He tried to say `` Humbug ! '' but stopped at the first syllable . And being , from the emotion he had undergone , or the 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 , went straight to bed without undressing , and fell asleep upon the instant . STAVE TWO THE FIRST OF THE THREE SPIRITS When Scrooge awoke it was so dark , that , looking out of bed , he could scarcely distinguish the transparent window from the opaque walls of his chamber . He was endeavouring to pierce the darkness with his ferret eyes , when the chimes of a neighbouring church struck the four quarters . So he listened for the hour . To his great astonishment , the heavy bell went on from six to seven , and from seven to eight , and regularly up to twelve ; then stopped . Twelve ! It was past two when he went to bed . The clock was wrong . An icicle must have got into the works . Twelve ! He touched the spring of his repeater , to correct this most preposterous clock . Its rapid little pulse beat twelve , and stopped . `` Why , it is n't possible , '' said Scrooge , `` that I can have slept through a whole day and far into another night . It is n't possible that anything has happened to the sun , and this is twelve at noon ! '' The idea being an alarming one , he scrambled out of bed , and groped his way to the window . He was obliged to rub the frost off with the sleeve of his dressing-gown before he could see anything ; and could see very little then . All he could make out was , that it was still very foggy and extremely cold , and that there was no noise of people running to and fro , and making a great stir , as there unquestionably would have been if night had beaten off bright day , and taken possession of the world . This was a great relief , because `` Three days after sight of this First of Exchange pay to Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge or his order , '' and so forth , would have become a mere United States security if there were no days to count by .
Scrooge went XXXXX bed again , and thought , and thought , and thought it over and over , and could make nothing of it .
at because for from into of that through to with