红字-the scarlet letter(英文版)-第16部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ken　in　thy　sleep？　Art　thou　not　afraid　of　nightmaresand　hideous　dreams？〃　　〃Why　dost　thou　smile　so　at　me？〃　inquired　Hester；　troubled　at　theexpression　of　his　eyes。　〃Art　thou　like　the　Black　Man　that　haunts　theforest　round　about　us？　Hast　thou　enticed　me　into　a　bond　that　willprove　the　ruin　of　my　soul？〃　　〃Not　thy　soul；〃　he　answered；　with　another　smile。　〃No；　not　thy　soul。〃　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　V。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　HESTER　AT　HER　NEEDLE。　　HESTER　PRYNNE'S　term　of　confinement　was　now　at　an　end。　Herprison…door　was　thrown　open；　and　she　came　forth　into　the　sunshine；which；　falling　on　all　alike；　seemed；　to　her　sick　and　morbid　heart；as　if　meant　for　no　other　purpose　than　to　reveal　the　scarlet　letteron　her　breast。　Perhaps　there　was　a　more　real　torture　in　her　firstunattended　footsteps　from　the　threshold　of　the　prison；　than　even　inthe　procession　and　spectacle　that　have　been　described；　where　she　wasmade　the　mon　infamy；　at　which　all　mankind　was　summoned　to　point　itsfinger。　Then；　she　was　supported　by　an　unnatural　tension　of　the　nerves；and　by　all　the　bative　energy　of　her　character；　which　enabled　her　toconvert　the　scene　into　a　kind　of　lurid　triumph。　It　was；　moreover；　aseparate　and　insulated　event；　to　occur　but　once　in　her　lifetime；　andto　meet　which；　therefore；　reckless　of　economy；　she　might　call　up　thevital　strength　that　would　have　sufficed　for　many　quiet　years。　The　verylaw　that　condemned　her…　a　giant　of　stern　features；　but　with　vigourto　support；　as　well　as　to　annihilate；　in　his　iron　arm…　had　held　herup；　through　the　terrible　ordeal　of　her　ignominy。　But　now；　with　thisunattended　walk　from　her　prison…door；　began　the　daily　custom；　andshe　must　either　sustain　and　carry　it　forward　by　the　ordinary　resourcesof　her　nature；　or　sink　beneath　it。　She　could　no　longer　borrow　from　thefuture　to　help　her　through　the　present　grief。　To…morrow　would　bringits　own　trial　with　it；　so　would　the　next　day；　and　so　would　the　next；each　its　own　trial；　and　yet　the　very　same　that　was　now　sounutterably　grievous　to　be　borne。　The　days　of　the　far…off　future　wouldtoil　onward；　still　with　the　same　burden　for　her　to　take　up；　and　bearalong　with　her；　but　never　to　fling　down；　for　the　accumulating　days；and　added　years；　would　pile　up　their　misery　upon　the　heap　of　shame。Throughout　them　all；　giving　up　her　individuality；　she　would　bee　thegeneral　symbol　at　which　the　preacher　and　moralist　might　point；　andin　which　they　might　vivify　and　embody　their　images　of　woman'sfrailty　and　sinful　passion。　Thus　the　young　and　pure　would　be　taught　tolook　at　her；　with　the　scarlet　letter　flaming　on　her　breast…　at　her；the　child　of　honourable　parents…　at　her；　the　mother　of　a　babe；　thatwould　hereafter　be　a　woman…　at　her；　who　had　once　been　innocent…　as　thefigure；　the　body；　the　reality　of　sin。　And　over　her　grave；　the　infamythat　she　must　carry　thither　would　be　her　only　monument。　　It　may　seem　marvellous；　that；　with　the　world　before　her…　kept　byno　restrictive　clause　of　her　condemnation　within　the　limits　of　thePuritan　settlement；　so　remote　and　so　obscure…　free　to　return　to　herbirthplace；　or　to　any　other　European　land；　and　there　hide　hercharacter　and　identity　under　a　new　exterior；　as　pletely　as　ifemerging　into　another　state　of　being…　and　having　also　the　passes　ofthe　dark；　inscrutable　forest　open　to　her；　where　the　wildness　of　hernature　might　assimilate　itself　with　a　people　whose　customs　and　lifewere　alien　from　the　law　that　had　condemned　her…　it　may　seemmarvellous；　that　this　woman　should　still　call　that　place　her　home；where；　and　where　only；　she　must　needs　be　the　type　of　shame。　Butthere　is　a　fatality；　a　feeling　so　irresistible　and　inevitable　thatit　has　the　force　of　doom；　which　almost　invariably　pels　human　beingsto　linger　around　and　haunt；　ghost…like；　the　spot　where　some　greatand　marked　event　has　given　the　colour　to　their　lifetime；　and　still　themore　irresistibly；　the　darker　the　tinge　that　saddens　it。　Her　sin；her　ignominy；　were　the　roots　which　she　had　struck　into　the　soil。　Itwas　as　if　a　new　birth；　with　stronger　assimilations　than　the　first；　hadconverted　the　forest…land；　still　so　uncongenial　to　every　other　pilgrimand　wanderer；　into　Hester　Prynne's　wild　and　dreary；　but　life…longhome。　All　other　scenes　of　earth…　even　that　village　of　rural　England；where　happy　infancy　and　stainless　maidenhood　seemed　yet　to　be　in　hermother's　keeping；　like　garments　put　off　long　ago…　were　foreign　to　her；in　parison。　The　chain　that　bound　her　here　was　of　iron　links；　andgalling　to　her　inmost　soul；　but　could　never　be　broken。　　It　might　be；　too…　doubtless　it　was　so；　although　she　hid　the　secretfrom　herself；　and　grew　pale　whenever　it　struggled　out　of　her　heart；like　a　serpent　from　its　hole…　it　might　be　that　another　feeling　kepther　within　the　scene　and　pathway　that　had　been　so　fatal。　There　dwelt；there　trode　the　feet　of　one　with　whom　she　deemed　herself　connectedin　a　union；　that；　unrecognised　on　earth；　would　bring　them　togetherbefore　the　bar　of　final　judgment；　and　make　that　theirmarriage…altar；　for　a　joint　futurity　of　endless　retribution。　Overand　over　again；　the　tempter　of　souls　had　thrust　this　idea　uponHester's　contemplation；　and　laughed　at　the　passionate　and　desperatejoy　with　which　she　seized；　and　then　strove　to　cast　it　from　her。　Shebarely　looked　the　idea　in　the　face；　and　hastened　to　bar　it　in　itsdungeon。　What　she　pelled　herself　to　believe…　what；　finally；　shereasoned　upon；　as　her　motive　for　continuing　a　resident　of　New　England…was　half　a　truth；　and　half　a　self…delusion。　Here；　she　said　to　herself；had　been　the　scene　of　her　guilt；　and　here　should　be　the　scene　of　herearthly　punishment；　and　so；　perchance；　the　torture　of　her　dailyshame　would　at　length　purge　her　soul；　and　work　out　another　purity　thanthat　which　she　had　lost；　more　saint…like；　because　the　result　ofmartyrdom。　　Hester　Prynne；　therefore；　did　not　flee。　On　the　outskirts　of　thetown；　within　the　verge　of　the　peninsula；　but　not　in　close　vicinityto　any　other　habitation；　there　was　a　small　thatched　cottage。　It　hadbeen　built　by　an　earlier　settler；　and　abandoned；　because　the　soilabout　it　was　too　sterile　for　cultivation；　while　its　parativeremoteness　put　it　out　of　the　sphere　of　that　social　activity　whichalready　marked　the　habits　of　the　emigrants。　It　stood　on　the　shore；looking　across　a　basin　of　the　sea　at　the　forest…covered　hills；　towardsthe　west。　A　clump　of　scrubby　trees；　such　as　alone　grew　on　thepeninsula；　did　not　so　much　conceal　the　cottage　from　view；　as　seem　todenote　that　here　was　some　object　which　would　fain　have　been；　or　atleast　ought　to　be；　concealed。　In　this　little；　lonesome　dwelling；with　some　slender　means　that　she　possessed；　and　by　the　license　ofthe　magistrates；　who　still　kept　an　inquisitorial　watch　over　her；Hester　established　herself；　with　her　infant　child。　A　mystic　shadowof　suspicion　immediately　attached　itself　to　the　spot。　Children；　tooyoung　to　prehend　wherefore　this　woman　should　be　shut　out　from　thesphere　of　human　charities；　would　creep　nigh　enough　to　behold　herplying　her　needle　at　the　cottage…window；　or　standing　in　the　doorway；or　labouring　in　her　little　garden；　or　ing　forth　along　the　pathwaythat　led　townward；　and；　discerning　the　scarlet　letter　on　her　breast；would　scamper　off　with　a　strange；　contagious　fear。　　Lonely　as　was　Hester's　situation；　and　without　a　friend　on　earthwho　dared　to　show　himself；　she；　however；　incurred　no　risk　of　want。　Shepossessed　an　art　that　sufficed；　even　in　a　land　that　affordedparatively　little　scope　for　its　exercise；　to　supply　food　for　herthriving　infant　and　herself。　It　was　the　art…　then；　as　now；　almostthe　only　one　within　a　woman's　grasp…　of　needlework。　She　bore　on　herbreast；　in　the　curiously　embroidered　letter；　a　specimen　of　herdelicate　and　imaginative　skill；　of　which　the　dames　of　a　court　mightgladly　have　availed　themselves；　to　add　the　richer　and　more　spiritualadornment　of　human　ingenuity　to　their　fabrics　of　silk　and　gold。Here；　indeed；　in　the　sable　simplicity　that　generally　characterised　thePuritanic　modes　of　dress；　there　might　be　an　infrequent　call　for　thefiner　productions　of　her　handiwork。　Yet　the　taste　of　the　age；demanding　whatever　was　elaborate　in　positions　of　this　kind；　did　notfail　to　extend　its　influence　over　our　stern　progenitors；　who　hadcast　behind　them　so　many　fashions　which　it　might　seem　harder　todispense　with。　Public　ceremonies；　such　as　ordinations；　theinstallation　of　magistrates；　and　all　that　could　give　majesty　to　theforms　in　which　a　new　government　manifested　itself　to　the　people；　were；as　a　matter　of　policy；　marked　by　a　stately　and　well…conductedceremonial；　and　a　sombre；　but　yet　a　studied　magnificence。　Deepruffs；　painfully　wrought　bands；　and　gorgeously　embroidered　gloves　wereall　deemed　necessary　to　the　official　state　of　men　assuming　the　reinsof　power；　and　were　readily　allowed　to　individuals　dignified　by　rank　orwealth；　even　while　sumptuary　laws　forbade　these　and　similarextravagances　to　the　plebeian　order。　In　the　array　of　funerals；　too…whether　for　the　apparel　of　the　dead　body；　or　to　typify；　by　manifoldemblematic…devices　of　sable　cloth　and　snowy　lawn；　the　sorrow　of　thesurvivors…　there　was　a　frequent　and　characteristic　demand　for　suchlabour　as　Hester　Prynne　could　supply。　Baby…linen…　for　babies　then　worerobes　of　state…　　afforded　still　another　possibility　of　toil　andemolument。　　By　degrees；　nor　very　slowly；　her　handiwork　became　what　would　nowbe　termed　the　fashion。　Whether　from　miseration　for　a　wo