'I read a lot of astronomy and that, too, was wonderful. The world is full of wonders if one only looks for them. One book I got was on spectrum analysis, as applied to astronomy. I was fascinated by this too. I could not put the book down. One evening Mother had not a penny for the gas, and there was no paraffin in the lamp she still had. I crouched on the fender, reading by the red glow of the fire, so close that my hair was singed.'