Christmas Carol 16 recto

16

air; incoherent sounds of lamentation and regret; wailings inexpressibly
sorrowful and self-accusatory. The spectre after listening for a moment, joined
in the mournful dirge; and floated out upon the bleak, black dark night.

Scrooge followed to the window: [,] desperate in his curiosity. : and He
looked out.

The air was filled with phantoms, wandering up and down wandering [???]ing hither and thither in
restless haste [?????] haste, and moaning as they went. They all carried chains Every one of them [all] wore
[???????] chains, like Marley’s Ghost; some [were?] few (they might be guilty governments governments) were linked together; some were [monstrous?]
[dogs? ? ???] their weights attached to them; but none were free. Many had
been personally known to Scrooge in their lives. He had been quite familiar with one old ghost in a white
waistcoat, with with [?????] a [????? great] monstrous iron safe attached to his ancle, who cried
piteously at being unable to [??hi???] assist a wretched infant woman with an
infant, whom he saw below, upon a door-step. Their The misery with
them all, was, clearly, that they [wished?] sought to interf interfere, for good, in
human matters, and had lost the power for ever.

Whether these creatures faded into mist, or the mist enshrouded them, he
could not tell. But they, and the their voices they made spirit-voices [g???] faded
faded together; and the night became as it had been when he walked home.

He Scrooge closed the window, and examined the door wh by which the
Ghost had entered. which It was [still?] double-locked as he had left locked it
with his own hands, and the bolts were undisturbed. He tried to say
“Humbug!” but stopped at the first syllable. and [pondered?]. And Suddenly finding himself being being—from
the emotion he had undergone, or the excesses [????????] fatigues of the day, or his glimpse
of the Invisible World, or the dull conversation of the Ghost, or the
lateness of the hour—much in need of repose, he went straight to bed, without un-
dressing, and fell asleep upon the instant.