The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In, by Charles Dickens was published in 1844 and was the second in his series of "Christmas books":
The
chimes are the old bells in the church on whose steps the principle character,
Trotty Veck, plies his trade.
During
the course of the story Trotty loses his faith in man's destiny to improve and
as a result the bells call to him in the night and he feels compelled to climb
the bell tower.
Once
in the bell chamber the spirits of the bells and their goblin attendants
reprimand him and tell him that he actually fell to his death on his climb up.
He
is then forced to watch a series of visions of his daughter Meg and those
closest to him and finds himself helpless to intervene.
The
final vision was of his daughter Meg poised to jump into the river whereupon he
cries out that he has learned his lesson and finds himself able to touch her
and prevent her from jumping.
With
the conclusion of that vision Trotty finds himself awakening at home as the
bells ring in the New Year as if from a vivid dream.
The
book concludes with the customary happy ending.
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