title: A Christmas Carol: The holiday classic, gently abridged for today's readers
author:  Charles Dickens 
description: Hilary Burningham is a former teacher and the author of the Graphic Shakespeare series. Bob Moulder is an illustrator.
zlib_text: HOLIDAY ROMANCE
  1
  HOLIDAY ROMANCE -
  IN FOUR PARTS
  By Charles Dickens
  
  HOLIDAY ROMANCE
  2
  PART I - INTRODUCTORY
  ROMANCE PROM THE PEN OF
  WILLIAM TINKLING, ESQ. (Aged
  eight.)
  THIS beginning-part is not made out of anybody's head, you know. It's
  real.  You must believe this beginning-part more than what comes after,
  else you won't understand how what comes after came to be written.  You
  must believe it all; but you must believe this most, please.  I am the
  editor of it.  Bob Redforth (he's my cousin, and shaking the table on
  purpose) wanted to be the editor of it; but I said he shouldn't because he
  couldn't.  HE has no idea of being an editor.
  Nettie Ashford is my bride.  We were married in the right-hand closet
  in the corner of the dancing-school, where first we met, with a ring (a
  green one) from Wilkingwater's toy-shop.  I owed for it out of my
  pocket-money.  When the rapturous ceremony was over, we all four went
  up the lane and let off a cannon (brought loaded in Bob Redforth's
  waistcoa