"But Johnson is only doing what Abraham Lincoln —"

"Mr. Lincoln is dead," Stevens said before he could finish.

Reddening, George said, "All right, then. What program would you enact?"

"A complete reconstruction of Southern institutions and manners by means of occupation, confiscation, and the purging fire of law. Such a program may startle feeble minds and shake weak nerves but it is necessary and justified." George grew even redder. "To be more specific, I want harsh penalties for traitors who held high office. I'm not content that Jeff Davis be held in irons at Fortress Monroe. I want him executed. I want amnesty denied to any man who left the Army or Navy to serve the rebellion." Unhappily, George thought of Charles. "And I insist on equal rights, full citizenship for all Negroes. I demand the franchise for every eligible black male."

"For that, they'll throw rocks at you even in Pennsylvania. White people just don't believe blacks are their equals. That may be wrong — and I think it is — but it's also reality. Your scheme won't work."

"Justice won't work, George? Equality won't work? I don't care. Those are my beliefs, I'll fight for them. In matters of moral principle, there can be no compromise."

"Damn it, I refuse to accept that. And a lot of other Northerners feel the same way about —"

But the congressman was gone, to see three new admirers.

The battalion from the Corps of Engineers, Army of the Potomac, swung down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the presidential pavilion. Eight companies marched, smartly outfitted in new uniforms, which had replaced the soiled, ragged ones worn during the last days of the Virginia campaign. On the belts of half the marchers swung short spades, emblems of their dangerous field duty — bridge building, road repair — often done under enemy fire they were too busy to return.