I've read seveal stories about orphans lately and ...

... at the moment I'm in the midst of reading Susan Brown's Orphan, which is very good by the way, and was reminded of another similar story.

I can't remember it's era or if it is set in the UK or US, here is what I can (may be not in sequence order)

• Protagonist is lower class/street rat type
• Protagonist is only child of single parent
• Protagonist's parent dies
• Protagonist is harassed, by overzealous truant/CC officer
• Protagonist hides in the attic of boarding school
• Protagonist realises boarding school is a girls school
• Protagonist saves life of overzealous truant/CC officer
• Protagonist is discovered by a pupil at the school

Pupil is daughter/niece of a highly placed/powerful family (they have chauffeurs, butlers and house staff) Protagonist is invited 'home' with pupil.

I also can't remember if this particular story is complete or not but, either way it is a good story, but if I'm right and not mixing multiple plots the protagonist is adopted by that family.