EET, Saturday, March 19th.
DEAR H----,

You ask if Mr. Trench's account of their Spanish escapade is likely
to soften my father's view of the folly of the expedition. I think
not, by any means--as how should it? But the yesterday papers
reported a successful attack upon Cadiz and the proclamation of
Torrijos general-in-chief by the Constitutionalists, who were
rising all over the country. This has been again contradicted
to-day, and may have been a mere stock-jobbing story, after all. If
it be true, however, the results may be of serious importance to my
brother. Should the Constitutionalists get the upper hand, his
adherence to Torrijos may place him in a prominent position, I am
afraid; perhaps, however, though success may not alter my father's
opinion of the original folly of John's undertaking, it may in some
measure reconcile him to it. I suppose it is not impossible now
that John should become an officer in the Spanish army, and that
after so many various and contradictory plans his career may
finally be that of a soldier. How strange and sad it all seems to
me, to be sure!

You say it's a horrid thing one can't "try on one's body" and
choose such a one as would suit one; but do you consider your body
accidental, as it were, or do you really think we could do better
for ourselves than has been done for us in this matter? After all,
our souls get used to our bodies, and in some fashion alter and
shape them to fit; then you know if we had different bodies we
should be different people and not our _same selves_ at all; if I
had been tall, as I confess I in my heart of hearts wish I were,
what another moral creature should I have been.

You urge me to work, dear H----, and study my profession, and were
I to say I hate it, you would retort, "You do it, therefore take
pains to do it well." And so I do, as well as I can; I have been
studying Constance with my father, and rubbed off some of the rough
edges of it a little.

I am sorry to say I shall not have a good benefit; unluckily, the
second reading of the Reform Bill comes on to-morrow (to-night, by
the bye, for it is Monday), and there will be as many people in the
House of Commons as in _my_ house, and many more in Parliament
Street than in either; it is unfortunate for me, but ca