Hamilton

and cloak. Schuyler Now! What have we here? Chicken. Hamilton At escritoire. Ah! Schuyler And bread and butter. Damn it, there’s no pie! Hamilton Coming over. Good heavens! No pie! Schuyler Calling. Zekiel! Hamilton I’ll wager he’s gone to get the pie. Schuyler Well, it doesn’t seem much to go building banks on. Hamilton How can I build banks without pie! Schuyler It’s time Betsy came back. Thank God, she will be home next week. Hamilton Standing back of table C. Haven’t you had a letter by the last packet? Knock ready. Schuyler No. Why, I’ve been on the road from Albany the last five days. What’s wrong? Hamilton Taking out letter from his breast pocket. Nothing wrong. But Betsy writes to say that Angelica isn’t able to come as soon as they expected. It will be another month before they are here. He kisses letter. Schuyler It’s a damned shame the way you’ve been left with no one to look after you. Go on and eat. Betsy had no sort of business to go off and leave you at all. I say it if she is my own daughter. Hamilton Why, you begged and prayed of her to go. Schuyler Well, she ought to be back. Hamilton She’s coming back. Heaven knows, I miss Betsy. Puts letter on tray and sits down. Schuyler Fuming. President Washington leans on you like a child on its mother, and not a soul in this whole town sees to it that you have any⁠—any⁠— Fumes. Hamilton Any pie! Schuyler Eat, I say⁠—eat! Knock. Now, there’s somebody else. Hope that nigger has sense enough to say you’re out. Hamilton Opening napkin. Come on then, join me. I’m hungry as a hunter. Passes milk. There’s your milk. Schuyler Milk! Bah! Enter Zekiel. Zekiel At door R., closing it behind him. Woman seen in hall as he enters. Here’s a poor woman at the door with a baby in her arms. She wants to see you, sah. Is yo’ in or is yo’ out? Schuyler Out! Hamilton What does she want? Zekiel She says as how she’s de wife ob one ob de soldiers. Hamilton To Schuyler. You see⁠—she comes to me for money⁠—money out of the Treasury! I’ll see her, Uncle. Schuyler objects, but Zekiel opens door. Can’t send her away, father. Drops napkin on tray and rises and goes up toward door R.. Schuyler Mutters. You can’t live without food. What’s the use⁠— Enter Woman with baby in her arms. She comes from the hall; the street door is closed. Zekiel half closes the room door and remains in the room holding the doorknob. Woman has a state certificate in her hand. Hamilton What can I do for you? Up stage centre, L. of Woman. Woman Coming to R. C. Are you Colonel Hamilton? Hamilton Yes. Pulling the chair he was sitting on. Sit down. She sits. What is it? Woman My husband is Zackery Whalen, sir. He fought in the war, sir. He’s a cripple and can’t work. He fought under you, sir. It was that winter at Valley Forge⁠—his feet froze so many times, sir. He’s on a pension, but we can’t get the money. Hamilton Can’t get it from your state? Woman We sometimes get it, but not lately at all⁠—only promises, sir. You see, ours is due from Rhode Island. If it had been Virginia or New Hampshire, it’d been all right, because they are paying their men, but Rhode Island says they can’t. Hamilton looks toward Schuyler. Hamilton What do you wish me to do? Woman I heard General Washington spoke at a meeting of the soldiers last night and he gave his word that everyone would be paid. I know he will keep his word, sir, but we can’t wait. Hamilton Kindly. Why did you come to me? Woman They told me that you were Secretary of the Treasury, where all the money is. Hamilton Giving another hopeless look at Schuyler, who grunts. I wish I could make you understand. The Treasury at present is only a name⁠—an empty name. Takes paper from Woman. This is Rhode Island’s promise to pay. Mrs. Whalen, I am trying to make the country keep this promise; I’m trying to make them pay. Woman How long shall we have to wait, sir? Hamilton I don’t know. Here trying two waistcoat pockets before finding it take this. Gives her a coin and certificate. She wraps coin in certificate and puts it in her breast. Woman Thank you, sir. She is going but turns when he speaks. Hamilton Following her a step or two. I can only say that I’ll do my best to see that you are paid. You’re hungry, aren’t you? Woman Yes, sir. Hamilton Takes four corners of napkin and ties chicken inside and hands to her. Here, take this chicken and have a jolly good supper with your husband. I’m afraid there isn’t much for the⁠—He leans over and tenderly removes a corner of the shawl from the head of the sleeping baby. What’s the baby’s name? Woman Elizabeth, sir. Hamilton Smiling. Elizabeth⁠—is it? Woman Yes, sir. Hamilton Taking jug of milk from Schuyler, who was to pour some out. The baby’s name is Betsy, father. Gives jug to Woman. Milk for Elizabeth! Zekiel and Schuyler very protesting. Zekiel, show Mrs. Whalen out. Tell your husband I’m fighting for the men who fought for me, and it’s a harder struggle than we had at Valley Forge. But that I mean to win, as we won at Yorktown. Zekiel opens room-door and also street-door, which he holds open. Woman Near room-door. Thank you, sir. I’m sorry to have troubled you, but it’s hard on the women. When the war broke out, we had to let our men go and proud we were of ’em⁠—and when my husband came back disabled and useless, everybody took him by the hand and helped him. That was when the