You know he is , Robert ! Nobody knows it better than you do , poor fellow ! '' `` My dear ! '' was Bob 's mild answer . `` Christmas-day . '' `` I 'll drink his health for your sake and the Day 's , '' said Mrs. Cratchit , `` not for his . Long life to him ! A merry Christmas and a happy New Year ! He 'll be very merry and very happy , I have no doubt ! '' The children drank the toast after her . It was the first of their proceedings which had no heartiness in it . Tiny Tim drank it last of all , but he did n't care twopence for it . Scrooge was the Ogre of the family . The mention of his name cast a dark shadow on the party , which was not dispelled for full five minutes . After it had passed away they were ten times merrier than before , from the mere relief of Scrooge the Baleful being done with . Bob Cratchit told them how he had a situation in his eye for Master Peter , which would bring in , if obtained , full five-and-sixpence weekly . The two young Cratchits laughed tremendously at the idea of Peter 's being a man of business ; and Peter himself looked thoughtfully at the fire from between his collars , as if he were deliberating what particular investments he should favour when he came into the receipt of that bewildering income . Martha , who was a poor apprentice at a milliner 's , then told them what kind of work she had to do , and how many hours she worked at a stretch , and how she meant to lie abed to-morrow morning for a good long rest ; to-morrow being a holiday she passed at home . Also how she had seen a countess and a lord some days before , and how the lord `` was much about as tall as Peter '' ; at which Peter pulled up his collars so high , that you could n't have seen his head if you had been there . All this time the chestnuts and the jug went round and round ; and by-and-by they had a song , about a lost child travelling in the snow , from Tiny Tim , who had a plaintive little voice , and sang it very well indeed .
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