Are there any circumstances in which driving without a license handy is likely to be forgiven by the police?

I locked myself out of the house in my pajamas the other day (I’ve made a habit of twisting the knob lock and tugging the handle on my way out the door), and the nearest set of keys was about a mile and a half away. My dad’s old car has the ignition key hidden inside it, so I took that to get the spare house keys.
Needless to say (so I say it anyway), I don’t typically carry my wallet in my PJs. I know that the actual law may vary from place to place, but people are people everywhere.