“Why are you here child and what is your name?” shouted the matron.

“I… I have been abandoned and I am called Emma Gilbert.”

“Sorry to hear that,” said the matron in a sarcastic voice. “How about you?” I heard her call to my sister as I got took away.

Once we were washed we were given our uniform. We were dumped into a room and introduced to our teacher (I didn’t know she was a teacher). The first thing she told us to do was to write the alphabet exactly how she told us to. I didn’t know I was going to be told off for being left handed.

When I started to get settled in I was forced to write right handed. I felt like a slave. The next day, the worst thing happened – another girl came in and she was called Emma and she was left handed. When we went into class, the teacher, Mrs Bywater, told Emma (the other Emma) “I thought I told you to write right handed?” Emma froze and her eyes swelled with tears. I felt extremely guilty, I wanted a miracle. I needed a miracle!

One day, 19 September 1842, something like a miracle happened. An extremely rich lady came in and stared at the names of the girls in the record book. She wanted one girl she could trust. I whispered to my friend “she looks surprisingly like my grandmother, Mary Gilbert.” Just as my friend was about to reply, the lady shouted “my name is Mary Gilbert.” I gasped – she WAS my grandmother. “I have seen in this book the name of my granddaughter and I would like Emma Moore as well.” The other Emma was coming with me… it WAS a miracle.

We were taken by horse and carriage to my grandmother’s house. when we arrived we saw a grand, white mansion. The first thing we did was have a nice, warm bath before changing into colourful dresses and shawls. My brother and sister also accompanied us. We had what seemed like a banquet to us, but was a snack to my grandmother. After that, we played with her dog, whilst my grandmother gave instructions to a servant to find my parents.