never mind so long as you are come , '' said Mrs. Cratchit . `` Sit ye down before the fire , my dear , and have a warm , Lord bless ye ! '' `` No , no ! There 's father coming , '' cried the two young Cratchits , who were everywhere at once . `` Hide , Martha , hide ! '' So Martha hid herself , and in came little Bob , the father , with at least three feet of comforter , exclusive of the fringe , hanging down before him ; and his threadbare clothes darned up and brushed to look seasonable ; and Tiny Tim upon his shoulder . Alas for Tiny Tim , he bore a little crutch , and had his limbs supported by an iron frame ! `` Why , where 's our Martha ? '' cried Bob Cratchit , looking round . `` Not coming , '' said Mrs. Cratchit . `` Not coming ! '' said Bob with a sudden declension in his high spirits ; for he had been Tim 's blood horse all the way from church , and had come home rampant . `` Not coming upon Christmas-day ! '' Martha did n't like to see him disappointed , if it were only in joke ; so she came out prematurely from behind the closet door , and ran into his arms , while the two young Cratchits hustled Tiny Tim , and bore him off into the wash-house , that he might hear the pudding singing in the copper . `` And how did little Tim behave ? '' asked Mrs. Cratchit when she had rallied Bob on his credulity , and Bob had hugged his daughter to his heart 's content . `` As good as gold , '' said Bob , `` and better . Somehow , he gets thoughtful , sitting by himself so much , and thinks the strangest things you ever heard . He told me , coming home , that he hoped the people saw him in the church , because he was a cripple , and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas-day who made lame beggars walk and blind men see . '' Bob 's voice was tremulous when he told them this , and trembled more when he said that Tiny Tim was growing strong and hearty .
His active little crutch was heard upon the floor , and back came Tiny Tim before another word was spoken , escorted by his brother and sister to his stool beside the fire ; and while XXXXX , turning up his cuffs -- as if , poor fellow , they were capable of being made more shabby -- compounded some hot mixture in a jug with gin and lemons , and stirred it round and round , and put it on the hob to simmer , Master Peter and the two ubiquitous young Cratchits went to fetch the goose , with which they soon returned in high procession .
Bob Christmas-day Cratchit Cratchits Martha comforter declension fire pudding wash-house