Page "Edith Tolkien" Paragraph 2

By 1908 Edith, a talented pianist, had become an orphan.

She first met Tolkien in that year, when he and his younger brother Hilary moved into the same boarding house.

At the time, Tolkien was 16 years old and Edith was 19.

According to Humphrey Carpenter, " Edith and Ronald took to frequenting Birmingham teashops, especially one which had a balcony overlooking the pavement.

There they would sit and throw sugarlumps into the hats of passers-by, moving to the next table when the sugar bowl was empty.

... With two people of their personalities and in their position, romance was bound to flourish.

Both were orphans in need of affection, and they found that they could give it to each other.

During the summer of 1909, they decided that they were in love.