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第33章

红字-the scarlet letter(英文版)-第33章

小说: 红字-the scarlet letter(英文版) 字数: 每页3500字

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e stern development; of the feminine character and person; whenthe woman has encountered; and lived through; an experience ofpeculiar severity。 If she be all tenderness; she will die。 If shesurvive; the tenderness will either be crushed out of her; or… and theoutward semblance is the same… crushed so deeply into her heart thatit can never show itself more。 The latter is perhaps the truesttheory。 She who has once been woman; and ceased to be so; might at anymoment bee a woman again; if there were only the magic touch toeffect the transfiguration。 We shall see whether Hester Prynne wereafterwards so touched; and so transfigured。  Much of the marble coldness of Hester's impression was to beattributed to the circumstance; that her life had turned; in a greatmeasure; from passion and feeling; to thought。 Standing alone in theworld… alone; as to any dependence on society; and with little Pearlto be guided and protected… alone; and hopeless of retrieving herposition; even had she not scorned to consider it desirable… shecast away the fragments of a broken chain。 The world's law was nolaw for her mind。 It was an age in which the human intellect; newlyemancipated; had taken a more active and a wider range than for manycenturies before。 Men of the sword had overthrown nobles and kings。Men bolder than these had overthrown and rearranged… not actually; butwithin the sphere of theory; which was their most real abode… thewhole system of ancient prejudice; wherewith was linked much ofancient principle。 Hester Prynne imbibed this spirit。 She assumed afreedom of speculation; then mon enough on the other side of theAtlantic; but which our forefathers; had they known it; would haveheld to be a deadlier crime than that stigmatised by the scarletletter。 In her lonesome cottage by the seashore; thoughts visited her;such as dared to enter no other dwelling in New England; shadowyguests; that would have been as perilous as demons to theirentertainer could they have been seen so much as knocking at her door。  It is remarkable; that persons who speculate the most boldly oftenconform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulationsof society。 The thought suffices them; without investing itself in theflesh and blood of action。 So it seemed to be with Hester。 Yet; hadlittle Pearl never e to her from the spiritual world; it might havebeen far otherwise。 Then; she might have e down to us in history;hand in hand with Ann Hutchinson; as the foundress of a religioussect。 She might; in one of her phases; have been a prophetess。 Shemight; and not improbably would; have suffered death from the sterntribunals of the period; for attempting to undermine the foundationsof the Puritan establishment。 But; in the education of her child;the mother's enthusiasm of thought had something to wreak itself upon。Providence; in the person of this little girl; had assigned toHester's charge the germ and blossom of womanhood; to be cherished anddeveloped amid a host of difficulties。 Everything was against her。 Theworld was hostile。 The child's own nature had something wrong in it;which continually betokened that she had been born amiss… theeffluence of her mother's lawless passion… and often impelled Hesterto ask; in bitterness of heart; whether it were for ill or good thatthe poor little creature had been born at all。  Indeed; the same dark question often rose into her mind; withreference to the whole race of womanhood。 Was existence worthaccepting; even to the happiest among them? As concerned her ownindividual existence; she had long ago decided in the negative; anddismissed the point as settled。 A tendency to speculation; though itmay keep an; yet makes her sad。 She discerns;it may be; such a hopeless task before her。 As a first step; the wholesystem of society is to be torn down; and built up anew。 Then; thevery nature of the opposite sex; or its long hereditary habit; whichhas bee like nature; is to be essentially modified; before womancan be allowed to assume what seems a fair and suitable position。Finally; all other difficulties being obviated; woman cannot takeadvantage of these preliminary reforms; until she herself shall haveundergone a still mightier change; in which; perhaps; the etherealessence; wherein she has her truest life; will be found to haveevaporated。 A woman never overes these problems by any exerciseof thought。 They are not to be solved; or only in one way。 If herheart chance to e uppermost; they vanish。 Thus; Hester Prynne;whose heart had lost its regular and healthy throb; wandered without aclew in the dark labyrinth of mind; now turned aside by aninsurmountable precipice; now starting back from a deep chasm。 Therewas wild and ghastly scenery all around her; and a home and fortnowhere。 At times; a fearful doubt strove to possess her soul; whetherit were not better to send Pearl at once to heaven; and go herselfto such futurity as Eternal Justice should provide。  The scarlet letter had not done its office。  Now; however; her interview with the Reverend Mr。 Dimmesdale; on thenight of his vigil; had given her a new theme of reflection; andheld up to her an object that appeared worthy of any exertion andsacrifice for its attainment。 She had witnessed the intense miserybeneath which the minister struggled; or; to speak more accurately;had ceased to struggle。 She saw that he stood on the verge oflunacy; if he had not already stepped across it。 It was impossibleto doubt; that; whatever painful efficacy there might be in the secretsting of remorse; a deadlier venom had been infused into it by thehand that proffered relief。 A secret enemy had been continually by hisside; under the semblance of a friend and helper; and had availedhimself of the opportunities thus afforded for tampering with thedelicate springs of Mr。 Dimmesdale's nature。 Hester could not butask herself; whether there had not originally been a defect oftruth; courage; and loyalty; on her own part; in allowing the ministerto be thrown into a position where so much evil was to be foreboded;and nothing auspicious to be hoped。 Her only justification lay inthe fact; that she had been able to discern no method of rescuinghim from a blacker ruin than had overwhelmed herself; except byacquiescing in Roger Chillingworth's scheme of disguise。 Under thatimpulse; she had made her choice; and had chosen; as it nowappeared; the more wretched alternative of the two。 She determinedto redeem her error; so far as it might yet be possible。Strengthened by years of hard and solemn trial; she felt herself nolonger so inadequate to cope with Roger Chillingworth as on thatnight; abased by sin; and half maddened by the ignominy that was stillnew; when they had talked together in the prison…chamber。 She hadclimbed her way; since then; to a higher point。 The old man; on theother hand; had brought himself nearer to her level; or perhapsbelow it; by the revenge which he had stooped for。  In fine; Hester Prynne resolved to meet her former husband; and dowhat might be in her power for the rescue of the victim on whom he hadso evidently set his gripe。 The occasion was not long to seek。 Oneafternoon; walking with Pearl in a retired part of the peninsula;she beheld the old physician; with a basket on one arm; and a staff inthe other hand; stooping along the ground; in quest of roots and herbsto concoct his medicines withal。                             XIV。                   HESTER AND THE PHYSICIAN。  HESTER bade little Pearl run down to the margin of the water; andplay with the shells and tangled seaweed; until she should have talkedawhile with yonder gatherer of herbs。 So the child flew away like abird; and; making bare her small white feet; went pattering alongthe moist margin of the sea。 Here and there she came to a full stop;and peeped curiously into a pool; left by the retiring tide as amirror for Pearl to see her face in。 Forth peeped at her; out of thepool; with dark; glistening curls around her head; and an elf…smile inher eyes; the image of a little maid; whom Pearl; having no otherplaymate; invited to take her hand; and run a race with her。 But thevisionary little maid; on her part; beckoned likewise; as if to say;〃This is a better place! e thou into the pool!〃 And Pearl; steppingin; mid…leg deep; beheld her own white feet at the bottom; while;out of a still lower depth; came the gleam of a kind of fragmentarysmile; floating to and fro in the agitated water。  Meanwhile; her mother had accosted the physician。  〃I would speak a word with you;〃 said she… 〃a word that concernsus much。〃  〃Aha! and is it Mistress Hester that has a word for old RogerChillingworth?〃 answered he; raising himself from his stoopingposture。 〃With all my heart! Why; mistress; I hear good tidings ofyou; on all hands! No longer ago than yester…eve; a magistrate; a wiseand godly man; was discoursing of your affairs; Mistress Hester; andwhispered me that there had been question concerning you in thecouncil。 It was debated whether or no; with safety to the mon weal;yonder scarlet letter might be taken off your bosom。 On my life;Hester; I made my entreaty to the worshipful magistrate that itmight be done forthwith!〃  〃It lies not in the pleasure of the magistrates to take off thisbadge。〃 calmly replied Hester。 〃Were I worthy to be quit of it; itwould fall awa

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