Chapter 1, Plate 1 1846 "Girl in the Presence of Death" Summary

The story begins in the year 1846, when the orphan, Myrtle, is twelve years old and living with the upper middle-class Hardy family of Liverpool. When Mr. Hardy brought her into his home as a young girl, she was only to remain with the family temporarily, just until the smallpox epidemic was brought under control. However, the Hardy daughter, Beatrice, takes a liking to her, so she becomes a permanent member of the household. She does not know her exact age or name, but is named Myrtle after the street where the orphanage stands, where she would have been placed, had not the vagaries of chance and fate played a significant role in her life.

Growing up in the family, she is taught to read by Mrs. Hardy...