Question

summary of chapter two gentelman of voyage (class 10 ) short plz

Answer 1

The author and his companion had been driving near
the city of Verona when they were stopped by two small
boys, shabbily dressed, selling strawberries. The author’s
driver cautioned the author against purchasing the fruits.
The boys were very skinny but their eyes were sincere and
attracted attention. The author’s companion discovered
that the elder one was 13 years old, named Nicola and the
younger was about 12 years old, called Jacopo. The author
took an instant liking for these boys and ended up buying
their biggest basket of strawberries.


Next morning, the author noticed those two boys
polishing shoes of people. They appeared to be doing a
good job. The boys smiled and told the author that they
performed many kinds of other jobs also like escorting
tourists around the city and to see Juliet’s grave.
Impressed, the author hired the boys immediately. Due to
close interaction, the author discovered that the boys were
very friendly and innocent. Beneath their cheerful smiles,
however, he could discern a seriousness, a hint of sadness,
that defied their age. The author did not regret his decision
because the boys proved to be very resourceful. The author
found their eagerness to do work really remarkable. He
was surprised when he saw both the boys half asleep on a
windy and deserted street, late at night. They had been
waiting for the last bus to sell the newspapers. The author
was struck by their desperation to do more and more work
but he was surprised to note that they still wore torn
clothes and hardly ate anything.


The author’s trip was coming to an end. Before leaving,
he asked both the boys if he could do something for
them. Nicola, the elder one, refused but the younger one
requested the author to drive them to Poleta, 30 km away,
next day. The author was nonplussed. He had already
given the day off to his driver. As a last gesture of goodwill,
he volunteered to drive the two boys himself.


The following afternoon, they all drove to a tiny
village, near a hill. The author was surprised to halt beside
a villa. Before he could question, the boys leapt out and
asked the author to pick them up from the same place, after
an hour. The author couldn’t restrain his curiosity. He went
in and was greeted by a nurse, who ushered him inside.
Through a glass partition, the author saw that the boys
were seated beside a hospital bed, with a girl of about 20
years, who appeared to be their sister. The author refused
the offer to be ushered inside, as he did not wish to intrude
upon a happy family reunion. On being asked, the nurse
told the author that the children’s father had been killed in
the war and a bomb had destroyed their house and
rendered them homeless. These children had kept
themselves alive by building a kind of shelter with the
rubble of their house. For many years the Germans ruled
the city and the children had to undergo lots of suffering.
Their sister, Lucia, who wanted to be a singer, could not
bear the cold and starvation, so she contracted tuberculosis
of the spine. The boys brought Lucia there and every week
brought enough money for her treatment. Despite scarcity
of work after war, the brothers never faltered in their
payment. Now Lucia was showing signs of improvement
and the day was not far off when she would be able to
walk and sing.


The author was rejoined by the boys and they drove
back to the city. The boys remain tight-lipped and the
author also decided to remain quiet because he respected
their privacy and secret. The author left, filled with
admiration at the courage and relentless efforts of two
young boys, who remained determined despite the
setbacks of the war