Chapter 5 — Quality

Chapter 5 of NCERT Class 7 English (Honeycomb), "Quality", is a short story by John Galsworthy (simplified and abridged) about Mr Gessler, a German bootmaker in London who devotes his entire life to making perfect boots. The narrator admires Mr Gessler's extraordinary craftsmanship — his boots always fit and lasted far longer than those of any large firm. Unable to advertise or compromise on quality, Mr Gessler slowly loses all his customers to big commercial firms and eventually dies of slow starvation, sitting over his work to the very last.

"Quality" by John Galsworthy tells the story of Mr Gessler, a German bootmaker who lives and works with his elder brother in a small shop on a quiet by-street in fashionable London. The narrator has known him since youth because Mr Gessler made his father's boots. Every pair Mr Gessler made was perfectly crafted and lasted remarkably long. Over the years the narrator notices a slow decline: the elder brother dies, Mr Gessler ages visibly, loses customers to big advertising firms, and is finally found dead — the young man who takes over his shop says he starved himself by refusing to compromise on quality or speed. The story celebrates devotion to craft and mourns how commercial competition destroys the true artist.

1. 01Mr Gessler is a German bootmaker settled in London who made boots only to order and whose work always fit perfectly — the narrator calls it 'mysterious and wonderful'.
2. 02His boots lasted 'terribly long', so the narrator could not visit the shop very often — there was no need for new boots.
3. 03When the narrator once entered wearing boots bought at a large firm, Mr Gessler silently pressed the uncomfortable spot and said, 'Those big firms have no self-respect. They get it by advertisement, not by work.'
4. 04Mr Gessler's elder brother dies, and on his next visit the narrator finds Mr Gessler much aged and worn, barely recognising his long-time customer.
5. 05On the narrator's last visit, the shop name is gone; a young English man has taken it over and reveals Mr Gessler is dead — 'slow starvation' according to the doctor.
6. 06The young man explains that Mr Gessler refused to let anyone else touch his boots, used only the best leather, never advertised, and 'never had a penny in the house — all went in rent and leather'.
7. 07The final boots Mr Gessler ever made — delivered the very week he died — were the best he had ever produced, demonstrating that his devotion to quality never wavered even as he perished.