The doctor put the lantern at the head of the
grave and came and sat down with his back against one of the elm trees.
Scrooge crept towards it, trembling as he went; and following the finger, read upon the stone of the neglected
grave his own name, Ebenezer Scrooge.
To five little stone lozenges, each about a foot and a half long, which were arranged in a neat row beside their
grave, and were sacred to the memory of five little brothers of mine - who gave up trying to get a living, exceedingly early in that universal struggle - I am indebted for a belief I religiously entertained that they had all been born on their backs with their hands in their trousers-pockets, and had never taken them out in this state of existence.
Why, seeing that I ain’t used to fine
graves,” returned the old man,
On came the hoof tramps and the voices of the riders, two
grave old voices, conversing soberly as they drew near.
There were few people whom the Careys cared to ask there, and their parties consisted always of the curate, Josiah
Graves with his sister, Dr.
Well then," he said, "you want to see the tombs -
graves - folks been buried, you know - coffins
If people cannot be assured of
graves, I fear they will no longer die, and the best interests of civilisation will wither like a frosted leaf.
Well, you fellows might have had sense enough to suspect that he would return to her
grave some time.
The Story Girl selected the spot for the
grave, in a little corner behind the cherry copse, where early violets enskied the grass in spring, and we boys dug the
grave, making it "soft and narrow," as the heroine of the old ballad wanted hers made.
In thee still liveth also the unrealisedness of my youth; and as life and youth sittest thou here hopeful on the yellow ruins of
graves.
Sowerberry had anticipated, however; for when they reached the obscure corner of the churchyard in which the nettles grew, and where the parish
graves were made, the clergyman had not arrived; and the clerk, who was sitting by the vestry-room fire, seemed to think it by no means improbable that it might be an hour or so, before he came.
