have a house, but he is never
in his house; and has an address where letters may be left; but only
simpletons go with the hopes of seeing him.--Only a few of the faithful
know where he is to be found, and have the clue to his hiding-place.
So, after the disputes with his wife, and the misfortunes consequent
thereon, to find Sir Francis Clavering at home was impossible. "Ever
since I hast him for my book, which is fourteen pound, he don't come
home till three o'clock, and purtends to be asleep when I bring his
water of a mornin', and dodges hout when I'm downstairs," Mr. Lightfoot
remarked to his friend Morgan; and announced that he should go down to
my Lady, and be butler there, and marry his old woman. In like manner,
after his altercations with Strong, the Baronet did not come near
him, and fled to other haunts, out of the reach of the Chevalier's
reproaches;--out of the reach of conscience, if possible, which many
of us try to dodge and leave behind us by changes of scene and other
fugitive stratagems.

So, though the elder Pendennis, having his own ulterior object, was bent
upon seeing Pen's country neighbour and representative in Parliament,
it took the Major no inconsiderable trouble and time before he could get
him into such a confidential state and conversation, as were necessary
for the ends which the Major had in view. For since the Major had been
called in as family friend, and had cognisance of Clavering's affairs,
conjugal and pecuniary, the Baronet avoided him: as he always avoided
all his lawyers and agents when there was an account to be rendered, or
an affair of business to be discussed between them; and never kept any
appointment but when its object was the raising of money. Thus, previous
to catching this most shy and timorous bird, the Major made more
than one futile attempt to hold him;--on one day it was a most
innocent-looking invitation to dinner at Greenwich, to meet a few
friends; the Baronet accepted, suspected something, and did not come;
leaving the Major (who indeed proposed to represent in himself the body
of friends) to eat his whitebait alone:--on another occasion the
Major wrote and asked for ten minutes' talk, and the Baronet instantly
acknowledged the note, and made the appointment at four o'clock the next
day at Bays's precisely (he carefully underlined the "precisely"); but
though four o'clock came, as in the course of time and destiny it could
not do otherwise, no Clavering made h