Was there anything said about the two older brothers? Yes, there are two black stones, which people still call "The Black Brothers", at the top of the cataract. This story tells how these stones came to be there. A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Fourth Reader, page 39) The pupils have read _Scrooge's Christmas_, in the Fourth Reader. They have also read the synopsis of _A Christmas Carol_ at the beginning of the lesson. If they have read the first four _staves_ of the carol in a general way, they will be in a better position to study intensively the last stave, or chapter, which is the lesson in the Reader. They will understand the causes that have changed this "covetous old sinner" to the man "who knew how to keep Christmas Day well". This lesson should be taken up near Christmas. The pupils will discuss Stave I, after having read it at home. Stave I What is the title of this work? A Christmas Carol. Why is it called a carol? In England, it is the custom for bands of singers, called "waits", to go from house to house on Christmas Eve. The author calls this ghost story of Christmas a carol in prose, for it pictures the joys and sorrows of this season. What does a stave mean? It keeps up the idea of a carol. Each chapter is called a stave, or stanza of the carol. What is the title of the first stave? "Marley's Ghost." Who was Marley? He had been Scrooge's partner, but was now dead. He had been as miserly as Scrooge himself. Where is the scene laid? In London. When? On Christmas Eve. Describe Scrooge. "Oh but he was a tight-fisted hand ... one degree at Christmas". (See Stave I of _A Christmas Carol_.) Notice the wonderful accumulation of strong adjectives and phrases in this description. Why does the author use so many? He wishes to emphasize the cold miserliness of this man. What is the first incident? Scrooge's treatment of his nephew, who has invited him to dinner on Christmas Day. What does this incident show? His churlishness, and his contempt for those who spend money freely. What is the next incident? His refusal to subscribe to any charities in the city. What comes next? The account of his treatment of Bob Cratchit. What does this show? His meanness and tyranny. When he returns from his supper, what does he encounter? Marley's Ghost. What does the ghost tell him? How it must wander through the world without rest, in atonement for Marley's cruelties and his neglect of other people. It laments his misspent life. What does it promise to do to Scrooge? It promises to send him "Three Spirits".