Summary of The verger by William Somerset Maugham
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Transcript (by Ron'e Dutta): Once upon a time in London, there was a little church named St. Peter's, Neville Square. The church was managed by the vicar, a strict man and his two diligent wardens. The verger of the church, Albert Edward, had been working there for a long time. A verger is someone who takes care of the different tasks of the church. He was a simple man, dedicated to his job of taking care of the church and its surroundings. His uniform was always clean and well-ironed, and he took pride in his work.
The vicar was new to the Church and wanted to bring changes within the Church, but Albert was someone who was comfortable with the way things were, and this made him not like the new vicar much. He missed the previous vicar whom he would find very considerate.
One day, after a christening ceremony, the vicar called Albert to his office along with the wardens. The vicar expressed his concern about the verger's performance. He pointed out that Albert was illiterate and could not read or write. The wardens supported the vicar's concern, and soon, Albert found himself without a job. He was devastated.
Albert had never thought about his illiteracy before, but now it seemed to be a curse. He had worked in the church since he was twelve and had never attempted to educate himself. The previous vicar had never complained about his lack of education, but this new vicar was different. The verger was left with no choice but to leave the church and look for a new job.
As Albert walked aimlessly through the streets of London, he suddenly realized that he had taken the wrong route. Frustrated and desperate, he decided to stop at a few shops to buy a cigarette. However, none of the shops sold cigarettes. It was then that Albert had a brilliant idea. He decided to open a cigar shop in the area where no other shop sold cigars.
It was a risky move, but Albert was determined to make it work.
To everyone's surprise, Albert's business thrived. He sold more cigars than he ever thought possible, and soon he became wealthy. He opened more shops in areas where there was no competition, and his business grew even more. Albert became a successful businessman, but he never forgot his humble beginning as a verger.
One day, when Albert went to the bank to deposit his earnings, the manager asked him to sign a few documents. That's when Albert revealed that he was illiterate. The manager and others were surprised and impressed. They couldn't believe that a man who couldn't read or write had become so successful. The manager asked Albert what he would have done if he were a literate man. This made Albert reply that he would have remained a verger if he were educated.