The Verger – Somerset Maugham

The Verger – Somerset Maugham

Part – 1

Albert Edward Foreman was a verger at St. Peter’s Neville Square. He served as a verger of the church for sixteen years efficiently and promptly to fulfill the duties of his office to the satisfaction of everybody concerned to the church.

The new Vicar of the church was so energetic and wanted everything to be proper and correct. The Vicar discovered that the Verger, Albert Edward Foreman was an illiterate who could neither read nor write. He made it clear to Albert that his work was quite satisfactory and that he had the highest opinion both of his character and of his capacity.  But he did not want to take any risk of some accident that might happen owing to his lamentable ignorance. He explained that it was a matter of prudence as well as of principle.

It was a great blow to Albert and he could digest the insult. The Vicar gave him three months’ time to learn to read and write. Albert resisted the proposal, as it was somehow he did not like the new Vicar. When he rejected the proposal, the Vicar asked Albert that he would have to leave the church.

Thus, Albert Edward Foreman lost his job as a Verger of the church. His inability to read or write made him ineligible for the post. After his appointment sixteen years ago as a verger he had thought that the appointment was for life. But suddenly he became unemployed after a long service of sixteen years.

Part – 2

When Albert Edward Forman left the church, he was upset and deeply distressed. He strolled across the Square. He was sad and in deep thought. He did not take the street that led him home. He took the wrong turning. He walked slowly along. His heart was heavy. He did not know what he should do. He could not think of going back to domestic service after as a verger. He had saved a small sum but not enough to meet all his family requirements without doing anything.  He was a non-smoker but when he was tired, he used to enjoy a cigarette. It occurred to him now that a cigarette would comfort him. He could not find cigarette shop in the long street. It sounded strange to him. A tobacco shop in such a place would be profitable, he thought. The new idea that just occurred made him reflect seriously. He them turned and walked home. He considered the matter from every point of view. The next day he went along the street and by good luck found a little shop to let. It exactly suited him. The very next day he took the shop. He became business man. His wife said it was a dreadful to come down after being verger of St. Peter’s. But Albert had decided to move with the times to come. He did so well that in a year he began to think of taking a second shop. He got a good shop in another long street and started the business there. He put a manager in it. When the second shop was also a success, he searched all streets to find suitable places for his shops. Within the next ten years, he ran ten shops and made money. He went round to all of them himself every Monday, collected the week’s takings and took them to the bank.

Within short time, Albert had kept thirty thousand pounds in his savings account. One-day the manager of the bank called him and advised him to invest his amount in some safe securities. Albert said that he did not want to take risk and wanted his money safe in the bank. The manager told him that there were safe securities and he could invest his money without least fear. Albert said that he did not know how and in which securities he could invest. The manager said to him that the bank would do it for him and he had merely to put his signature. After setting up the business, Albert had learnt to sign. He asked the manager how he could know where he was investing. The manager said that he could read the document and then put his signature on that. Albert confessed that he could not read or write. It was a great surprise for the manager. It sounded him an extra-ordinary thing. Without knowing how to read or write Albert had amassed a huge sum. What he could have done had been a literate and educated. But Albert calmly answered him that if he knew to read and write he would have been the verger at St. Peter’s Neville Square and nothing more.

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