Five minutes , ten minutes , a quarter of an hour went by , yet nothing came . All this time he lay upon his bed , the very core and centre of a blaze of ruddy light , which streamed upon it when the clock proclaimed the hour ; and which , being only light , was more alarming than a dozen ghosts , as he was powerless to make out what it meant , or would be at ; and was sometimes apprehensive that he might be at that very moment an interesting case of spontaneous combustion , without having the consolation of knowing it . At last , however , he began to think -- as you or I would have thought at first ; for it is always the person not in the predicament who knows what ought to have been done in it , and would unquestionably have done it too -- at last , I say , he began to think that the source and secret of this ghostly light might be in the adjoining room , from whence , on further tracing it , it seemed to shine . This idea taking full possession of his mind , he got up softly , and shuffled in his slippers to the door . The moment Scrooge 's hand was on the lock , a strange voice called him by his name , and bade him enter . He obeyed . It was his own room . There was no doubt about that . But it had undergone a surprising transformation . The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green , that it looked a perfect grove ; from every part of which bright gleaming berries glistened . The crisp leaves of holly , mistletoe , and ivy reflected back the light , as if so many little mirrors had been scattered there ; and such a mighty blaze went roaring up the chimney as that dull petrifaction of a hearth had never known in Scrooge 's time , or Marley 's , or for many and many a winter season gone . Heaped up on the floor , to form a kind of throne , were turkeys , geese , game , poultry , brawn , great joints of meat , sucking-pigs , long wreaths of sausages , mince-pies , plum-puddings , barrels of oysters , red-hot chestnuts , cherry-cheeked apples , juicy oranges , luscious pears , immense twelfth-cakes , and seething bowls of punch , that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam . In easy state upon this couch there sat a jolly Giant , glorious to see ; who bore a glowing torch , in shape not unlike Plenty 's horn , and held it up , high up , to shed its light on Scrooge as he came peeping round the door . `` Come in ! '' exclaimed the Ghost . `` Come in ! and know me better , man ! '' Scrooge entered timidly , and hung his head before this Spirit . He was not the dogged Scrooge he had been ; and , though the Spirit 's eyes were clear and kind , he did not like to meet them . `` I am the Ghost of Christmas Present , '' said the Spirit .
`` Look XXXXX me ! ''
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