The Verger By Somerset Maugham

The Verger- Pre- Reading

Rami Levi (commercial)

Here is how it all started…. there was a 40 Square metre grocery store which belonged to Rami Levy’s grandfather in the ‘Machane Yehuda’ Market, on Hashikma Street in Jerusalem. Rami Levy himself grew up in poverty in a poor neighborhood. His parents were kind, ordinary people who immigrated to Israel from Kurdistan. His father was a worker employed by the Jerusalem municipality and his mother was a stay-at-home housewife who had to take care of a big family.

 Rami Levy flunked out of school due to severe dyslexia, and even today he still has trouble reading.  At age 14 Rami Levy began working with his grandfather at the store, pushing a wheelbarrow around in the market and, after completing his army service in 1976, he joined his grandfather in the little store in Hashikma Street –which later became the source of his supermarket chain’s brand name.

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The Verger – Vocabulary

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The Verger    by W. Somerset Maughem

Part One                                                                        

There had been a wedding that afternoon at St Peter’s Church, Neville Square,  and Albert Edward Foreman still wore his gown. It was his new gown and he kept it only for funerals and weddings. He wore it with pride, for it was the symbol of his office and without it, he had a feeling that he was not well dressed.

He looked after it very carefully and always ironed it himself. During the sixteen years he had been verger, he had a number of such gowns, but he was never able to throw them away when they were worn out. They all lay in a drawer in his bedroom.

The verger was waiting for the vicar who was still in his office. He wanted to tidy up in there and go home to have tea. “What is he doing there, I wonder“,  said the vicar to himself.                                                        

                                   “Doesn’t he know I want my tea?”

The vicar had just been appointed. He was red-faced energetic man of about forty and Albert still missed the old vicar who was a very nice person. He was not like this man who wanted to have control over everything.

At last the vicar came in and said: “Foreman ,will you come into the office for a minute? I have  

                                                              Something to say to you”

                                                             “very good, sir”

When they were in the office the vicar began quickly.

“Foreman, I have something unpleasant to say to you. You have been here for many years and I think you have fulfilled your duties quite satisfactorily. But I found out a most amazing thing the other day. I discovered to my surprise that you can’t read and write”

The verger’s face showed no sign of emotion.

“The last vicar knew that, sir” he replied. “He said it didn’t matter. He always said there was too much education in the world for his taste”.

“It’s a most amazing thing I’ve ever heard! cried the vicar. “Do you mean to say that you’ve been verger of this church for sixteen years and never learned to read or write?”

“I went into service when I was twelve, sir. The cook in the first place tried to teach me once, but it was no good. Besides I have never really found it necessary. I think a lot of these young fellows waste too much time reading when they might be doing something useful”.

“But don’t you want to know the news?” asked the vicar. Don’t you ever want to write a letter?”

“No sir. I can manage very well without. There are many pictures in the papers so I know what’s going on pretty well. And if I want to write a letter, my wife writes it for me. She is educated“.

There was a pause. Then the vicar said, “Well, Foreman, I’ve talked the matter over with the church committee and they agree with me that the situation is impossible. At a church like St Peter’s we cannot have a verger who cannot read and write”.

Albert Edward’s thin face reddened and he moved uneasily on his feet, but made no reply.

“Understand me, Foreman. I have no complaint to make against you. You do your work quite well, I have the highest opinion both of your character and your ability, but we don’t have the right to take the risk of some accident that might happen because of your complete ignorance, and then it is a matter of principle. I think you must learn, Foreman, said the vicar.

“No, sir, I’m afraid I can’t now. You see, I am not as young as I used to be and if I was not able to get the letters in my head when I was a boy, I don’t think there’s much chance of it now”.

“We don’t want to be cruel   with you”, said the vicar. “But the committee and I have made up our minds. We will give you three months and if at the end of that time you still can’t read and write, I’m afraid you will have to go”.

Albert Edward had never liked the new vicar. He had said it from the beginning that they had made a mistake when they had him at St Peter’s. He was not the type of man they wanted. Albert Knew his value and he said: “I’m sorry sir. I think it’s no good. I’m too old a dog to learn new tricks. I’ve lived a good many years without knowing how to read and write and I don’t want to learn now”.

“In that case, Foreman, I’m afraid you must go”.

“Yes sir, I quite understand. I’ll be happy to hand in my resignation as soon as you find somebody to take my place”.

Part Two                                                                                      

Up to now, Albert Edward’s face had not shown any signs of emotion. But when he closed the church door behind the vicar, his lips shook. He walked slowly back to the office and hung up his verger’s gown there. He sighed as he thought of all the grand funerals and weddings it had seen. He tidied up everything, put on his coat, and walked out of the church, locking the door behind him.

He went across the square, but he was so deep in his sad thoughts, that he didn’t walk along the street that led him home where a nice cup of tea was waiting for him. He took the wrong turn.

He walked slowly with a heavy heart. He didn’t know what to do with himself. He could not become a servant again. He had been his own master for so many years. True, he had saved a small sum of money, but it was not enough to live on without doing something, and life cost more and more every year. He had never thought that he would have trouble with such questions. The vergers of St Peter’s,  were there for life. He sighed deeply as he walked along the street.

Albert Edward was not a smoker and he didn’t drink, but sometimes he enjoyed a cigarette and a glass of beer. It occurred to him now that a cigarette would comfort him, and since he never had any in his pockets, he looked for a shop where he could buy a packet of good cigarettes.

He didn’t see a tobacconist’s shop at once and walked on a little. It was a long street with all kinds of shops in it, but there was not a single one where you could buy cigarettes.

“That’s strange,” said Albert.

To make sure, he walked up the street again. No, there was no doubt about it. There was no tobacconist’s shop anywhere.

“I can’t be the only man who walks along this street and wants to have a smoke”, he thought.

An idea struck him. Why shouldn’t he open a little shop there? ‘Tobacco and Sweets’.

“That’s an idea“, he said. “It’s strange how things come to you when you least expect it“.

He turned, walked home, and had his tea.

“You’re very silent this afternoon, Albert“, his wife said.                               

“I’m thinking“, he said.

He thought the matter over from every point of view and the next day went to look for a suitable shop.

It was not difficult to find one, and within a week, the shop was opened and Albert was behind the counter selling cigarettes.

Albert Edward did very well. He did so well that in a year he decided that he might open a second shop and employ a manager.

He looked for another long street that didn’t have a tobacconist’s shop in it, and when he found one, he opened another shop. This was a success too. Then, it occurred to him that if he could run (לנהל) two shops, he could run half a dozen. So, he began walking about London, and whenever he found a long street that had no tobacconist’s, he opened a shop in it.

In the course of ten years, he got no less than ten shops and was making a lot of money. Every Monday, he went to all his shops, collected the week’s takings and took them to the bank.                                                                                             

Part Three                                                                                       

One morning when he came to the bank, the cashier told him that the manager would like to see him. He entered the manager’s room and shook hands with him.

“Mr. Foreman, I wanted to have a talk with you about the money you have on deposit in our bank.

Do you know exactly how much it is?“

“I have a rough idea”.

“Apart from what you paid this morning, It’s a little over thirty thousand pounds. That’s a very large sum to have on deposit and I think you should invest it. We will make you a list of securities. They’ll bring you a better rate of interest than the bank can give you”.

There was a troubled look on Mr. Foreman’s face. “I’ve never had anything to do with stocks and shares and I would like to leave it all in your hands“.

The manager smiled. “We will do everything. All you’ll have to do next time you come in is just to sign the transfers“.

“I could do that all right”, said Mr. Foreman uncertainly. “But how will I know what I am signing?“

“I suppose you can read“, said the manager a little sharply.

Mr. Foreman gave him a smile. “Well sir, that’s just it. I can’t read or write, only my name, and I only learned to do that when I went into business“.

The manager was so surprised that he jumped up from his chair. “That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever heard! And do you mean to say that you’ve built up this important business and made a fortune without being able to read or write? Good God man, what would you be if you were able to?

“I can tell you that, Sir“, said Mr. Foreman smiling. “I would be the verger of St. Peter’s Church, Neville Square.

The Verger – Basic Understanding

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The Verger – Analysis

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