'spirit' said scrooge, with an interest he had never felt before, 'tell me if tiny tim will live'
'i see a vacant seat' replied the ghost, 'in the poor chimney corner, and a crutch without an owner, carefully preserved. if these shadows remain unaltered by the future, the child will die'
'have they no refuge or resource?' cried scrooge
'are there no prisons?' said the spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. 'are there no workhouses?'