Old Famspear awoke in darkness feeling fully near rested, and studying his watch saw it was midnight. He saw a candle floating in the darkness, no, it was a strange figure—like a child with a flame upon its head. Light flashed up in the room upon the instant.

"You? Are you the Spirit whose coming was foretold?"
"I am the Ghost of Christmas Past."
"Long past?" inquired Famspear: observant of its dwarfish nature.
"No. Your past."
He then made bold to inquire what business brought him there.
"Your welfare!" said the Ghost. "Take heed and walk with me."
"I am mortal, Ebenezer remonstrated, "and liable to fall."
"Bear but a touch of my hand there," said the Spirit, laying it upon his heart, "and you shall be upheld in more than this!"

As the words were spoken, they passed through the wall, beyond the city and saw farms, tall white mansions and little shacks. They stood upon an open country road, with fields on either hand. The darkness and the mist had vanished with it, for it was a clear winter day.
"Good Heaven!" said Famspear, looking around, "I was bred in this place. I was a boy here!"

He was conscious of a thousand odors floating in the air, each one connected with a thousand thoughts, and hopes, and joys, and cares long, long, forgotten! He begged the Ghost to lead him where he would.

"You recollect the way?" inquired the Spirit.
"Remember it!" cried Ebenezer with fervour; "I could walk it blindfold."
"Strange to have forgotten it for so many years!" observed the Ghost. "Let us go on."

They walked along the road, Famspear recognising every gate, post and tree; until a little town appeared in the distance. Some kids were seen playing marbles.
"Yes, that's Ben, Billy & Larry! and there is Marcia. I teased her badly."

Some children were throwing stones when glass shattered.
"Yes I broke the window. No matter tho, Billy took the rap."

Ahead some bicycles were seen rolling towards them with boys, who called to others. All were in great spirits, and shouted to each other, until the walkways were so full of merry music, that the crisp air laughed to hear it!
They went into the corner store and watched the boys buy penny candy.
"Oh, we bought such a lot of candy for a quarter!"
"You still can with a silver quarter. worth over $5." said the Spirit.
"You're right. You're absolutely right! we had real money then you know. Before the ..."
"These are but shadows of the things that have been," said the Ghost. "They have no consciousness of us."

The jocund travellers came on; and as they came, Famspear knew and named them every one. Why was he rejoiced beyond all bounds to see them! Why did his cold eye glisten, and his heart leap up as they went past! Why was he filled with gladness when he heard them give each other Merry Christmas, as they parted at cross-roads and bye-ways, for their several homes! But what was merry Christmas to a Quatloser? Out upon merry Christmas! What good had it ever done to him?

The sky grew dark and thunder rumbled in the distance.
"We must go now." ushered the Spirit, pointing towards the door.
It opened; and a little girl, much younger than the boy, came darting in, and putting her arms about his neck, and often kissing him, addressed him as her "Dear, dear brother."

"I have come to bring you home, dear brother!" said the child, clapping her tiny hands, and bending down to laugh. "To bring you home, home, home!"

"Home, little Fan?" returned the boy.

"Yes!" said the child, brimful of glee. "Home, for good and all. Home, forever and ever. Father is so much kinder than he used to be, that home's like Heaven!

They came upon a porch with children playing a board game.
"Free Parking. Oh the orange five hundreds!"
"She seems agitated." Said the Spirit. "Are you cheating?"
"No I, you don't understand... I had to win, I was the banker! Spirit, why do you torture me?"

"The law school is not quite deserted," said the Ghost. "A solitary student, neglected by his friends, is left there still."

Ebenezer said he knew it. And he sobbed.

The Ghost stopped at a certain counting house and viewed an old gentleman mentoring an apprentice. The man counseled that general deposits were different than special deposits and must'n be intermixed.
"Why, it's old Fezziwig! Bless his heart; it's Fezziwig the bank auditor alive again! T'was here I first heard of private credit vs public money, the puzzle of lawful money, as a conundrum wrapped in bacon. If a FRN is lawful money, and a FRN can be redeemed in lawful money, does the FRN redeem itself, into itself?" said Ebenezer, licking his lips.
"Did you cut a deal?" asked the imp.
"He told me the taxpayer will pay, all we needed was consent; we could legally trick them into it."
"Did you write this? asked the Spirit, pointing to a masterwerk of deception.
Famspear seemed uneasy in his mind; and answered, "no I didn't write that, I typed it."

"Spirit!" said Famspear, "show me no more! Conduct me home. Why do you delight to torture me?"

"One shadow more!" exclaimed the Ghost.

"No more!" cried Famspear. "No more. I don't wish to see it. Show me no more!"

But the relentless Ghost pinioned him in both his arms, and forced him to observe what happened next.

They were in another scene and place; a room, not very large or handsome, but full of comfort. Near to the winter fire sat a beautiful young girl, until he saw her, now a comely matron, sitting opposite her daughter. The master of the house sat down with her and her mother at his own fireside; and when he thought that such another creature, quite as graceful and as full of promise, might have called him father, and been a spring-time in the haggard winter of his life, his sight grew very dim indeed.

"Belle," said the husband, turning to his wife with a smile, "I saw an old friend of yours this afternoon."

"Who was it?"

"Guess!"

"How can I? Tut, don't I know?" she added in the same breath, laughing as he laughed. "Mr. Famspear."

"Mr. Famspear it was. I passed his forum; and I could scarcely help seeing him, clattering on his keyboard. His partner lies upon the point of death, I hear; and there he sat alone. Quite alone in the world, I do believe."

"Spirit!" said Ebenezer in a broken voice, "remove me from this place."

"I told you these were shadows of the things that have been," said the Ghost. "That they are what they are, do not blame me!"

"Remove me!" sooltauq exclaimed, "I cannot bear it!"

He turned upon the Ghost, and seeing that it looked upon him with a face, in which in some strange way there were fragments of all the faces it had shown him, wrestled with it.

"Leave me! Take me back. Haunt me no longer!"

In the struggle, if that can be called a struggle in which the Ghost with no visible resistance on its own part was undisturbed by any effort of its adversary, Ebenezer observed that its light was burning high and bright; and dimly connecting that with its influence over him, he seized the extinguisher-cap, and by a sudden action pressed it down upon its head. The Spirit dropped beneath it, so that the extinguisher covered its whole form; but though Famspear pressed it down with all his force, he could not hide the light: which streamed from under it, in an unbroken flood upon the ground.

He was conscious of being exhausted, and overcome by an irresistible drowsiness; and, further, of being in his own bedroom. He gave the cap a parting squeeze, in which his hand relaxed; and had barely time to reel to bed, before he sank into a heavy sleep.