Summary of the Chapter Quality Class 7 Haney comb
Answers
Answer:
The author had known the shoemaker for many years because he used to make boots for his father. Mr Gessler was the shoemaker who lived with his elder brother in London. The shop didn’t have any signs apart from the name of the Gessler Brothers. He used to make boots only on orders. Once the author questioned Mr Gessler if it wasn’t awful to make those shoes perfectly fitting into the feet they were meant for. The man answered with a heavy German accent that it is an art.
Mr Gessler will be engrossed in his boot making art most of the time and won’t talk much with his customers. He strongly admired every piece of material he used to work with. The boots made by Gessler brothers were of supreme quality and lasted very long. But on one occasion the author had a different experience. He complained about it to Mr Gessler. To this the old man promised that he will repair the shoe and if couldn’t he will return the money to the author.
Answer:
This story is about a German shoemaker whose name is Mr. Gessler. He is acquainted with the author from his days of youth, when the shoemaker used to make boots for the author’s father. The shoemaker used to live with his elder brother in his shop. His shop was a small by-street shop which was located in the fashionable part of London. However, the shop was a bit different than the rest of the shops. There was no sign on the shop except for the name written on it and there were a few pairs of boots in the window. The shoemaker made only what was ordered by the customer and the shoemaker was so skilled that the boots he made always fit the customer perfectly. The author comments that the boots he made and how he made them seemed mysterious and wonderful. The author had even asked the shoemaker if it was hard to make such boots. The shoemaker smiled and replied, saying that it was an art. The author said that going to his store often was not possible because his shoes lasted longer than expected, such was the quality. The atmosphere inside the shop was different as well. It was like going inside a church. The customer had to wait by sitting on a single wooden chair. A guttural sound would come from upstairs and tip tap of the shoemaker’s slippers as he would descend the stairs. Mr. Gessler had an unprofessional look. He would stand a little bent towards the customer in his leather apron and the sleeves of his shirt turned back. He would blink as though he had just been awakened by some dream of boots. The author would then put forward his order and the shoemaker would bring a piece of leather. In his German accent, the shoemaker would admire the piece and the author would do so too. Then the shoemaker would ask the author when he would want his order and he would say as conveniently as he could. The shoemaker would keep the date as the next fortnight but if it were his elder brother who would be attending the author, he would say that he would ask his brother and then let him know. They would then bid each other goodbye and the shoemaker would go back to his dream of boots. One day, the author told Mr. Gessler that the last pair of shoes creaked. The shoemaker however said that they shouldn’t have creaked and became sorrowful. He then asked the author to bring that pair of boots back and he promised to look at it. He explained that there were some boots which were bad from the start and if those boots happened to be damaged beyond repair, he would take them off his bill. The author once went to Mr. Gessler’s store to complain about boots he bought at a large firm. He took his order and observed each and every part of his boots. He firmly said that he had not made those boots and even pointed where the boot was hurting the author’s feet. The shoemaker harshly commented on the big firms and how the advertisements had been taking away his customers. For the time, he talked of his hardships. The author felt so bad for the shoemaker that he ordered many pairs of boots which last him two years because of the good quality. After a few months when he visited Mr. Gessler’s store, he got to know that Mr. Gessler’s elder brother was dead. Again, out of sorrow, the author ordered many pairs. After that, the author spent over a year abroad. When he came back, he visited Mr. Gessler’s store and ordered boots of all kinds.
After receiving his orders, the author decided to visit Mr. Gessler and thank him for his service. However, when he reached the location, the name of the shoemaker was not written on the shop. Soon, he got to know from the new owner that Mr. Gessler had died of starvation. The owner went on saying that Mr. Gessler lost all his customers because of his slow speed and because he never advertised. Mr. Gessler would never stop working on boots and would never use a penny to feed himself. He said that Mr. Gessler had the best leather and made good boots. The author with a heavy heart also said that Mr. Gessler made good boots.