Marley was dead. That was a fact. His certificate of death was official. And then Scrooge signed it, which was the right thing to do, for Scrooge had been Marley's business partner for many years. And more: He had been Marley's only friend.
After Marley's death, Scrooge never painted out his name. There it stood, years later, above the warehouse door: Scrooge and Marley. Sometimes people who wandered in for the first time called Scrooge Scrooge, and sometimes Marley. He answered to both names — it was all the same to him …
