17th. Up, and then fell into discourse, my wife and I to Ashwell, and
much against my will I am fain to express a willingness to Ashwell that
she should go from us, and yet in my mind I am glad of it, to ease me of
the charge. So she is to go to her father this day. And leaving my wife
and her talking highly, I went away by coach with Sir J. Minnes and Sir W.
Batten to St. James's, and there attended of course the Duke. And so to
White Hall, where I met Mr. Moore, and he tells me with great sorrow of my
lord's being debauched he fears by this woman at Chelsey, which I am
troubled at, and resolve to speak to him of it if I can seasonably. Thence
home, where I dined, and after dinner comes our old mayde Susan to look
for a gorgett that she says she has lost by leaving it here, and by many
circumstances it being clear to me that Hannah, our present cook-mayde,
not only has it, but had it on upon her necke when Susan came in, and
shifted it off presently upon her coming in, I did charge her so home with
it (having a mind to have her gone from us), that in a huff she told us
she would be gone to-night if I would pay her her wages, which I was glad
and my wife of, and so fetched her her wages, and though I am doubtful
that she may convey some things away with her clothes, my wife searching
them, yet we are glad of her being so gone, and so she went away in a
quarter of an hour's time. Being much amused at this to have never a maid
but Ashwell, that we do not intend to keep, nor a boy, and my wife and I
being left for an hour, till my brother came in, alone in the house, I
grew very melancholy, and so my brother being come in I went forth to Mrs.
Holden's, to whom I formerly spoke about a girle to come to me instead of
a boy, and the like I did to Mrs. Standing and also to my brother Tom,
whom I found at an alehouse in Popinjay ally drinking, and I standing with
him at the gate of the ally, Ashwell came by, and so I left Tom and went
almost home with her, talking of her going away. I find that she is
willing to go, and told her (though behind my back my wife has told her
that it was more my desire than hers that she should go, which was not