Posted by PeterH on September 04, 2006 at 19:11:02 from 86.130.135.7 user Peter_H.
In Reply to: Re: The Matrix; posted by Laurence Monkhouse on September 04, 2006 at 17:22:40:
Mrs Blackett and Capn Flint may have each had a private income of some sort. This would not have been all that unusual in families where money had been made somewhere 'up the line'. In addition, Mrs B might have had a widow's pension. If her husband had been an army officer (aarrrrrgghh!!) then she certainly would. And don't forget thrift - it's amazing how you can manage if you watch every penny.
Owen makes a good point about Beckfoot being alive and vibrant. I'd certainly admit that the 'core' of the house appears to have been fairly well-maintained but the peripheral facilities, eg stables, had gone into disuse. Remember too, that the study window had always creaked when opened, which doesn't indicate too much regular attention.
Captain Flint can't have been all that well-off. He was only able to pay for the repairs to 'Swallow' because he'd had another dollop of pocket-money from my publishers.