The Verger

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 445.

Text 5

Read the text one more time and find the word or expression that match the definition below.

a. relaxing ____________________

b. to take pleasure in one's company ____________________

c. to go and get something ____________________

d. consider guilty _____________________

e. to take care of _____________________

f. not to accept _____________________

g. to have dinner in a restaurant _____________________

h. basement _____________________

i. to fall heavily _____________________

j. to find not prepared _____________________

k. to matter _____________________

l. to turn desperately sad _____________________

m. to begin to cry in an uncontrolled way _____________________

n. to look displeased _____________________

o. to walk in _____________________

l. to help _____________________

1. Read the story ‘The Verger' and write what the setting, the conflict and the resolution of the story are.

Setting:

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Conflict:

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Resolution:

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S. Maugham (abridged)

There had been a wedding that afternoon at St. Peter's Church, and Albert Edward Foreman still wore his verger's gown. He had been a verger of this church for sixteen years and he liked his job. The verger was waiting for the vicar. The vicar had been appointed only recently, a red-faced energetic man in the early forties, and Albert Edward still regretted the last vicar, a clergyman of the old school who never fussed and was not like this new man who wanted to have his finger in every pie.

Presently he saw the vicar come up and said: ‘Foreman, I have something unpleasant to say to you. You've been here a great many years and you've fulfilled your duties quite satisfactorily.
But a most extraordinary fact came to my knowledge the other day. I discovered to my astonishment that you could neither read nor write. Foreman, I think you must learn.' he said.

‘I'm afraid I can't now. You see I'm not as young as I was and if I couldn't get the letters in my head when I was a boy I don't think there's much chance of it now. I'm too old a dog to learn new tricks.'

‘In that case, Foreman, I'm afraid you must go.'

‘Yes, sir, I understand. I shall be happy to hand in my resignation as soon as you've found somebody to take my place.'

Up to now Edward's face hadn't shown any signs of emotion. But when he had closed the church door behind him his lips trembled. He walked slowly back with a heavy heart. He did not know what he should do with himself. True, he had saved a tidy sum, but not enough to live on without doing something, and life seemed to cost more every year.

It occurred to him now that a cigarette would comfort him and since he did not carry them he looked about him for a shop where he could buy a packet of good cigarettes. He did not at once see one and walked on a little. It was a long street, with all sorts of shops in it, but there was not a single one where you could buy cigarettes.

‘That's strange,' said Albert Edward.

To make sure he walked right up the street again. No, there was no doubt about it. He stopped and looked thoughtfully up and down.

‘I can't be the only man who walks along this street and wants a smoke,' he said. An idea struck him. Why shouldn't he open a little shop there? Tobacco and sweets.'

‘That's an idea,' he said. ‘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 remarked.

‘I'm thinking,' he said. He considered the matter from every point of view and the next day he went along the street to look for a suitable shop. Within a week the shop was opened and Edward was behind the counter selling cigarettes.

Albert Edward did very well. He did so well that in a year or so it struck him that he could take a second shop and put a manager in. He looked for another long street that didn't have a tobacconist in it and when he found it, and a shop to let, he took it. This was a success too. In the course of ten years he was running no less than ten shops and he was making money hand over fist. He went round to all of them himself every Monday, collected the week's takings and took them to the bank.

One morning when he was there the cashier told him that the manager would like to see him. He was shown into an office and the manager shook hands with him.

‘Mr. Foreman, I wanted to have a talk to you about the money you've got on deposit in our bank. Do you know exactly how much it is?'

‘Well, I have a pretty rough idea.'

‘Apart from what you paid in this morning it's a little over thirty thousand pounds. That's a very large sum to have on deposit and it is better to invest it. We'll make you out a list of absolutely safe securities. They will bring you in a better rate of interest than the bank can give you.'

A troubled look settled on Mr. Foreman's aristocratic face. ‘And what will I have to do?'

The manager smiled. ‘We'll do everything. You needn't worry. All you'll have to do next time you come in is to read and sign the papers.'

‘That's the trouble, sir'. I can sign my name, but I can't read.'

The manager was so surprised that he jumped up from his chair.

‘That's the most extraordinary thing I've ever heard.' And do you mean to say that you've built up this important business and made a fortune of thirty thousand pounds without being able to read or write? Good God, man, what would you be now if you had been able to?'

‘I can tell you that, sir,' said Mr. Foreman, a little smile on his still aristocratic features, ‘I'd be verger'.