was not necessarily golden for Miss Bates , I agree.

For long hours at a time she would be alone with her deaf mother,and as you rightly point out, with no means unlike today of listening to radio, recorded music( in all its forms) or watching TV( or DVDs).

Her mother is deaf,and so she has got used to repeating and talking for her mother- filling in the gaps is how I've always imagined it. And there would very little money for joining a circulating library or buying books. No wonder she soon memorised JFs letters.

And the wonder of it is, she thinks herself supremely blessed in the circumstances......