《红字-the scarlet letter(英文版)》

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红字-the scarlet letter(英文版)- 第11部分


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rrant me。 Butshe… the naughty baggage… little will she care what they put uponthe bodice of her gown! Why; look you; she may cover it with a brooch;or such like heathenish adornment; and so walk the streets as brave asever!〃  〃Ah; but;〃 interposed; more softly; a young wife; holding a child bythe hand; 〃Let her cover the mark as she will; the pang of it willbe always in her heart。〃  〃What do we talk of marks and brands; whether on the bodice of hergown; or the flesh of her forehead?〃 cried another female; the ugliestas well as the most pitiless of these self…constituted judges。 〃Thiswoman has brought shame upon us all; and ought to die。 Is there notlaw for it? Truly there is; both in the Scripture and thestatute…book。 Then let the magistrates; who have made it of no effect;thank themselves if their own wives and daughters go astray!〃  〃Mercy on us; goodwife;〃 exclaimed a man in the crowd; 〃is thereno virtue in woman; save what springs from a wholesome fear of thegallows? That is the hardest word yet! Hush; now; gossips! for thelock is turning in the prison…door; and here es Mistress Prynneherself。〃  The door of the jail being flung open from within; there appeared;in the first place; like a black shadow emerging into sunshine; thegrim and grisly presence of the town…beadle; with a sword by his side;and his staff of office in his hand。 This personage prefigured andrepresented in his aspect the whole dismal severity of the Puritaniccode of law; which it was his business to administer in its finaland closest application to the offender。 Stretching forth the officialstaff in his left hand; he laid his right upon the shoulder of a youngwoman; whom he thus drew forward; until; on the threshold of theprison…door; she repelled him; by an action marked with naturaldignity and force of character; and stepped into the open air; as ifby her own free will。 She bore in her arms a child; a baby of somethree months old; who winked and turned aside its little face from thetoo vivid light of day; because its existence; heretofore; had broughtit acquainted only with the grey twilight of a dungeon; or otherdarksome apartment of the prison。  When the young woman… the mother of this child… stood fully revealedbefore the crowd; it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp theinfant closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherlyaffection; as that she might thereby conceal a certain token; whichwas wrought or fastened into her dress。 In a moment; however; wiselyjudging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hideanother; she took the baby on her arm; and; with a burning blush;and yet a haughty smile; and a glance that would not be abashed;looked around at her townspeople and neighbours。 On the breast ofher gown; in fine red cloth; surrounded with an elaborate embroideryand fantastic flourishes of gold thread; appeared the letter A。 It wasso artistically done; and with so much fertility and gorgeousluxuriance of fancy; that it had all the effect of a last andfitting decoration to the apparel which she wore; and which was of asplendour in accordance with the taste of the age; but greatlybeyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony。  The young woman was tall; with a figure of perfect elegance on alarge scale。 She had dark and abundant hair; so glossy that it threwoff the sunshine with a gleam; and a face which; besides beingbeautiful from regularity of feature and richness of plexion; hadthe impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes。 Shewas ladylike; too; after the manner of the feminine gentility of thosedays; characterised by a certain state and dignity; rather than by thedelicate; evanescent; and indescribable grace; which is now recognisedas its indication。 And never had Hester Prynne appeared more ladylike;in the antique interpretation of the term; than as she issued from theprison。 Those who had before known her; and had expected to behold herdimmed and obscured by a disastrous cloud; were astonished; and evenstartled; to perceive how her beauty shone out; and made a halo of themisfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped。 It may be true;that; to a sensitive observer; there was something exquisitely painfulin it。 Her attire; which; indeed; she had wrought for the occasion; inprison; and had modelled much after her own fancy; seemed to expressthe attitude of her spirit; the desperate recklessness of her mood; byits wild and picturesque peculiarity。 But the point which drew alleyes; and; as it were; transfigured the wearer… so that both men andwomen; who had been familiarly acquainted with Hester Prynne; were nowimpressed as if they beheld her for the first time… was that SCARLETLETTER; so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom。It had the effect of a spell; taking her out of the ordinary relationswith humanity; and enclosing her in a sphere by herself。  〃She hath good skill at her needle; that's certain;〃 remarked one ofher female spectators; 〃but did ever a woman; before this brazenhussy; contrive such a way of showing it! Why; gossips; what is it butto laugh in the faces of our godly magistrates; and make a pride outof what they; worthy gentlemen; meant for a punishment?〃  〃It were well;〃 muttered the most iron…visaged of the old dames; 〃ifwe stripped Madam Hester's rich gown off her dainty shoulders; andas for the red letter; which she hath stitched so curiously; I'llbestow a rag of mine own rheumatic flannel; to make a fitter one!〃  〃Oh; peace; neighbours; peace!〃 whispered their youngestpanion; 〃do not let her hear you! Not a stitch in thatembroidered letter; but she has felt it in her heart。〃  The grim beadle now made a gesture with his staff。  〃Make way; good people; make way; in the King's name!〃 cried he。〃Open a passage; and; I promise ye; Mistress Prynne shall be set whereman; woman; and child; may have a fair sight of her brave apparel;from this time till an hour past meridian。 A blessing on the righteousColony of the Massachusetts; where iniquity is dragged out into thesunshine! e along; Madam Hester; and show your scarlet letter inthe market…place!〃  A lane was forthwith opened through the crowd of spectators。Preceded by the beadle; and attended by an irregular procession ofstern…browed men and unkindly…visaged women; Hester Prynne set forthtowards the place appointed for her punishment。 A crowd of eager andcurious schoolboys; understanding little of the matter in hand; exceptthat it gave them a half…holiday; ran before her progress; turningtheir heads continually to stare into her face; and at the winkingbaby in her arms; and at the ignominious letter on her breast。 Itwas no great distance; in those days; from the prison…door to themarket…place。 Measured by the prisoner's experience; however; it mightbe reckoned a journey of some length; for; haughty as her demeanourwas; she perchance underwent an agony from every footstep of thosethat thronged to see her; as if her heart had been flung into thestreet for them all to spurn and trample upon。 In our nature; however;there is a provision alike marvellous and merciful; that thesufferer should never know the intensity of what he endures by itspresent torture; but chiefly by the pang that rankles after it。 Withalmost a serene deportment; therefore; Hester Prynne passed throughthis portion of her ordeal; and came to a sort of scaffold; at thewestern extremity of the market…place。 It stood nearly beneath theeaves of Boston's earliest church; and appeared to be a fixture there。  In fact; this scaffold constituted a portion of a penal machine;which now; for two or three generations past; has been merelyhistorical and traditionary among us; but was held; in the old time;to be as effectual an agent; in the promotion of good citizenship;as ever was the guillotine among the terrorists of France。 It was;in short; the platform of the pillory; and above it rose the frameworkof that instrument of discipline; so fashioned as to confine the humanhead in its tight grasp; and thus hold it up to the public gaze。 Thevery ideal of ignominy was embodied and made manifest in thiscontrivance of wood and iron。 There can be no outrage; methinks;against our mon nature… whatever be the delinquencies of theindividual… no outrage more flagrant than to forbid the culprit tohide his face for shame; as it was the essence of this punishment todo。 In Hester Prynne's instance; however; as not unfrequently in othercases; her sentence bore; that she should stand a certain time uponthe platform; but without undergoing that gripe about the neck andconfinement of the head; the proneness to which was the mostdevilish characteristic of this ugly engine。 Knowing well her part;she ascended a flight of wooden steps; and was thus displayed to thesurrounding multitude; at about the height of a man's shouldersabove the street。  Had there been a papist among the crowd of Puritans; he might haveseen in this beautiful woman; so picturesque in her attire and mien;and with the infant at her bosom; an object to remind him of the imageof Divine Maternity; which so many illustrious painters have vied withone another to represent; something which should remind him; indeed;but only by contrast; of that sacred image of sinless motherhood;whose infant was to redeem the worl
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