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第14章

红字-the scarlet letter(英文版)-第14章

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sensibility and a vast power ofself…restraint。 Notwithstanding his high native gifts and scholar…likeattainments; there was an air about this young minister… anapprehensive; a startled; a half…frightened look… as of a being whofelt himself quite astray and at a loss in the pathway of humanexistence; and could only be at ease in some seclusion of his own。Therefore; so far as his duties would permit; he trod in the shadowybypaths; and thus kept himself simple and childlike; ing forth;when occasion was; with a freshness; and fragrance; and dewy purity ofthought; which; as many people said; affected them like the speechof an angel。  Such was the young man whom the Reverend Mr。 Wilson and the Governorhad introduced so openly to the public notice; bidding him speak; inthe hearing of all men; to that mystery of a woman's soul; so sacredeven in its pollution。 The trying nature of his position drove theblood from his cheek; and made his lips tremulous。  〃Speak to the woman; my brother;〃 said Mr。 Wilson。 〃It is ofmoment to her soul; and therefore; as the worshipful Governor says;momentous to thine own; in whose charge hers is。 Exhort her to confessthe truth!〃  The Reverend Mr。 Dimmesdale bent his head; in silent prayer; as itseemed; and then came forward。  〃Hester Prynne;〃 said he; leaning over the balcony; and looking downsteadfastly into her eyes; 〃thou hearest what this good man says;and seest the accountability under which I labour。 If thou feelestit to be for thy soul's peace; and that thy earthly punishment willthereby be made more effectual to salvation; I charge thee to speakout the name of thy fellow…sinner and fellow…sufferer! Be not silentfrom any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for believe me; Hester;though he were to step down from a high place; and stand therebeside thee; on thy pedestal of shame; yet better were it so; thanto hide a guilty heart through life。 What can thy silence do forhim; except it tempt him… yea; pel him; as it were… to addhypocrisy to sin? Heaven hath granted thee an open ignominy; thatthereby thou mayest work out an open triumph over the evil withinthee; and the sorrow without。 Take heed how thou deniest to him…who; perchance; hath not the courage to grasp it for himself… thebitter; but wholesome; cup that is now presented to thy lips!〃  The young pastor's voice was tremulously sweet; rich; deep; andbroken。 The feeling that it so evidently manifested; rather than thedirect purport of the words; caused it to vibrate within all hearts;and brought the listeners into one accord of sympathy。 Even the poorbaby; at Hester's bosom; was affected by the same influence; for itdirected its hitherto vacant gaze towards Mr。 Dimmesdale; and heldup its little arms; with a half…pleased; half…plaintive murmur。 Sopowerful seemed the minister's appeal; that the people could notbelieve but that Hester Prynne would speak out the guilty name; orelse that the guilty one himself; in whatever high or lowly place hestood; would be drawn forth by an inward and inevitable necessity; andpelled to ascend the scaffold。  Hester shook her head。  〃Woman; transgress not beyond the limits of Heaven's mercy!〃 criedthe Reverend Mr。 Wilson; more harshly than before。 〃That little babehath been gifted with a voice; to second and confirm the counsel whichthou hast heard。 Speak out the name! That; and thy repentance; mayavail to take the scarlet letter off thy breast。〃  〃Never!〃 replied Hester Prynne; looking; not at Mr。 Wilson; but intothe deep and troubled eyes of the younger clergyman。 〃It is too deeplybranded。 Ye cannot take it off。 And would that I might endure hisagony; as well as mine!〃  〃Speak; woman!〃 said another voice; coldly and sternly; proceedingfrom the crowd about the scaffold。 〃Speak; and give your child afather!〃  〃I will not speak!〃 answered Hester; turning pale as death; butresponding to this voice; which she too surely recognized。 〃And mychild must seek a heavenly Father; she shall never know an earthlyone!〃  〃She will not speak!〃 murmured Mr。 Dimmesdale; who; leaning over thebalcony; with his hand upon his heart; had awaited the result of hisappeal。 He now drew back; with a long respiration。 〃Wondrousstrength and generosity of a woman's heart! She will not speak!〃  Discerning the impractible state of the poor culprit's mind; theelder clergyman; who had carefully prepared himself for theoccasion; addressed to the multitude a discourse on sin; in all itsbranches; but with continual reference to the ignominious letter。 Soforcibly did he dwell upon this symbol; for the hour or more duringwhich his periods were rolling over the people's heads; that itassumed new terrors in their imagination; and seemed to derive itsscarlet hue from the flames of the infernal pit。 Hester Prynne;meanwhile; kept her place upon the pedestal of shame; with glazedeyes; and an air of weary indifference。 She had borne; that morning;all that nature could endure; and as her temperament was not of theorder that escapes from too intense suffering by a swoon; her spiritcould only shelter itself beneath a stony crust of insensibility;while the faculties of animal life remained entire。 In this state; thevoice of the preacher thundered remorselessly; but unavailingly;upon her ears。 The infant; during the latter portion of her ordeal;pierced the air with its wailings and screams; she strove to hushit; mechanically; but seemed scarcely to sympathise with itstrouble。 With the same hard demeanour; she was led back to prison; andvanished from the public gaze within its iron…clamped portal。 It waswhispered; by those who peered after her; that the scarlet letterthrew a lurid gleam along the dark passage…way of the interior。                             IV。                       THE INTERVIEW。  AFTER her return to the prison; Hester Prynne was found to be in astate of nervous excitement that demanded constant watchfulness;lest she should perpetrate violence on herself; or do somehalf…frenzied mischief to the poor babe。 As night approached; itproving impossible to quell her insubordination by rebuke or threatsof punishment; Master Brackett; the jailer; thought fit to introduce aphysician。 He described him as a man of skill in all Christian modesof physical science; and likewise familiar with whatever the savagepeople could teach; in respect to medicinal herbs and roots thatgrew in the forest。 To say the truth; there was much need ofprofessional assistance; not merely for Hester herself; but still moreurgently for the child; who; drawing its sustenance from thematernal bosom; seemed to have drank in with it all the turmoil; theanguish and despair; which pervaded the mother's system。 It nowwrithed in convulsions of pain; and was a forcible type; in its littleframe; of the moral agony which Hester Prynne had borne throughout theday。  Closely following the jailer into the dismal apartment; appearedthat individual of singular aspect; whose presence in the crowd hadbeen of such deep interest to the wearer of the scarlet letter。 He waslodged in the prison; not as suspected of any offence; but as the mostconvenient and suitable mode of disposing of him; until themagistrates should have conferred with the Indian sagamores respectinghis ransom。 His name was announced as Roger Chillingworth。 The jailer;after ushering him into the room; remained a moment; marvelling at theparative quiet that followed his entrance; for Hester Prynne hadimmediately bee as still as death; although the child continuedto moan。  〃Prithee; friend; leave me alone with my patient;〃 said thepractitioner。 〃Trust me; good jailer; you shall briefly have peacein your house; and; I promise you; Mistress Prynne shall hereafterbe more amenable to just authority than you may have found herheretofore。〃  〃Nay; if your worship can acplish that;〃 answered MasterBrackett; 〃I shall own you for a man of skill indeed! Verily; thewoman hath been like a possessed one; and there lacks little; that Ishould take in hand to drive Satan out of her with stripes。〃  The stranger had entered the room with the characteristic quietudeof the profession to which he announced himself as belonging。 Nordid his demeanour change; when the withdrawal of the prison keeperleft him face to face with the woman; whose absorbed notice of him; inthe crowd; had intimated so close a relation between himself andher。 His first care was given to the child; whose cries; indeed; asshe lay writhing on the trundle…bed; made it of peremptory necessityto postpone all other business to the task of soothing her。 Heexamined the infant carefully; and then proceeded to unclasp aleathern case; which he took from beneath his dress。 It appeared tocontain medical preparations; one of which he mingled with a cup ofwater。  〃My old studies in alchemy;〃 observed he; 〃and my sojourn; for abovea year past; among a people well versed in the kindly properties ofsimples; have made a better physician of me than many that claim themedical degree。 Here; woman! The child is yours… she is none ofmine… neither will she recognise my voice or aspect as a father's。Administer this draught; therefore; with thine own hand。〃  Hester repelled the offered medicine; at the same time gazing withstrongly marked apprehension into his face。  〃Wouldst thou avenge thyself on the innocent babe?〃 whispered s

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