Strona:Jerome K. Jerome - Trzej ludzie w jednej łodzi.djvu/68

 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 don‘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 can‘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 didn‘t care for carved oak, should have his drawing-room panelled with it, while people who