Little Princess (version 2), A by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849 - 1924)

Sara is brought to Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies by her father, Captain Crewe, because the climate in India doesn't agree with children. After several years as Miss Minchin's show pupil, news comes that Captain Crewe has died penniless, and left Sara destitute. Miss Minchin keeps her on as an unpaid drudge, until a mysterious benefactor comes to her aid. (Summary by Karen Savage)