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红字-the scarlet letter(英文版)-第22部分

小说: 红字-the scarlet letter(英文版) 字数: 每页4000字

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rfare; and though unfeignedly prepared to sacrifice goods and lifeat the behest of duty… made it a matter of conscience to reject suchmeans of fort; or even luxury; as lay fairly within their grasp。This creed was never taught; for instance; by the venerable pastor;John Wilson; whose beard; white as a snow…drift; was seen overGovernor Bellingham's shoulder; while its wearer suggested thatpears and peaches might yet be naturalised in the New England climate;and that purple grapes might possibly be pelled to flourish;against the sunny garden…wall。 The old clergyman; nurtured at the richbosom of the English Church; had a long…established and legitimatetaste for all good and fortable things; and however stern hemight show himself in the pulpit; or in his public reproof of suchtransgressions as that of Hester Prynne; still; the genial benevolenceof his private life had won him warmer affection than was accordedto any of his professional contemporaries。  Behind the Governor and Mr。 Wilson came two other guests; one theReverend Arthur Dimmesdale; whom the reader may remember as havingtaken a brief and reluctant part in the scene of Hester Prynne'sdisgrace; and; in close panionship with him; old RogerChillingworth; a person of great skill in physic; who; for two orthree years past; had been settled in the town。 It was understood thatthis learned man was the physician as well as friend of the youngminister; whose health had severely suffered; of late; by his toounreserved self…sacrifice to the labours and duties of the pastoralrelation。  The Governor; in advance of his visitors; ascended one or two steps;and; throwing open the leaves of the great hall…window; foundhimself close to little Pearl。 The shadow of the curtain fell onHester Prynne; and partially concealed her。  〃What have we here?〃 said Governor Bellingham; looking with surpriseat the scarlet little figure before him。 〃I profess; I have never seenthe like; since my days of vanity; in old King James' time; when I waswont to esteem it a high favour to be admitted to a court mask!There used to be a swarm of these small apparitions; in holidaytime; and we called them children of the Lord of Misrule。 But howgat such a guest into my hall?〃  〃Ay; indeed!〃 cried good old Mr。 Wilson。 〃What little bird ofscarlet plumage may this be? Methinks I have seen just such figures;when the sun has been shining through a richly painted window; andtracing out the golden and crimson images across the floor。 But thatwas in the old land。 Prithee; young one; who art thou; and what hasailed thy mother to bedizen thee in this strange fashion? Art thou aChristian child… ha? Dost know thy catechism? Or art thou one of thosenaughty elfs or fairies; whom we thought to have left behind us;with other relics of Papistry; in merry old England?〃  〃I am mother's child;〃 answered the scarlet vision; 〃and my nameis Pearl!〃  〃Pearl?… Ruby; rather!… or Coral!… or Red Rose; at the very least;judging from thy hue!〃 responded the old minister; putting forth hishand in a vain attempt to pat little Pearl on the cheek。 〃But where isthis mother of thine? Ah! I see;〃 he added; and; turning to GovernorBellingham; whispered; 〃This is the selfsame child of whom we haveheld speech together; and behold here the unhappy woman; HesterPrynne; her mother!〃  〃Sayest thou so?〃 cried the Governor。 〃Nay; we might have judgedthat such a child's mother must needs be a scarlet woman; and a worthytype of her of Babylon! But she es at a good time; and we will lookinto this matter forthwith。〃  Governor Bellingham stepped through the window into the hall;followed by his three guests。  〃Hester Prynne;〃 said he; fixing his naturally stern regard on thewearer of the scarlet letter; 〃there hath been much questionconcerning thee; of late。 The point hath been weightily discussed;whether we; that are of authority and influence; do well discharge ourconsciences by trusting an immortal Soul; such as there is in yonderchild; to the guidance of one who hath stumbled and fallen amid thepitfalls of this world。 Speak thou; the child's own mother! Were itnot; thinkest thou; for thy little one's temporal and eternal welfare;that she be taken out of thy charge; and clad soberly; and disciplinedstrictly; and instructed in the truths of heaven and earth? What canstthou do for the child; in this kind?〃  〃I can teach my little Pearl what I have learned from this!〃answered Hester Prynne; laying her finger on the red token。  〃Woman; it is thy badge of shame!〃 replied the stern magistrate。 〃Itis because of the stain which that letter indicates; that we wouldtransfer thy child to other hands。〃  〃Nevertheless;〃 said the mother calmly; though growing more pale;〃this badge hath taught me… it daily teaches me… it is teaching meat this moment… lessons whereof my child may be the wiser andbetter; albeit they can profit nothing to thyself。〃  〃We will judge warily;〃 said Bellingham; 〃and look well what weare about to do。 Good Master Wilson; I pray you; examine this Pearl…since that is her name… and see whether she hath had such Christiannurture as befits a child of her age。〃  The old minister seated himself in an arm…chair; and made aneffort to draw Pearl betwixt his knees。 But the child; unaccustomed tothe touch or familiarity of any but her mother; escaped through theopen window; and stood on the upper step; looking like a wild tropicalbird; of rich plumage; ready to take flight into the upper air。 Mr。Wilson; not a little astonished at this outbreak… for he was agrandfatherly sort of personage; and usually a vast favourite withchildren… essayed; however; to proceed with the examination。  〃Pearl;〃 said he; with great solemnity; 〃thou must take heed toinstruction; that so; in due season; thou mayest wear in thy bosom thepearl of great price。 Canst thou tell me; my child; who made thee?〃  Now Pearl knew well enough who made her; for Hester Prynne; thedaughter of a pious home; very soon after her talk with the childabout her Heavenly Father; had begun to inform her of those truthswhich the human spirit; at whatever stage of immaturity; imbibeswith such eager interest。 Pearl; therefore; so large were theattainments of her three years' lifetime; could have borne a fairexamination in the New England Primer; or the first column of theWestminster Catechisms; although unacquainted with the outward form ofeither of those celebrated works。 But that perversity; which allchildren have more or less of; and of which little Pearl had a tenfoldportion; now; at the most inopportune moment; took thorough possessionof her; and closed her lips; or impelled her to speak words amiss。After putting her finger in her mouth; with many ungracious refusalsto answer good Mr。 Wilson's question; the child finally announced thatshe had not been made at all; but had been plucked by her mother offthe bush of wild roses that grew by the prison…door。  This fantasy was probably suggested by the near proximity of theGovernor's red roses; as Pearl stood outside of the window; togetherwith her recollection of the prison rose…bush; which she had passed ining hither。  Old Roger Chillingworth; with a smile on his face; whisperedsomething in the young clergyman's ear。 Hester Prynne looked at theman of skill; and even then; with her fate hanging in the balance; wasstartled to perceive what a change had e over his features… howmuch uglier they were… how his dark plexion seemed to have grownduskier; and his figure more misshapen… since the days when she hadfamiliarly known him。 She met his eyes for an instant; but wasimmediately constrained to give all her attention to the scene nowgoing forward。  〃This is awful!〃 cried the Governor; slowly recovering from theastonishment into which Pearl's response had thrown him。 〃Here is achild of three years old; and she cannot tell who made her! Withoutquestion; she is equally in the dark as to her soul; its presentdepravity and future destiny! Methinks; gentlemen; we need inquireno further!〃  Hester caught hold of Pearl; and drew her forcibly into her arms;confronting the old Puritan magistrate with almost a fierceexpression。 Alone in the world; cast off by it; and with this soletreasure to keep her heart alive; she felt that she possessedindefeasible rights against the world; and was ready to defend them tothe death。  〃God gave me the child!〃 cried she。 〃He gave her in requital ofall things else; which ye had taken from me。 She is my happiness!… sheis my torture; none the less! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearlpunishes me too! See ye not; she is the scarlet letter; only capableof being loved; and so endowed with a millionfold the power ofretribution for my sin? Ye shall not take her! I will die first!〃  〃My poor woman;〃 said the not unkind old minister; 〃the childshall be well cared for!… far better than thou canst do it!〃  〃God gave her into my keeping;〃 repeated Hester Prynne; raisingher voice almost to a shriek。 〃I will not give her up!〃… And here;by a sudden impulse; she turned to the young clergyman; Mr。Dimmesdale; at whom; up to this moment; she had seemed hardly somuch as once to direct her eyes。… 〃Speak thou for me!〃 cried she。〃Thou wast my pastor; and hadst charge of my soul; and knowest mebetter than these men can。 I will not lose the child! Speak for me!Thou knowest… for thou hast sy

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