Sketches by Boz Characters Chapter III - The New Year

In which the turn of the year is celebrated with a brisk and bustling gaiety, as merry parties and convivial toasts usher out the old and welcome the new with that mixture of cheer and solemn reflection which marks the passage of time. The scene is one of social animation and affectionate homage to family and friends, against the quiet, inexorable tolling of midnight bells that remind us of the fleeting nature of our mortal hours.