You might like Jill by E. A. Dillwyn, a novel from the 1880s about a young lady who runs away from home and makes her own way in the world as a lady's-maid. Jill and Kitty, the lady she works for, get into some terribly exciting adventures together when they go travelling. They're both great characters, and Jill in particular is a refreshingly unusual type of main female character for the 19th century—bold, brash, self-reliant and resourceful—and I love their relationship.