, the boy speeds off. Scrooge turns and delivers the rest of the lines to Mrs. Dilber, concluding “It’s twice the size of Tiny Tim! He’s not dead, you know! He’s not dead!”
Owen runs to the window and performs the scene mostly as written, slipping only the bit about the Spirits doing it all in one night. The boy, when urged to buy the turkey, demands “What, sir?” Scrooge tosses him a purse of money and promises him half a crown. Shouting “Whoosh!” the boy takes off.
Sim I cries “What a beautiful morning!” he asks a well-dressed boy about a butcher’s shop. Throughout the exchange, Scrooge’s voice bubbles with merriment and excitement. This boy cries “Walk-ER!”, and is offered first a shilling and then half a crown. Scrooge murmurs to himself about sending it to Bob Cratchit’s as he letters a label.
March rushes to the window ad describes the morning for us, using most of the material from “No fog” through telling us “Cold, pipin’ for the blood to dance to!” A boy with a brimmed hat explains the day to him. Hearing that this is Christmas and “The Spirits have done it all in one night!” he rushes back into the bedroom. He is thoroughly jovial, and the puzzled boy reacts excellently.
Dressed, Rathbone hurries outside, where he accosts a small boy thoroughly bundled in winter clothes. A rapid version of the dialogue follows; when ordered to buy a turkey, the boy demands, “Do you mean it?” Scrooge tells him where the turkey is to go, and gives him money, adding that he is to keep the change. The boy starts away, but Scrooge grabs his arm to wish him a Merry Christmas. The boy then asks whom he should say has sent the turkey. Scrooge tells him to say only that it is for Tiny Tim.
Magoo winds up dangling from the windowsill by his feet. He calls to a horse first, terrifying it, and then to a snowman, which fortunately has a small boy behind it. This boy decides at once that the old man is loopy, but turns his eyes down in a bashful moue when called intelligent. But he returns to his original opinion when told his mission, starting away with a “Walk-ER!” Scrooge offers him the half a crown and he shoots off. Scrooge gloats about where he will send the turkey.
At 6 A.M., Haddrick hears a bell ring through a snowy sky. Scrooge moves to a window to call to a small child whose ragged clothes are too small here and baggy there. When ordered to buy a turkey at the Poulterer’s, this boy replies, “Right you are, sir. I’ll need some money.” Scrooge tosses down the lucky guinea from his pocket. The boy is startled. “How do you know I won’t run off with it?” “Because I trust you, boy! And because it’s Christmas!” The boy runs off as Scrooge thanks the Spirits.
Sim II is summoned by bells to throw open a huge window. He speaks to the boy only to find that the Spirits have done it all in one night; he does not mention the Poulterer and his remark on the intelligence of the boy is apparently made to us, as he looks our direction. He returns to the bedroom to dance a bit with his socks and nightcap. Dressed at last, he steps out to admire his doorknocker and then strolls to a shop where a sign in the window reads ‘PRIZE TURKEE” (sic) “I’ll send it to Bob Cratchit’s. He shan’t know who sends it.”
Finney rushes outside in his nightshirt to intercept a youngish lad who is pulling a sled. The boy is more interested than alarmed by the jolly old man dancing around him. Scrooge asks about the butcher’s shop and the prize turkey. “Not the big one: the ENORMOUS one.” Told to buy it, the boy demands “What’s that?” He is given two sovereigns and told to wake the butcher and “meet me here in ten minutes. Be holding that turkey and I’ll give you half a crown.” The boy dashes away; Scrooge, watching with satisfaction, notes “I think I’m going to like children.”
Matthau calls to a fairly tall young man. “What day is it?” “It’s Christmas Day in the morning, sir!” “I haven’t missed it!” ”Go on! Who’d miss Christmas?” “Do you know where the butcher shop is?” “That I do.” “A bright boy, a brilliant boy: there never was such a boy! I want you to go and buy the turkey in the window!” “The little one?” “No, the big one!” Scrooge nearly falls from the window in his urgency, but goes on, “Take it to the home of Bob Cratchit!” “And what’ll I use for money?” Scrooge is puzzled, and replies, “A good question!” B.A.H. Humbug, who has been waiting patiently through all the dialogue, now draws a small chest from under the sill. “And a good answer! You’ll use money for money! My money!” he tosses a handful of gold coins (no Scrooge ever throws coins of any other material), calling “And keep the change!” “Thank you, sir! That I will!” But when the boy starts off, Scrooge calls him back. A tear gleams as he calls, “Wait! Merry Christmas! Always say Merry Christmas!” “Merry Christmas, sir! Merry Christmas!” The boy goes on his way; Scrooge pulls back inside, grumbling, “That’s the trouble with this world. Everybody’s too busy to say Merry Christmas!”
McDuck, having already realized it is Christmas, announces, “I know just what I‘ll do! They’ll be so surprised! What a wonderful day! There’s so much to do!”
The boy summoned by Scott is startled, and well-dressed. All the exclamations of “intelligent boy” and so forth are murmured by Scrooge to himself in great delight. The boy expresses no disbelief when ordered to go ad buy a prize turkey. “I must dress myself,” Scrooge says once the boy has left. “So much to do: I mustn’t lose any time.”
Caine, throwing the window open to knock Dickens and Rizzo from the windowsill, looks out on a snowy day. The boy he summons is the caroler he rebuffed earlier. The boy is dubious about Scrooge’s sanity, but executes a moue of modesty when complimented. The turkey Scrooge asks after is described as “the one twice as big as me?” Ordered to buy it, he replies, “Be serious!” Scrooge insists that he IS serious; if the boy will buy the turkey, Scrooge will give him a shilling. “No! I’ll give you FIVE shillings!’ He tosses the boy a purse. Dickens starts to tell us how quickly the boy started off, but is run over by the boy. Scrooge, meanwhile, gloats, “I’ll bring it to the Cratchits’ house.”
Curry looks out on a snowy morning, wishing a Merry Christmas to everybody and a Happy New Year to the whole world. The small boy is the caroler he threw coal at last night; the boy remembers this and, when hailed, takes off running. Scrooge begs him to come back and asks if he knows the poultry shop. “Is snow white?” the boy replies. They discuss the prize turkey; Scrooge orders him ”Tell ‘em to bring it here and I’ll give you a silver coin.” “Do you mean it?” “Aye, lad. Come back in less than five minutes and I’ll give you two!” As the boy rushes off Scrooge calls to Debit, “Come, my faithful friend. We have much to do.”
Stewart himself describes the weather as he looks out. He calls to a reasonably well-dressed boy, who obviously believes from the first that the old guy is deranged, but is interested enough to stay and see what it’s all about. When told to buy the turkey, he replies, “You’re joshin’..” Scrooge gradually, painfully, forces himself to offer a shilling, and chokes a bit on, “Come back in five minutes, and I’ll give you two.” When the boy has left, he considers, gloatful, how he will send it to Bob Cratchit’s.
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