But she joined in the forfeits , and loved her love to admiration with all the letters of the alphabet . Likewise at the game of How , When , and Where , she was very great , and , to the secret joy of Scrooge 's nephew , beat her sisters hollow : though they were sharp girls too , as Topper could have told you . There might have been twenty people there , young and old , but they all played , and so did Scrooge ; for , wholly forgetting , in the interest he had in what was going on , that his voice made no sound in their ears , he sometimes came out with his guess quite loud , and very often guessed right , too , for the sharpest needle , best Whitechapel , warranted not to cut in the eye , was not sharper than Scrooge ; blunt as he took it in his head to be . The Ghost was greatly pleased to find him in this mood , and looked upon him with such favour , that he begged like a boy to be allowed to stay until the guests departed . But this the Spirit said could not be done . `` Here is a new game , '' said Scrooge . `` One half-hour , Spirit , only one ! '' It was a game called Yes and No , where Scrooge 's nephew had to think of something , and the rest must find out what ; he only answering to their questions yes or no , as the case was . The brisk fire of questioning to which he was exposed elicited from him that he was thinking of an animal , a live animal , rather a disagreeable animal , a savage animal , an animal that growled and grunted sometimes , and talked sometimes , and lived in London , and walked about the streets , and was n't made a show of , and was n't led by anybody , and did n't live in a menagerie , and was never killed in a market , and was not a horse , or an ass , or a cow , or a bull , or a tiger , or a dog , or a pig , or a cat , or a bear . At every fresh question that was put to him , this nephew burst into a fresh roar of laughter ; and was so inexpressibly tickled , that he was obliged to get up off the sofa , and stamp . At last the plump sister , falling into a similar state , cried out : `` I have found it out ! I know what it is , Fred ! I know what it is ! '' `` What is it ? '' cried Fred . `` It 's your uncle Scro-o-o-o-oge ! '' Which it certainly was . Admiration was the universal sentiment , though some objected that the reply to `` Is it a bear ? '' ought to have been `` Yes '' : inasmuch as an answer in the negative was sufficient to have diverted their thoughts from Mr. Scrooge , supposing they had ever had any tendency that way . `` He has given us plenty of merriment , I am sure , '' said Fred , `` and it would be ungrateful not to drink his health .
Here is a glass of mulled wine ready to our hand XXXXX the moment ; and I say , ` Uncle Scrooge ! ' ''
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