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第36章

红字-the scarlet letter(英文版)-第36章

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sympathy。 It showed Pearl in anunwonted aspect。 Heretofore; the mother; while loving her child withthe intensity of a soul affection; had schooled herself to hope forlittle other return than the waywardness of an April breeze; whichspends its time in airy sport; and has its gusts of inexplicablepassion; and is petulant in its best of moods; and chills oftener thancaresses you; when you take it to your bosom; in requital of whichmisdemeanours; it will sometimes; of its own vague purpose; kissyour cheek with a kind of doubtful tenderness; and play gently withyour hair; and then be gone about its other idle business; leaving adreamy pleasure at your heart。 And this; moreover; was a mother'sestimate of the child's disposition。 Any other observer might haveseen few but unamiable traits; and have given them a far darkercolouring。 But now the idea came strongly into Hester's mind; thatPearl; with her remarkable precocity and acuteness; might already haveapproached the age when she could be made a friend; and entrusted withas much of her mother's sorrows as could be imparted; withoutirreverence either to the parent or the child。 In the little chaosof Pearl's character; there might be seen emerging… and could havebeen; from the very first… the steadfast principles of anunflinching courage… an uncontrollable will… a sturdy pride; whichmight be disciplined into self…respect… and a bitter scorn of manythings; which; when examined; might be found to have the taint offalsehood in them。 She possessed affections; too; though hithertoacrid and disagreeable; as are the richest flavours of unripe fruit。With all these sterling attributes; thought Hester; the evil which sheinherited from her mother must be great indeed; if a noble woman donot grow out of this elfish child。  Pearl's inevitable tendency to hover about the enigma of the scarletletter seemed an innate quality of her being。 From the earliestepoch of her conscious life; she had entered upon this as herappointed mission。 Hester had often fancied that Providence had adesign of justice and retribution; in endowing the child with thismarked propensity; but never; until now; had she bethought herselfto ask; whether; linked with that design; there might not likewisebe a purpose of mercy and beneficence。 If little Pearl wereentertained with faith and trust; as a spirit messenger no less thanan earthly child; might it not be her errand to soothe away the sorrowthat lay cold in her mother's heart; and converted it into a tomb?…and to help her to overe the passion; once so wild; and even yetneither dead nor asleep; but only imprisoned within the same tomb…likeheart?  Such were some of the thoughts that now stirred in Hester's mind;with as much vivacity of impression as if they had actually beenwhispered into her ear。 And there was little Pearl; all this while;holding her mother's hand in both her own; and turning her faceupward; while she put these searching questions; once; and again;and still a third time。  〃What does the letter mean; mother?… and why dost thou wear it?… andwhy does the minister keep his hand over his heart?〃  〃What shall I say?〃 thought Hester to herself。 〃No! If this be theprice of the child's sympathy; I cannot pay it。〃  Then she spoke aloud。  〃Silly Pearl;〃 said she; 〃what questions are these? There are manythings in this world that a child must not ask about。 What know I ofthe minister's heart? And as for the scarlet letter; I wear it for thesake of its gold thread。〃  In all the seven bygone years; Hester Prynne had never before beenfalse to the symbol on her bosom。 It may be that it was the talismanof a stern and severe; but yet a guardian spirit; who now forsook her;as recognising that; in spite of his strict watch over her heart; somenew evil had crept into it; or some old one had never been expelled。As for little Pearl; the earnestness soon passed out of her face。  But the child did not see fit to let the matter drop。 Two or threetimes; as her mother and she went homeward; and as often atsuppertime; and while Hester was putting her to bed; and once aftershe seemed to be fairly asleep; Pearl looked up; with mischiefgleaming in her black eyes。  〃Mother;〃 said she; 〃what does the scarlet letter mean?〃  And the next morning; the first indication the child gave of beingawake was by popping up her head from the pillow; and making thatother inquiry; which she had so unaccountably connected with herinvestigations about the scarlet letter…  〃Mother!… mother!… why does the minister keep his hand over hisheart?〃  〃Hold thy tongue; naughty child!〃 answered her mother; with anasperity that she had never permitted to herself before。 〃Do not teaseme; else I shall shut thee into the dark closet!〃                             XVI。                        A FOREST WALK。  HESTER PRYNNE remained constant in her resolve to make known toMr。 Dimmesdale; at whatever risk of present pain or ulteriorconsequences; the true character of the man who had crept into hisintimacy。 For several days; however; she vainly sought anopportunity of addressing him in some of the meditative walks whichshe knew him to be in the habit of taking; along the shores of thepeninsula; or on the wooded hills of the neighbouring country。 Therewould have been no scandal; indeed; nor peril to the holy whiteness ofthe clergyman's good fame; had she visited him in his own study; wheremany a penitent; ere now; had confessed sins of perhaps as deep adye as the one betokened by the scarlet letter。 But; partly that shedreaded the secret or undisguised interference of old RogerChillingworth; and partly that her conscious heart imputed suspicionwhere none could have been felt; and partly that both the minister andshe would need the whole wide world to breathe in; while they talkedtogether… for all these reasons; Hester never though of meeting him inany narrower privacy than beneath the open sky。  At last; while attending in a sick…chamber; whither the Reverend Mr。Dimmesdale had been summoned to make a prayer; she learnt that hehad gone; the day before; to visit the Apostle Eliot; among his Indianconverts。 He would probably return; by a certain hour; in theafternoon of the morrow。 Betimes; therefore; the next day; Hester tooklittle Pearl… who was necessarily the panion of all her mother'sexpeditions; however inconvenient her presence…  and set forth。  The road; after the two wayfarers had crossed from the peninsulato the mainland; was no other than a footpath。 It straggled onwardinto the mystery of the primeval forest。 This hemmed it in sonarrowly; and stood so black and dense on either side; and disclosedsuch imperfect glimpses of the sky above; that; to Hester's mind; itimaged not amiss the moral wilderness in which she had so long beenwandering。 The day was chill and sombre。 Overhead was a grey expanseof cloud; slightly stirred; however; by a breeze; so that a gleam offlickering sunshine might now and then be seen at its solitary playalong the path。 This flitting cheerfulness was always at the fartherextremity of some long vista through the forest。 The sportivesunlight… feebly sportive; at best; in the predominant pensivenessof the day and scene… withdrew itself as they came nigh; and leftthe spots where it had danced the drearier; because they had hopedto find them bright。  〃Mother;〃 said little Pearl; 〃the sunshine does not love you。 Itruns away and hides itself; because it is afraid of something onyour bosom。 Now; see! There it is; playing; a good way off。 Standyou here; and let me run and catch it。 I am but a child。 It will notflee from me; for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!〃  〃Nor ever will; my child; I hope;〃 said Hester。  〃And why not; mother?〃 asked Pearl; stopping short just at thebeginning of her race。 〃Will not it e of its own accord; when Iam a woman grown?〃  〃Run away; child;〃 answered her mother; 〃and catch the sunshine!It will soon be gone。〃  Pearl set forth; at a great pace; and; as Hester smiled to perceive;did actually catch the sunshine; and stood laughing in the midst ofit; all brightened by its splendour; and scintillating with thevivacity excited by rapid motion。 The light lingered about thelonely child; as if glad of such a playmate; until her mother haddrawn almost nigh enough to step into the magic circle too。  〃It will go now;〃 said Pearl; shaking her head。  〃See!〃 answered Hester; smiling。 〃Now I can stretch out my hand; andgrasp some of it。〃  As she attempted to do so; the sunshine vanished; or; to judgefrom the bright expression that was dancing on Pearl's features; hermother could have fancied that the child had absorbed it into herself;and would give it forth again; with a gleam about her path; as theyshould plunge into some gloomier shade。 There was no other attributethat so much impressed her with a sense of new and untransmittedvigour in Pearl's nature; as this never…failing vivacity of spirits;she had not the disease of sadness; which almost all children; inthese latter days; inherit; with the scrofula; from the troubles oftheir ancestors。 Perhaps this too was a disease; and but the reflex ofthe wild energy with which Hester had fought against her sorrows;before Pearl's birth。 It was certainly a doubtful charm; imparting ahard; metallic lustre to the child's character。 She wanted… whatsome people want thro

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