Silas Marner by George Eliot

Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe tells the story of an innocent weaver living in the village of Raveloe in the early 19th century, following his betrayal and wrongful accusation of theft in his original religious community, Lantern Yard. Heartbroken and having lost faith in humanity, Silas becomes a solitary miser, spending fifteen years working solely to hoard his gold coins, which become his only source of joy. When his beloved hoard is stolen by the dissolute local squire's son, Dunstan Cass, Silas falls into utter despair.

However, on New Year's Eve, Silas discovers a golden-haired toddler, Eppie—the secretly conceived daughter of Dunstan’s elder brother, Godfrey Cass—who crawls into his cottage beside the body of her deceased, opium-addicted mother. Silas immediately adopts Eppie, whom he initially mistakes for his lost gold, and through his selfless devotion to the child, Silas achieves redemption, regains his faith in God and community, and finds genuine human happiness.