Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke is set in 19th century London. Four of the main characters, Sally, Fred, Rosa, and Trembler, are running a small photographic studio. They are not particularly well-off, and they do a lot of household chores on their own. However, at some point they host a small celebration, and Pullman uses the following phrasing (end of chapter eight):
Once that was settled, Sally felt a glow of happiness; and to celebrate their agreement, Frederick sent out for a hot meat-pie from the chop-house around the corner.
Apparently, since Pullman says "sent out", none of the main characters went to the chop-house on their own, as I would expect. Who did they send to get a meat-pie for them? Were there street urchins running small errands for the homeowners?