Sentence:  "We have often seen each other," said Little Dorrit, recognising the sexton, or the beadle, or the <WSD>verger</WSD>, or whatever he was, "when I have been at church here." 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A lay person who takes care of the interior of a church and acts as an attendant during services, where he or she carries the verge (or virge). In the United States, the office is generally combined with that of sexton.