40 THE KEEPER'S BOOK 



employees who are engaged on the common terms of a 

 month's notice or a month's wages. Probably a keeper's 

 employment will be presumed to be on the same terms 

 in England and Ireland unless a different bargain is 

 made. 



But the contract will be broken and ended without 

 any period of notice in certain cases. These may be 

 shortly expressed as (i) Disobedience of lawful orders, 

 or want of proper respect; (2) Dishonesty, drunkenness, 

 insubordination, or other serious misconduct; (3) In- 

 competence, general neglect, or absence from work. 

 Where a servant breaks his contract by some such mis- 

 behaviour, he loses his right to any wages for the time 

 since the last period of service and the date when wages 

 were last due. Thus, if a keeper were employed and 

 paid by the half-year, ending say at Whitsunday, but was 

 justifiably dismissed a few months or weeks before, he 

 would not be entitled to any wages for the incomplete 

 period. On the other hand, if ^justifiably dismissed, 

 he would be entitled to the whole wages up to Whit- 

 sunday, even if dismissed months before. The employer 

 must keep his side of the contract by paying the wages 

 agreed upon at the proper time. He must be a reason- 

 able master, and, for example, must not expect a 

 head-keeper employed as such to serve as under- 

 keeper. 



It would perhaps be harsh to refuse to give a written 

 " character " to a good servant, but it must be said that 

 a master is under no legal obligation to do so. Indeed, 



