Un bon petit diable

by Sophie Ségur

"Un bon petit diable" by comtesse de Sophie Ségur is a French children's novel published in 1865. In 1840s Scotland, twelve-year-old orphan Charles lives with his miserly, cruel cousin Madame Mac'Miche. The mischievous boy retaliates with endless pranks, aided by the household servant. His only refuge is visits to his kind cousin Juliette, a blind fifteen-year-old who urges him toward patience and goodness. As Charles battles his tyrannical guardian over his substantial inheritance, he must choose between revenge and redemption.