jewels драгоценности gave a deep sigh вздохнула echoed повторилсяэхом подмигнул pulled herself together взяласебявруки a poker кочергам 19 My aunt was a tall and powerful woman. She had strong will and was manlike and снидапо clever person. Her husband, my uncle, couldn't be compared with her. He was thin and weak and had no power at all. Strong will of my aunt was gradually depressing and killing him. He fell ill. My aunt was nursing him as thoroughly as she could. Half of the town's doctors visited her husband and prescribed so many medicines that they could cure the whole hospital. But it didn't help much. One morning she found him dead in his bed. Time passed. My aunt was very upset with the uncle's death. Having taken her griyib bus servants, she went to her country house to Derbyshire. The house was very lonely and gloomy. Even my aunt was struck with its gloominess. Every time before going to bed she herself locked all the doors in the house and put the keys in her box where she kept jewels and money. One evening, having sent her girl-servant away, she was sitting in front of the mirror, combing her hair. (My aunt was still looking after herself). She was thinking about the gentleman who lived in the neighbourhood and whom she had known since her childhood. So, she was sitting back and saw nothing but portrait of her poor and beloved husband. She gave adeep sigh, and her sigh echoed in silence. My aunt thought it was the wind and continued to watch her appearance in the mirror. Suddenly her eye fell on the reflection of the portrait in the mirror. It seemed to her that one of the eyes in the portrait winked at her as her dear husband used to do. Now she was frightened to death, remembering all the stories of ghosts. But, as I have already said, my aunt had a strong character. She pulled herself together at once and even began singing her favourite song. As if by chance, she dropped her box on the floor and began slowly picking her things up. Little by little she got to the door and went out of the room. She raised a general alarm and told servants to be armed with anything they could get. Then she took a poker and everybody went upstairs to her room. She ordered servants to take the portrait off the wall. Everybody heard a sigh behind the portrait and rushed away. But she shouted at them and servants pulled the portrait off. Behind the portrait they saw a big man with a long knife, but he was frightened because he was caught. The burglar told that he had got into the house to steal the box with valuable things. He had worked in the house before the aunt's arrival. While cleaning the rooms he noticed the empty place behind the portrait. He made a hole in one of the portrait's eyes to watch what was going on in the room. My aunt didn't call the police. She liked to arrange things herself. She ordered her servants to wash the burglar clean in the horses' pond and dry him out with wooden "towels". But whatever determined my aunt was, still that adventure was too dangerous for her. Soon she married her neighbour and friend of her childhood. современны ния OB лых ветвей ной стенка истемати шите в