He reproaches himself for having fallen into the trap of speaking in the House of Commons without having anything of value to say and with caring more for his own reputation than for the cause of penal reform. The following week, he intended to speak on the penal code after thorough preparation; if his speech failed, he would seek another way to serve the cause; it would please him if his brother-in-law attended the debate, though he did not think it would be of benefit to him unless he wished to see his sister, Elizabeth Fry. (Memoir, p. 83.)