Diarist Samuel Pepys was not a happy man on this day in 1663. His brother had helped to find him a new servant girl:
“she told my wife her name was Jinny, by which name we shall call her. I think a good likely girl, and a parish child of St. Bride’s, of honest parentage, and recommended by the churchwarden.”
Unfortunately, within the day, his judgement had been shown to be incorrect:
“This evening the girle that was brought to me to-day for so good a one, being cleansed of lice this day by my wife, and good, new clothes put on her back, she run away from Goody Taylour that was shewing her the way to the bakehouse, and we heard no more of her.”
The following day, Pepys dined at his brother’s house and
“told him how my girl has served us which he sent me, and directed him to get my clothes again, and get the girl whipped.”
First, catch your girl. The local parish constable obliged, and:
“at home I find my girl that run away brought by a bedel of St. Bride’s Parish”.
He had obviously decided to be lenient however. Pepys merely:
“stripped her and sent her away.”
I suppose this classes as a happy ending.