I was ten years old when my father and mother died. I lived with my aunt and uncle, Mr and Mrs Reed. The house was in Yorkshire, in the north of England. It was called Gateshead Hall. My Aunt and Uncle Reed had two children - a boy, John, and a girl, Eliza. I liked my uncle and he liked me too. But a few years later my uncle died.
He left a widow and three children who had room in their house, but not in their hearts, for me. Aunt Reed did not like me, and John and Eliza were always unkind ...