close which, I dare say, you horrid creature,
will make your sister's letter less of a 'baw' than usual. I sincerely
hope that you will profit by the address of that dear old white-headed
SIR JAMES, and learn to be "considerate of the feelings and wishes of
those around you;" that is, that you will not grumble in the holidays at
having to take JULIA and me to the Opera, or insist on smoking in your
bedroom when you know that the smoke comes under MARIA'S door. However,
I won't scold you as you have been such a good boy at school--bless me,
College, I mean; ten millions of pardons, I'm sure.

"On Monday we all went to the Camp at Chobham, choosing the day quite
accidentally, but so fortunately. The next morning while I was cutting
the _Times_ for Papa, I was greatly delighted to read this:--

"'The ladies especially showed a surprising knowledge and
appreciation of the manoeuvres performed. Should our brave
defenders ever be called upon to protect our homes and altars,
regiments such as those now at Chobham will not, despite the Peace
Society, want Daughters--though in these piping times they have
none.'"

As to the last part, if one could hope to equal that dear divine JENNY
LIND in _La Figlia_, one would almost not mind wearing the odious
costume, though of all the ungraceful--but what do you boys know about
such things? I want to assure you that the first part of the story is
quite true, and shows that the clever gentleman who wrote it sets more
value on the opinion of young ladies than _some_ young gentlemen do whom
I _could_ name, but will _not_. Now, as an account of what we saw must
be useful to you in your studies (though you are _only_ in the Civil
Service), I will tell you a little about it, and Papa says you are to
send him a comparison between the battle of Cannae (is that spelt right?)
and the battle of Curley.

"We got a capital place for seeing, and we had not been on the ground
many minutes before some one blew a horn, and out ran numbers of those
large green beetles of Riflemen, and began to pretend to skirmish; but,
as there was nobody to face them, they looked great sillies. But
presently there was a heavy tramping, and on came the Guards, looking
perfectly _splendid_, and ran up a hill. But I should tell you that on
the top of this hill were some Sappers and Miners (it seemed an odd
place to put them), and some soldiers with short guns, and when the
Guards had gone a little