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Там было крещение во второй половине дня в церкви Святого Петра, и старшина Эдвард Альберт по-прежнему носила его verger платье. Он держал его новое платье для похорон и свадеб (собора Святого Петра, площадь Невилл, была церковь, часто выбирают модные люди для этих церемоний) и теперь он носил только его второй лучший. Он носил его с гордостью, ибо он был достойным символом его управления. Он взял боли с ним; он прижал ее и гладить себя. В шестнадцать лет, что он был verger этой церкви он имел ряд таких платьев, но он никогда не смогла выбросить их, когда они были изношены, и все из них, аккуратно завернутый в коричневой бумаги, положите в нижний ящик шкафа в своей спальне. Verger ждал викарий закончили в ризнице, так что он может убирать в там и отправиться домой. «Что такое он ' anging о для?» verger сказал сам себе. «Не он знает, что я хочу, чтобы мой чай?» Наместником был назначен лишь недавно, краснолицый энергичный мужчина в начале сороковых годов, и Эдвард Альберт по-прежнему сожалеет последнего викария, священник из старой школы, который никогда не суетился и не был похож на этот новый человек, который хотел, чтобы его пальцем в каждый пирог. В настоящее время он увидел викарий, ближайшие вверх. «Десятника, вы придете в ризнице ни на минуту. У меня что-то сказать вам.» «Очень хорошо, сэр.» Они вместе шли до церкви, и викарий предшествует Альберт Эдвард в ризнице. Альберт Эдвард был удивлен, чтобы найти там две ктиторах мелочь. Он не видел их. Они дали ему приятный кивает. «Добрый день, мой лорд. Добрый день, сэр,"сказал один за другим. Они были пожилые мужчины, оба из них, и они были ктиторах почти до тех пор, как Альберт Эдвард был verger. Они сидели бы сейчас красивым столом, что старый викарий принесла много лет назад из Италии и викарий сел в вакантное кресло между ними. Альберт Эдвард сталкиваются с их, таблицы между ним и их и спрашивает с небольшое беспокойство то, что этот вопрос был. Он вспомнил еще раз на котором органист попал в беду, и как трудно было замять вещи. В церкви, как Святого Петра, площадь Невилл, они не могли позволить себе скандал. Викарий красное лицо было посмотреть решительных доброты, но другие было выражение, слегка смутился. «Он пытается заставить их сделать что-то, но они не любят его,» сказал verger себе,» вот что это такое, вы попомните мои слова ''. Но его мысли не появлялся на лице Альберт Эдвард. Он стоял в уважительное, но достойного отношения. Он был на службе, прежде чем он был назначен verger, но только в очень хорошие дома. Начиная как pageboy в семье богатого купца, он поднялся градусов на должность дворецкого для овдовевшей peeress, затем, пока вакансия в соборе Святого Петра, что он был дворецкий с двумя мужчинами в доме бывший посол под ним. Он был высокий, тонкий, серьезной и достойного. Он посмотрел, если не как герцога, по крайней мере как актер старой школы, который специализируется на княжеские частей. Он имел, такт, твердости и уверенности в себе. The vicar began briskly. "Foreman, we've got something rather unpleasant to say to you. You've been here a great many years and you've fulfilled your duties quite satisfactorily." The two churchwardens nodded. "But a most extraordinary fact came to my knowledge the other day and I felt it my duty to inform the churchwardens. I discovered to my astonishment that you could neither read nor write." The verger's face showed no sign of embarrassment. "The last vicar knew that, sir," he replied. "He said it made no difference. He always said there was a great deal too much education in the world for his taste." "It's the most amazing thing I ever heard," cried one of the churchwardens. "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 I didn't seem to have the knack for it and later on I never seemed to have the time. I've never really found the want of it." "But don't you want to know the news?" said the other churchwarden. "Don't you ever want to write a letter?" "No, sir, I seem to manage very well without. Now they've all these pictures in the papers so I know what's goin' on pretty well. If I want to write a letter my wife writes it for me." The two churchwardens gave the vicar a troubled glance and then looked down at the table. "Well, Foreman, I've talked the matter over with these gentlemen and they quite agree with me that the situation is impossible. At a church like St. Peter's we cannot have a verger who can neither read nor write." Albert Edward's thin, pale face reddened and he moved uneasily on his feet, but he made no reply. "But couldn't you learn, Foreman?" asked one of the churchwardens. "No, sir, I'm afraid I couldn't, not 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." "We don't want to be harsh with you, Foreman," said the vicar. "But the churchwardens and I have quite made up our minds. We'll give you three months and if at the end of that time you cannot read and write I'm afraid you'll have to go." Albert Edward had never liked the new vicar. He'd said from the beginning that they'd made a mistake when they gave him St. Peter's. He knew his value, and now he straightened himself a little. "I'm very sorry, sir, I'm afraid it's no good. I'm too old a dog to leam new tricks. I've lived a good many years without knowin' 'ow to read and write and if I could leam now I can't say I'd want to." "In that case, Foreman, I'm afraid you must go." "Yes, sir, I understand. I shall be 'appy to 'and in my resignation as soon as you've found somebody to take my place." But when Albert Edward with his usual politeness had closed the church door behind the vicar and the two churchwardens he could not keep up the air of dignity any longer and his lips quivered. He walked slowly back to the vestry and hung up on the peg his verger's gown. He sighed as he thought of all the grand funerals and weddings it had seen. He tidied everything up, put on his coat, and hat in hand walked out of the church. He locked the church door behind him. He strolled across the square, but deep in his sad thoughts he did not take the street that led him home, where a nice strong cup of tea awaited him; he took the wrong turning. He walked slowly along. His heart was heavy. He did not know what he should do with himself. He did not like the idea of going back to domestic service. After being his own master for so many years he could not become a servant again. He had saved a tidy sum, but not enough to live on without doing something, and life seemed to cost more every year. He had never thought to be troubled with such questions. The vergers of St. Peter's, like the popes of Rome, were there for life. He sighed deeply. Albert Edward was a non-smoker and a total abstainer, but he liked a glass of beer with his dinner and when he was tired he enjoyed a cigarette. 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 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. that walks along this street and wants a smoke," he said. "If some fellow opened a little shop here he might make good money. Tobacco and sweets, you know." He gave a sudden start. "That's an idea," he said. "Strange 'ow 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 thinkin'," he said. He considered the matter from every point of view and next day he went along the street and by good luck found a little shop to let.3 Twenty-four hours later he had taken it and a month later set up in business as a tobacconist and news-agent. His wife said it was a dreadful come-down after being verger of St. Peter's, but he answered that you had to move with the times and that the church wasn't what it had been. 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 hadn't got a tobacconist in it and when he found it, and a shop to let, he took it. This was a success too. Then it occurred to him that if he could run two shops he could run half a dozen. He began walking about London, and whenever he found a long street that had no tobacconist and a shop to let he took it. 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 paying in a bundle of notes and a heavy bag of silver 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. D'you know exactly how much it is?" "Not within a pound or two, sir; but I have a pretty rough idea." "Apart from what you paid in this morning it's a little over thirty thousand pounds. Th
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