Для того чтобы воспользоваться озвучкой предложений, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Озвучка предложений доступна при наличии PRO-доступа
Купить PRO-доступ
Speaking
of
oak
staircases
reminds
me
that
there
is
a
magnificent
carved
oak
staircase
in
one
of
the
houses
in
Kingston
.
It
is
a
shop
now
,
in
the
market-place
,
but
it
was
evidently
once
the
mansion
of
some
great
personage
.
A
friend
of
mine
,
who
lives
at
Kingston
,
went
in
there
to
buy
a
hat
one
day
,
and
,
in
a
thoughtless
moment
,
put
his
hand
in
his
pocket
and
paid
for
it
then
and
there
.
The
shopman
(
he
knows
my
friend
)
was
naturally
a
little
staggered
at
first
;
but
,
quickly
recovering
himself
,
and
feeling
that
something
ought
to
be
done
to
encourage
this
sort
of
thing
,
asked
our
hero
if
he
would
like
to
see
some
fine
old
carved
oak
.
My
friend
said
he
would
,
and
the
shopman
,
thereupon
,
took
him
through
the
shop
,
and
up
the
staircase
of
the
house
.
The
balusters
were
a
superb
piece
of
workmanship
,
and
the
wall
all
the
way
up
was
oak-panelled
,
with
carving
that
would
have
done
credit
to
a
palace
.
From
the
stairs
,
they
went
into
the
drawing-room
,
which
was
a
large
,
bright
room
,
decorated
with
a
somewhat
startling
though
cheerful
paper
of
a
blue
ground
.
There
was
nothing
,
however
,
remarkable
about
the
apartment
,
and
my
friend
wondered
why
he
had
been
brought
there
.
The
proprietor
went
up
to
the
paper
,
and
tapped
it
.
It
gave
forth
a
wooden
sound
.
"
Oak
,
"
he
explained
.
"
All
carved
oak
,
right
up
to
the
ceiling
,
just
the
same
as
you
saw
on
the
staircase
.
"
"
But
,
great
Caesar
!
man
,
"
expostulated
my
friend
;
"
you
do
n't
mean
to
say
you
have
covered
over
carved
oak
with
blue
wall-paper
?
"
"
Yes
,
"
was
the
reply
:
"
it
was
expensive
work
.
Had
to
match-board
it
all
over
first
,
of
course
.
But
the
room
looks
cheerful
now
.
It
was
awful
gloomy
before
.
"
I
ca
n't
say
I
altogether
blame
the
man
(
which
is
doubtless
a
great
relief
to
his
mind
)
.
From
his
point
of
view
,
which
would
be
that
of
the
average
householder
,
desiring
to
take
life
as
lightly
as
possible
,
and
not
that
of
the
old-curiosity-shop
maniac
,
there
is
reason
on
his
side
.
Carved
oak
is
very
pleasant
to
look
at
,
and
to
have
a
little
of
,
but
it
is
no
doubt
somewhat
depressing
to
live
in
,
for
those
whose
fancy
does
not
lie
that
way
.
It
would
be
like
living
in
a
church
.
No
,
what
was
sad
in
his
case
was
that
he
,
who
did
n't
care
for
carved
oak
,
should
have
his
drawing-room
panelled
with
it
,
while
people
who
do
care
for
it
have
to
pay
enormous
prices
to
get
it
.
It
seems
to
be
the
rule
of
this
world
.
Each
person
has
what
he
does
n't
want
,
and
other
people
have
what
he
does
want
.
Married
men
have
wives
,
and
do
n't
seem
to
want
them
;
and
young
single
fellows
cry
out
that
they
ca
n't
get
them
.
Poor
people
who
can
hardly
keep
themselves
have
eight
hearty
children
.
Rich
old
couples
,
with
no
one
to
leave
their
money
to
,
die
childless
.
Then
there
are
girls
with
lovers
.
The
girls
that
have
lovers
never
want
them
.
They
say
they
would
rather
be
without
them
,
that
they
bother
them
,
and
why
do
n't
they
go
and
make
love
to
Miss
Smith
and
Miss
Brown
,
who
are
plain
and
elderly
,
and
have
n't
got
any
lovers
?
They
themselves
do
n't
want
lovers
.
They
never
mean
to
marry
.
