Diplomacy and the Help
The servant or home helper is the fodder of gossip, a point of permanent distraction for their hirers. A common assumption in those circles: When the help abscond or accuse, it must be because they have wronged their employers, rather than the other way around. The old excuse among those employing Indonesian maids in Malaysia was that they were obviously flirting with the young man at the grocers, or simply lazy. Half the fun of such employ is engaging in permanent complaint. Servants in the home economy have provided rich pickings for the upper tables for centuries.
