Tempest at Dawn (55 page)

“
He ridicules religion, treats women as
entertainment, and uses the Lord’s name in vain. He sets a bad
example.”

Baldwin found this amusing. “You
ol’ humbug. The closer you get to home, the more puritanical you
get. Well, you shan’t change my mind. I like Morris, and I think
he’s one of the most balanced thinkers in the chamber.”

“
I trust his political judgment,
and I can’t help liking him. At least he’s not a hypocrite. He
never pretends to be pious.”

“
Roger, most of the men in that
chamber lack piety. Why won’t you excuse Gouverneur
Morris?”

“
Because he makes a cause of being
irreverent.”

“
I know this’ll come as a surprise
to you, but some politicians project an image like a woman shows
cleavage. It doesn’t mean they’ll jump in bed with the first rogue
they encounter—they just like the attention.”

“
That’s foreign to me.”

“
Obviously.”

“
You think I should be more
tolerant?”

“
More?”

Both men laughed. “I’ll endeavor
to be forbearing

and if I fail, I resolve to keep my mouth shut.”

After an adequate supper, Billy
led them to their room with a lantern. To light a candle sconce,
the boy had to shimmy sideways in the scant space between the bed
and the wall. The room was devoid of any other furnishings, and the
bed’s lumpiness was evident even in the poor light.

“
God, I hate traveling,” Baldwin
muttered.

Sherman tried to step to the other side but stumbled
over their bags, which had been dropped at the foot of the bed.

Regaining his balance, he asked, “They board an
entire carriage in this room?”

“
Since there’s only two of you,
Mr. Wilson put you in the women’s chamber.”

Baldwin found this hilarious. “We must quit spoiling
our womenfolk.” Looking back at the door, Baldwin asked, “How did
they ever get that bed in this closet?”

“
Don’t know, sir. It’s been here as long as I
have.”

Sherman handed the boy a two-penny
coin. “Thank you, son.”

Baldwin had to sit on the bed in order to give the
boy enough room to close the door. “I hope that’s only mildew I
smell.”

A few minutes later, they heard a
rude knock on the door. When Sherman opened it, the innkeeper held
out an envelope. “This was delivered moments ago.”

Sherman took the envelope and examined the wax seal.
“It’s Hamilton’s mark.” Sherman used his finger to break the seal
and then extracted the letter. Looking up, he said, “Congress
approved the Cutler deal this afternoon.”

“
Any other news?”

“
The Scioto Company allocation
also passed.” Sherman handed the letter to Baldwin. “When their
interests are on the line, Congress moves swiftly
enough.”

After a moment, Baldwin looked up from Hamilton’s
note. “A lot of men are now wealthy.”

Sherman plucked the letter out of
Baldwin’s hand and edged the corner of the paper into a candle
flame. As the letter burned, he kicked the chamber pot from under
the bed and dropped the smothering remnants into the bowl. “Not
wealthy. They have an interest in a lot of wilderness that’ll prove
worthless in their lifetime.”

“
You believe that?”

“
There’s such a vast quantity of frontier that
we bribed them with a fool's paradise.”

“
You’re not
rationalizing?”

Sherman shrugged. “Let’s go to bed.”

Sherman stretched as much as he could in the close
quarters. He reminded himself that he should also thank Hamilton
for buying the extra seats to New York. On this leg, there were
seven men crammed into a space that would crowd four. The width of
the carriage wouldn’t accommodate three sets of shoulders, so one
man had to lean forward. An unspoken protocol dictated that when
the pain became unbearable, a little shuffling would ensue so the
man could rest his back.

The seventh man sat on the floor with his
back against the door, so no one could stretch his legs. Sherman
told himself to be grateful he wasn’t on the floor. Once he had
volunteered for the position because he thought it would be more
comfortable for his long legs. He learned a lesson quickly. Every
bounce of the carriage reminded him of his father’s paddle. After
that experience, Sherman never hesitated to use his age to get a
seat.

He was surprised that all the other
passengers were strangers. New Haven had a population of about
twenty thousand, but Sherman was the mayor, a congressman, a
superior judge, and had been the treasurer for Yale and a major
town merchant. He normally could recognize most of the residents
and frequent visitors. Three of the men were really boys anxious to
arrive early for their term at Yale, while the other two men were
making the trip to buy oysters and clams, the economic mainstay of
the New Haven harbor.

Sherman and Baldwin didn’t mention their
convention membership. If they had let it be known, they would have
had difficulty fending off questions without appearing rude.
Politics dominated the conversation, and the discussion reminded
Sherman of Randolph’s comment that the popular mind remained fixed
at May 25. Sherman reviewed his own shifting opinions since the
beginning of the convention. Hamilton was right—once they reported
out a constitution, their work would have just begun.

Sherman gave Baldwin a gentle nudge with his
elbow when he spotted the outer neighborhoods of his hometown. Like
Philadelphia, New Haven was laid out in a grid, with thirty-two
blocks covering an area of about six square miles. The population
was comfortably scattered in neat two-story wooden homes generously
spaced along wide parallel streets. A French visitor had once told
Sherman that a European city would pack six times as many people in
the same space. Despite having nearly half the population of
Philadelphia, New Haven retained the appearance and attitude of a
small town.

Sherman felt the coach roll to a gradual
stop at a central square simply called the Green. He leaped out,
not waiting for the driver to come around to open the door. He
immediately marched around the back of the coach and stood facing
the Green. Taking a deep breath, he felt a surge of tranquility.
The well-groomed Green was one of the most beautiful spots in New
England. Tall elms bordered the grass plot, but Sherman could see
through them to the stately Yale brick buildings set back on the
far side. In the morning, he would attend services at his own
church, the one that stood guard at the top of the Green. The
northwest side sloped up to a calm burying ground Sherman knew
would be his permanent refuge.

“
Rebecca not meeting you?”

“
I arrived faster than the
post.”

“
Then I shan’t interrupt your reunion.
I’ll be off to my brother’s.”

“
That’s neighborly of you.” Sherman
caught his bag as the driver tossed it. “See you in
church.”

Lugging his bag of dirty clothes, Sherman
cut the corner of the Green and headed for College Street. Unlike
Philadelphia, where brick or stone facades crowded the sidewalk,
New Haven’s wood homes stood comfortably back from the street.
Trees and shrubs decorated the median that put a civilized distance
between a man’s home and clattering carriages.

When Sherman passed a house once owned by
Benedict Arnold, a splinter of disquiet intruded on his reverie.
Sherman’s relationship with Arnold had been long and bumpy. Twenty
years ago, the youthful Arnold had been arrested for breaking into
a house, and Sherman had sentenced him to a public whipping. Later,
when Sherman was treasurer for Yale, Arnold had contributed
generously to the college and had grown to become a respected
member of the community. His bravery and Revolutionary victories
had made him a hero in New Haven and throughout the nation. Now
Sherman wished he could get Arnold back into his courtroom. He
would never understand how anyone could betray their neighbors and
country for money or petty grievances. The mercurial traitor had
escaped to England, but Sherman hoped his conscience denied him a
peaceful sleep.

Sherman found himself standing in front of
his own home. Dusk had started to mute the summer colors, and the
faint glow of a lantern lit the parlor window. He jostled his bag
and stepped with purpose down the stone walkway. As he opened the
door, he smelled baked apples and heard the rhythmic twirl of a
spinning wheel.

Lost in concentration, his wife hadn’t
noticed him enter. He set his bag softly on the floor.
“Rebecca?”

“
Roger!”

Sherman was sure his grin looked silly on
his normally stoic face. She waited until the wheel spun down and
then leaped at him. “Oh, Roger, I’m glad you’re home.” She threw
her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss that validated her
words. Sherman felt wetness on his cheek, and he knew he wasn’t
crying.

“
Mrs. Sherman, I must leave home more
often just so I can enjoy this welcome.”

Rebecca feigned a firm face and slapped his
forearm. “You do and I might just get a proper husband.”

“
Not a sea captain, I hope. You’re the
type of woman who needs a farmer, one with a small farm so he’d
never be out of sight.”

“
Go ahead. Make fun. I married a
merchant with two successful general stores. I could keep my eye on
you in those days.”

“
Before you get too excited, I have
bad news. I’m home for only six days.”

“
Damn it, Roger.”

“
Rebecca.”

“
I’m sorry for swearing, but
damn

” She took a quick swipe
to dry her eyes. “How much longer?”

“
Not long. We’re on a ten-day recess
for the Committee of Detail to scribe a document.”

“
First the war, then Congress, and now
this interminable convention. At least when you’re in New York, you
get home.”

“
Rebecca, all that remains is the
ceremony.”

“
Then why do you have to
return?”

“
I mean to sign our new
Constitution.”

Now she actually looked apologetic. “Of
course you do.” She threw her arms around him again and hugged a
bit too tight.

When she broke, Sherman could tell the
momentary anger had passed. “I need to put more meat in the
pot.”

“
No hurry.”

“
You’re not hungry?”

“
Starving, but it can wait. I’d like
to bathe first.”

She smiled coyly. “Good idea. I’ll put some
water on the fire.”

The next morning, Sherman returned
from his walk to find breakfast ready. Rebecca was a great cook,
and the house smelled so good that he could eat the banister. “Good
morning.”

Rebecca was crouched in the hearth. Without
rising, she spun and gave him a welcome smile. “Ready when you are.
I’ve already fed the boys, and they’re off to work.”

“
Now would be just fine.”

“
Then bring over a couple of
bowls.”

Last evening, Sherman’s two youngest boys
had returned home while he was still in the tub, and he caught up
with their lives while he soaked. Both were apprenticed to
accomplished craftsmen and, before his morning walk, they had
gobbled their breakfast and charged out of the house.

As they sat down to porridge, bacon, and the
best biscuits in the world, Rebecca brought up her big worry.
“Roger, can you do anything about money while you’re here?”

Sherman floated a generous amount of maple
syrup on his porridge. “I’ve already set up a couple of trials to
judge, and I’ve corresponded with people who owe me old debts. I’ll
also see about getting my allowance for the convention
extension.”

“
There was a huge row over the last
extension. It was the talk of the town. A lot of people didn’t want
to fund a secret meeting.”

“
Some people don’t like what we’re
doing, public or private.” Sherman wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“But they’ll continue to finance our delegation because they desire
a voice more than they desire money.”

“
And our bonds?”

“
If all goes well, I think we can
trust Alex to make them good.”

“
Alex?”

“
Rebecca, I can’t talk about our
proceedings, but it’s no secret that Washington will be the first
executive. Alex will surely head Treasury.”

“
And you?”

“
The young can take their
turn.”

“
It may be years before we can cash
those bonds.”

“
So, the truth comes out. You like it when I’m
away.”

“
Will New York be the
capital?”

Sherman scratched his nose. “I think some
have other designs, but it’s likely—at least for a while.”

Rebecca came around the table and picked up
his dirty bowl. “Roger, you’re a great politician and a good man.
New York is only a day away. You should explore the
possibilities.”

“
How do you know we’re not designing a
monarchy?”

She gave him a bump on the head with the
bowl. “Because you want to return to New Haven.”

Sherman gave her a hug around the waist.
“I’ll talk to some people.”

“
You do that. Besides, you didn’t act
sixty-six last night.”