HESTER PRYNNE'S term of confinement1 was now at an end. Her prison-door was thrown open, and she came forth2 into the sunshine, which, falling on all alike, seemed, to her sick and morbid3 heart, as if meant for no other purpose than to reveal the scarlet4 letter on her breast. Perhaps there was a more real torture in her first unattended footsteps from the threshold of the prison, than even in the procession and spectacle that have been described, where she was made the common infamy5, at which all mankind was summoned to point its finger. Then, she was supported by an unnatural6 tension of the nerves, and by all the combative7 energy of her character, which enabled her to convert the scene into a kind of lurid8 triumph. It was, moreover, a separate and insulated event, to occur but once in her lifetime, and to meet which, therefore, reckless of economy, she might call up the vital strength that would have sufficed for many quiet years. The very law that condemned9 her- a giant of stern features, but with vigour10 to support, as well as to annihilate11, in his iron arm- had held her up, through the terrible ordeal12 of her ignominy. But now, with this unattended walk from her prison-door, began the daily custom; and she must either sustain and carry it forward by the ordinary resources of her nature, or sink beneath it. She could no longer borrow from the future to help her through the present grief. To-morrow would bring its 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 so unutterably grievous to be borne. The days of the far-off future would toil13 onward14, still with the same burden for her to take up, and bear along with her, but never to fling down; for the accumulating days, and added years, would pile up their misery15 upon the heap of shame. Throughout them all, giving up her individuality, she would become the general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody16 their images of woman's frailty17 and sinful passion. Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast- at her, the child of honourable18 parents- at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman- at her, who had once been innocent- as the figure, the body, the reality of sin. And over her grave, the infamy that she must carry thither19 would be her only monument.
It may seem marvellous, that, with the world before her- kept by no restrictive clause of her condemnation20 within the limits of the Puritan settlement, so remote and so obscure- free to return to her birthplace, or to any other European land, and there hide her character and identity under a new exterior21, as completely as if emerging into another state of being- and having also the passes of the dark, inscrutable forest open to her, where the wildness of her nature might assimilate itself with a people whose customs and life were alien from the law that had condemned her- it may seem marvellous, that this woman should still call that place her home, where, and where only, she must needs be the type of shame. But there is a fatality22, a feeling so irresistible23 and inevitable24 that it has the force of doom25, which almost invariably compels human beings to linger around and haunt, ghost-like, the spot where some great and marked event has given the colour to their lifetime; and still the more irresistibly26, the darker the tinge27 that saddens it. Her sin, her ignominy, were the roots which she had struck into the soil. It was as if a new birth, with stronger assimilations than the first, had converted the forest-land, still so uncongenial to every other pilgrim and wanderer, into Hester Prynne's wild and dreary28, but life-long home. All other scenes of earth- even that village of rural England, where happy infancy29 and stainless30 maidenhood32 seemed yet to be in her mother's keeping, like garments put off long ago- were foreign to her, in comparison. The chain that bound her here was of iron links, and galling33 to her inmost soul, but could never be broken.
It might be, too- doubtless it was so, although she hid the secret from herself, and grew pale whenever it struggled out of her heart, like a serpent from its hole- it might be that another feeling kept her within the scene and pathway that had been so fatal. There dwelt, there trode the feet of one with whom she deemed herself connected in a union, that, unrecognised on earth, would bring them together before the bar of final judgment34, and make that their marriage-altar, for a joint35 futurity of endless retribution. Over and over again, the tempter of souls had thrust this idea upon Hester's contemplation, and laughed at the passionate36 and desperate joy with which she seized, and then strove to cast it from her. She barely looked the idea in the face, and hastened to bar it in its dungeon37. What she compelled herself to believe- what, finally, she reasoned upon, as her motive38 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 guilt39, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment; and so, perchance, the torture of her daily shame would at length purge40 her soul, and work out another purity than that which she had lost; more saint-like, because the result of martyrdom.
Hester Prynne, therefore, did not flee. On the outskirts42 of the town, within the verge43 of the peninsula, but not in close vicinity to any other habitation, there was a small thatched cottage. It had been built by an earlier settler, and abandoned, because the soil about it was too sterile44 for cultivation45, while its comparative remoteness put it out of the sphere of that social activity which already marked the habits of the emigrants46. It stood on the shore, looking across a basin of the sea at the forest-covered hills, towards the west. A clump47 of scrubby trees, such as alone grew on the peninsula, did not so much conceal48 the cottage from view, as seem to denote that here was some object which would fain have been, or at least ought to be, concealed49. In this little, lonesome dwelling50, with some slender means that she possessed51, and by the license52 of the magistrates54, who still kept an inquisitorial watch over her, Hester established herself, with her infant child. A mystic shadow of suspicion immediately attached itself to the spot. Children, too young to comprehend wherefore this woman should be shut out from the sphere of human charities, would creep nigh enough to behold55 her plying56 her needle at the cottage-window, or standing57 in the doorway58, or labouring in her little garden, or coming forth along the pathway that led townward; and, discerning the scarlet letter on her breast, would scamper59 off with a strange, contagious60 fear.
Lonely as was Hester's situation, and without a friend on earth who dared to show himself, she, however, incurred61 no risk of want. She possessed an art that sufficed, even in a land that afforded comparatively little scope for its exercise, to supply food for her thriving infant and herself. It was the art- then, as now, almost the only one within a woman's grasp- of needlework. She bore on her breast, in the curiously62 embroidered64 letter, a specimen65 of her delicate and imaginative skill, of which the dames66 of a court might gladly have availed themselves, to add the richer and more spiritual adornment67 of human ingenuity68 to their fabrics69 of silk and gold. Here, indeed, in the sable70 simplicity71 that generally characterised the Puritanic modes of dress, there might be an infrequent call for the finer productions of her handiwork. Yet the taste of the age, demanding whatever was elaborate in compositions of this kind, did not fail to extend its influence over our stern progenitors72, who had cast behind them so many fashions which it might seem harder to dispense73 with. Public ceremonies, such as ordinations74, the installation of magistrates, and all that could give majesty75 to the forms in which a new government manifested itself to the people, were, as a matter of policy, marked by a stately and well-conducted ceremonial, and a sombre, but yet a studied magnificence. Deep ruffs, painfully wrought76 bands, and gorgeously embroidered gloves were all deemed necessary to the official state of men assuming the reins77 of power; and were readily allowed to individuals dignified78 by rank or wealth, even while sumptuary laws forbade these and similar extravagances to the plebeian79 order. In the array of funerals, too-whether for the apparel of the dead body, or to typify, by manifold emblematic-devices of sable cloth and snowy lawn, the sorrow of the survivors- there was a frequent and characteristic demand for such labour as Hester Prynne could supply. Baby-linen- for babies then wore robes of state- afforded still another possibility of toil and emolument80.
By degrees, nor very slowly, her handiwork became what would now be termed the fashion. Whether from commiseration81 for a woman of so miserable82 a destiny; or from the morbid curiosity that gives a fictitious83 value even to common or worthless things; or by whatever other intangible circumstance was then, as now, sufficient to bestow84, on some persons, what others might seek in vain; or because Hester really filled a gap which must otherwise have remained vacant; it is certain that she had ready and fairly requited85 employment for as many hours as she saw fit to occupy with her needle. Vanity, it may be, chose to mortify86 itself, by putting on, for ceremonials of pomp and state, the garments that had been wrought by her sinful hands. Her needle-work was seen on the ruff of the Governor; military men wore it on their scarfs, and the minister on his hand; it decked the baby's little cap; it was shut up, to be mildewed87 and moulder88 away, in the coffins89 of the dead. But it is not recorded that, in a single instance, her skill was called in aid to embroider63 the white veil which was to cover the pure blushes of a bride. The exception indicated the ever relentless90 vigour with which society frowned upon her sin.
Hester sought not to acquire anything beyond a subsistence, of the plainest and most ascetic91 description, for herself, and a simple abundance for her child. Her own dress was of the coarsest materials and the most sombre hue92; with only that one ornament- the scarlet letter- which it was her doom to wear. The child's attire93, on the other hand, was distinguished94 by a fanciful, or, we might rather say, a fantastic ingenuity, which served, indeed, to heighten the airy charm that early began to develop itself in the little girl, but which appeared to have also a deeper meaning. We may speak further of it hereafter. Except for that small expenditure95 in the decoration of her infant, Hester bestowed96 all her superfluous97 means in charity, on wretches98 less miserable than herself, and who not infrequently insulted the hand that fed them. Much of the time, which she might readily have applied99 to the better efforts of her art, she employed in making coarse garments for the poor. It is probable that there was an idea of penance100 in this mode of occupation, and that she offered up a real sacrifice of enjoyment101, in devoting so many hours to such rude handiwork. She had in her nature a rich, voluptuous102, Oriental characteristic- a taste for the gorgeously beautiful, which, save in the exquisite103 productions of her needle, found nothing else, in all the possibilities of her life, to exercise itself upon. Women derive104 a pleasure, incomprehensible to the other sex, from the delicate toil of the needle. To Hester Prynne it might have been a mode of expressing, and therefore soothing105, the passion of her life. Like all other joys, she rejected it as sin. This morbid meddling106 of conscience with an immaterial matter betokened107, it is to be feared, no genuine and steadfast108 penitence109, but something doubtful, something that might be deeply wrong, beneath.
In this manner, Hester Prynne came to have a part to perform in the world. With her native energy of character, and rare capacity, it could not entirely110 cast her off, although it had set a mark upon her, more intolerable to a woman's heart than that which branded the brow of Cain. In all her intercourse111 with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished112, and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere, or communicated with the common nature by other organs and senses than the rest of human kind. She stood apart from moral interests, yet close beside them, like a ghost that revisits the familiar fireside, and can no longer make itself seen or felt; no more smile with the household joy, nor mourn with the kindred sorrow; or, should it succeed in manifesting its forbidden sympathy, awakening113 only terror and horrible repugnance114. These emotions, in fact, and its bitterest scorn besides, seemed to be the sole portion that she retained in the universal heart. It was not an age of delicacy115; and her position, although she understood it well, and was in little danger of forgetting it, was often brought before her vivid self-perception, like a new anguish116, by the rudest touch upon the tenderest spot. The poor, as we have already said, whom she sought out to be the objects of her bounty117, often reviled118 the hand that was stretched forth to succour them. Dames of elevated rank, likewise, whose doors she entered in the way of her occupation, were accustomed to distil119 drops of bitterness into her heart; sometimes through that alchemy of quiet malice120, by which women can concoct121 a subtile poison from ordinary trifles; and sometimes, also, by a coarser expression, that fell upon the sufferer's defenceless breast like a rough blow upon an ulcerated wound. Hester had schooled herself long and well; she never responded to these attacks, save by a flush of crimson122 that rose irrepressibly over her pale cheek, and again subsided123 into the depths of her bosom124. She was patient- a martyr41, indeed- but she forbore to pray for her enemies; lest, in spite of her forgiving aspirations125, the words of the blessing126 should stubbornly twist themselves into a curse.
Continually, and in a thousand other ways, did she feel the innumerable throbs127 of anguish that had been so cunningly contrived129 for her by the undying, the ever-active sentence of the Puritan tribunal. Clergymen paused in the street to address words of exhortation130, that brought a crowd, with its mingled131 grin and frown, around the poor, sinful woman. If she entered a church, trusting to share the Sabbath smile of the Universal Father, it was often her mishap132 to find herself the text of the discourse133. She grew to have a dread134 of children; for they had imbibed135 from their parents a vague idea of something horrible in this dreary woman, gliding136 silently through the town, with never any companion but one only child. Therefore, first allowing her to pass, they pursued her at a distance with shrill137 cries, and the utterance138 of a word that had no distinct purport139 to their own minds, but was none the less terrible to her, as proceeding140 from lips that babbled141 it unconsciously. It seemed to argue so wide a diffusion142 of her shame, that all nature knew of it; it could have caused her no deeper pang143, had the leaves of the trees whispered the dark story among themselves- had the summer breeze murmured about it- had the wintry blast shrieked144 it aloud! Another peculiar145 torture was felt in the gaze of a new eye. When strangers looked curiously at the scarlet letter- and none ever failed to do so- they branded it afresh into Hester's soul; so that, oftentimes, she could scarcely refrain, yet always did refrain, from
covering the symbol with her hand. But then, again, an accustomed eye had likewise its own anguish to inflict146. Its cool stare of familiarity was intolerable. From first to last, in short, Hester Prynne had always this dreadful agony in feeling a human eye upon the token; the spot never grew callous147; it seemed, on the contrary, to grow more sensitive with daily torture.
But sometimes, once in many days, or perchance in many months, she felt an eye- a human eye- upon the ignominious148 brand, that seemed to give a momentary149 relief, as if half of her agony were shared. The next instant, back it all rushed again, with still a deeper throb128 of pain; for, in that brief interval150, she had sinned anew. Had Hester sinned alone?
Her imagination was somewhat affected151, and, had she been of a softer moral and intellectual fibre, would have been still more so, by the strange and solitary152 anguish of her life. Walking to and fro, with those lonely footsteps, in the little world with which she was outwardly connected, it now and then appeared to Hester- if altogether fancy, it was nevertheless too potent153 to be resisted- she felt or fancied, then, that the scarlet letter had endowed her with a new sense. She shuddered154 to believe, yet could not help believing, that it gave her a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts. She was terror-stricken by the revelations that were thus made. What were they? Could they be other than the insidious155 whispers of the bad angel, who would fain have persuaded the struggling woman, as yet only half his victim, that the outward guise156 of purity was but a lie, and that, if truth were everywhere to be shown, a scarlet letter would blaze forth on many a bosom besides Hester Prynne's? Or, must she receive those intimations- so obscure, yet so distinct-as truth? In all her miserable experience, there was nothing else so awful and so loathsome157 as this sense. It perplexed158, as well as shocked her, by the irreverent inopportuneness of the occasions that brought it into vivid action. Sometimes the red infamy upon her breast would give a sympathetic throb, as she passed near a venerable minister or magistrate53, the model of piety160 and justice, to whom that age of antique reverence161 looked up, as to a mortal man in fellowship with angels. "What evil thing is at hand?" would Hester say to herself. Lifting her reluctant eyes, there would be nothing human within the scope of view, save the form of this earthly saint! Again, a mystic sisterhood would contumaciously162 assert itself, as she met the sanctified frown of some matron, who, according to the rumour163 of all tongues, had kept cold snow within her bosom throughout life. That unsunned snow in the matron's bosom, and the burning shame on Hester Prynne's- what had the two in common? Or, once more, the electric thrill would give her warning- "Behold, Hester, here is a companion!"-and, looking up, she would detect the eyes of a young maiden31 glancing at the scarlet letter, shyly and aside, and quickly averted164, with a faint, chill crimson in her cheeks; as if her purity were somewhat sullied by that momentary glance. O Fiend, whose talisman165 was that fatal symbol, wouldst thou leave nothing, whether in youth or age, for this poor sinner to revere159?- such loss of faith is ever one of the saddest results of sin. Be it accepted as a proof that all was not corrupt166 in this poor victim of her own frailty, and man's hard law, that Hester Prynne yet struggled to believe that no fellow-mortal was guilty like herself.
The vulgar, who, in those dreary old times, were always contributing a grotesque167 horror to what interested their imaginations, had a story about the scarlet letter which we might readily work up into a terrific legend. They averred168, that the symbol was not mere169 scarlet cloth, tinged170 in an earthly dye-pot, but was red-hot with infernal fire, and could be seen glowing all alight, whenever Hester Prynne walked abroad in the night-time. And we must needs say, it seared Hester's bosom so deeply, that perhaps there was more truth in the rumour than our modern incredulity may be inclined to admit.
海丝特·白兰的监禁期满了。牢门打开，她迈步走到阳光下。普照众生的日光，在她那病态的心灵看来，似乎只是为了暴露她胸前的红字。这是她第一次独自步出牢门，比超前面所描写的在众目睽睽之下前呼后拥，走上千夫所指的示众受辱台，这才是一次真正的折磨。那天，她为一种反常的神经紧张和个性中全部好斗的精神所支撑，使她能够将那种场面变成一种惨淡的胜利。更主要的，那是在她一生中独一无二的一次各别的孤立事件，因此她可以不借调动在平静的岁月中足够多年消耗的生命力去应付一时之需。就惩办她示众的法律而论，那是一个外貌狰狞的巨人，其铁腕既可以消灭她，也可以支撑她，正是法律本身扶持着她挺过了那示众的可怕煎熬。然而此时此刻，从不然一身步出狱门起，她就要开始过一天又一天的正常生活了；她必须以自身的普通体力支撑自己活下去，否则只有倒在生活下面。她再也不能靠预支生命力来帮助自己度过目前的悲痛。明天还要有明天的考验与之俱来，后天也会如此，再下一天仍会如此；每天都有每天的考验，然而在忍受难以言喻的痛苦这一点士又都是一样的。遥远的未来的时日，仍有其要由她承载的重荷，需要她一步步摄下去，终生背负着，永远不得抛却；日复一日，年复一年，都将在耻辱曲堆积上再叠上层层苦难。她将在长年累月之中，放弃她的个性，面成为布道师和道学家指指点点的一般象征，借以形象具体地说明女性的脆弱与罪孽的情欲。他们将教育纯沾的年轻人望着她——这个胸前佩戴着灼热鲜明的红字的女人；望着她——这个有着可敬的父母的孩子；望着她———这个有着今后会长成女人的婴儿的母亲；望着她——这个原本是纯洁无辜的女人；把她当作罪恶的形象、罪恶的肉体和罪恶的存在。而她必将带到坟墓中去的那个耻辱，将是矗立在她坟上的唯一墓碑。
这事说来令人不可思议：既然她的判决词中没有限制她不得超越清教徒居民区的条款，那么在这片边远偏僻的土地之外，她面对着整个世界，原可以自由地回到她的出生地或任何其它欧洲国家，改头换面，隐姓埋名，一切从新开始；她还面对着通向阴森莫测的莽林的道路，也可以在那里逃脱制裁她的法律，使自己不驯顺的本性在生活习俗完全两样的民族中相得益彰。看来实在不可思议的是，她竟然仍把这地方视作自己的家园；而恰恰在这里，况且也只有在这里，她才会成为耻辱的典型。但确实有一种天数，一种具有冥冥之力的如此不可抗拒和难以避免的感情，迫使人们象幽灵般出汲并滞留在发生过为他终生增色添辉、引人瞩目的重大事件的地方，而且那事件的悲伤色调愈浓，人们也就愈难以背离那块地方。她的罪孽，她的耻辱，便是她深扎于此地的根。她在这块土地上好象获得了比她降生人世更具融熔力量的新生，海丝特·白兰的这一新生把所有其他移民和飘泊者仍感到格格不入的森林地带，变成了她自己荒凉阴郁但却是终生安身立命之家。世界上别的景色，甚至包括她度过幸福的童年和无暇的少女时期的英格兰乡村——象是早巳换下的衣服，交给她母亲去保管了——，相比之下，那些地方在她眼里那是它乡异地了。将她束缚在这里的，是源源傲进她心灵深处的铁打的锁链，永远不可能断裂了。
虽然她向自己隐藏着那个秘密，但只要那个秘密象蟒蛇出洞似的从她心中一钻出来，她就会面色苍白，这或许是——应该说无疑是，将她滞留在如此息息攸关的场地和小路上的另一种感情。在这场地上居住着一个人，在这里的小路上踏着他的脚步，虽说不为世人所认可，她却自信他俩已结成一体，井将共同来到末日审判的席位前凭栏而立，在那里举行神圣的婚礼，以共同承担未来的永无止期的报应。人类灵魂的诱惑者一再把这个念头塞进海丝特的脑海，还嘲笑着搜住她的情欲和狂喜，然后又竭力让她抛掉这一念头。她只能对这个念头匆匆一瞥，便又急忙将其闭锁在它的地窖里。终于，她分析出自己在新英格兰继续后留下来的动机，并且迫使自己去相信，其实只有一半是真情，另一半则是自欺。她对自己说，这里曾是她犯下罪孽的地方，这愿也应是她接受人问惩罚的地方；这样，或许她逐日受到的耻辱的折磨最终会荡涤她的灵魂，并产生出比她失去的那个还要神圣的另一个纯洁，因为这是她殉道的结果。
因此，海丝特·白兰并没有出走。在镇郊半岛的边缘上，有—间小茅屋远离居民区。这是原先的一名移民建起后又放弃了的，因为那一带土地过了贫瘠，不宜耕种，况且离群索居，而社会活动当时已成为移民的一个显著的习惯。茅屋位于岸边，隔着一做海水与西边一片浓荫覆盖的小山相望。半岛上只长着一丛孤零零的矮树，非但没有遮住茅屋，反倒象是在指示出这里有一个目标，而那个目标原本不情愿或至少是应该被挡得看不见的。就在这间孤随的小屋里，海丝特从仍在严密监视她的当局处获准，用她那菲薄的手段来养活她日己和她的孩于。一个疑虑重重的神秘阴影立刻就缠住了这块地方。年纪尚幼、不理解这个女人为什么会被人类的仁慈拒之门外的孩子们，会蹑手蹑脚地走近前来，窥视她在茅屋窗边飞针走线，窥视她位立门前，窥视她在小花园中耕作，窥视她踏上通往镇子的小径：待到看清她胸前的红字，便怀着一种害怕受到传染的奇异的恐惧，迅速逃开了。尽管海丝特处境孤立，世上没有一个朋友敢于露面，然而她倒不致缺衣少穿。她掌握了一门手艺，即使在那片没有太大施展余地的地方，也还足以养活她自己和日见长大的婴儿。这门手艺，无论在当时抑或在现在，几乎都是女性唯一可以一学便会的，那就是做针线活。她胸前佩戴的那个绣得十分绝妙的字母，就是她精致和富于想象力的技艺的一个样品；那些宫廷贵妇们为了在自己的夹金丝织物上增加手工艺装饰品的绚丽和灵性，恐怕也巴不得对此加以利用。诚然，在这里，请教徒们的服饰一般以深黑和简朴为特色，她那些精美的针线活儿可能很少有人间津。不过，时尚总在日益增加对这类精美制品的需求，这也不会影响不到我们严肃的祖先们，他们也确曾抛弃过许许多多看来是难以废除的风气。象授任圣职、官吏就任，以及一个新政府可以对人民显示威仅的种种形式这样一些公众典礼，作为一种成规，执行得庄严有序，显示出一种阴沉而又做作的壮丽。高高的环状皱领、核心编织的饰带和刺绣华丽的手套，都被认定是居官的人夸耀权势的必需品；而且，尽管禁止奢侈的法律不准平民等级效法这一类铺张，但是地位高或财富多的人，随时都可得到韶免。在丧葬活动中也是一样，诸如死者的装碴，或是遗属志哀用的黑丧服和白麻布上种种象征性的图案，都对海丝特·白兰这样的人能够诞供的劳动有经常和具体的需求。而婴儿的服装——当时的婴儿是穿袍服的——也为她提供了依靠劳动获得收入的机会。
没过多久，她的针线活就逐渐成为如今称作时时髦的款式了。或许是出于对这位如此命苦的女人的怜悯；或许是出于对平淡无奇的事情也要故弄玄虚的少见多怪；或许是出于某种难以解释的原因——这在当时和今天都是有的——某些人苦求不得的、别人却可予取予夺、或许是因为海丝特确实填补了原先的一项空白；不管是什么原因吧，反正求她做针线的活路源源不断，只要她乐意于多少钟点，总有很不错的收入。一些人可能是为了抑制自己的虚荣心，才在一些堂皇庄重的场合专门穿戴由她那双有罪的手缝制的服装。于是，她的针线活便出现在总督的皱领上、军人的绶带上、牧师的领结上；装饰在婴儿的小帽上，还给封闭在死人的棺木中霉烂掉。但是从来没人求她为新娘刺绣遮盖她们纯洁的额颜的白色面纱，这是记载中绝对没有的。这一绝无仅有的例外说明，社会对她的罪孽始终是深恶痛绝的。海丝特除去维持生计之外一无所求；她自己过着极其艰苦朴素的生活，对孩子的衣食则稍有宽容。她自己的衣裙用的是最祖糙的料子和最晦暗的颜色，上面只有一件饰物，就是那红字——那是她注定非戴不可的。反之，那孩子的服饰却显得别出心裁，给人一种充满幻想、勿宁说是奇思异想的印象，确实增加了那小妨娘早早就开始显露出来的活泼动人之美，不过，做母亲的给她这样打扮，似乎还有更深的含义。这一点我们以后再说。
海丝特除去在打扮孩子上稍有花费外，她把全部积蓄都用在了救济他人上面，尽管那些入并不比她更为不幸，而且还时常忘思负义地对她横加侮辱。她时常替穷人制作粗布衣服，而如果她把这些时间用来发挥她的手艺，收入原可以更多的。她做这种活计可能有忏悔的念头，不过，她花这么多时间干粗活，确实牺牲了乐趣。她天生就有一种追求富足和奢华的东方人的秉性——一种喜欢穷奢极欲的情调，但这一点在她的全部生活中，除去在她那精美的针线手士中尚可施展之外，已经别无表现的可能了。女人从一针一线的操劳中所能获得的乐趣，是男人无法理解的。对海丝特·白兰来说，可能只有靠这样一种抒发形式，才能慰藉自己对生活的激情。但即使对这绝无仅有的一点乐趣，她也不例外地象看待其它乐趣一样地视为罪过。把良心和一件无关紧要的事情病态地联系在一起，恐怕并不能说明真心实意的仟悔，其背后可能有些颇值怀疑和极其荒谬的东西。
就这样，海丝特·白兰在人世上有了自己的一席之地。由于她生性倔强而且才能出众，虽说人们让她佩戴了一个对女性的心灵来说比烙在该隐①额上的印记还要难堪的标志，部无法彻底摒弃她。然而，她在同社会的一切交往中，却只能有格格不入之感。同她有所接触的那些人的一举一动、一言一行、甚至他们的沉默不语，都在暗示，往往还表明：她是被排除在外的；而她的孤凄的处境似乎证明：她是生活在另一个世界中的，只有靠与众不同的感官来同其余的人类交流。对于人们感兴趣的道德问题，她避之犹恐不及，却又不能不关心，恰似一个幽灵重返故宅，但又无法让家入看见或感到，不能和家中的亲人们共笑同悲；即使得以表现出为人禁止的同情，也只能唤起别人的恐惧与厌恶。事实上，她的这种心情以及随之而来的最辛辣的嘲讽，似乎成了她在世人心目中所保留曲唯一份额了。在那感情还不够细腻的时代，虽然她深知自己的处境，时刻不敢忘怀，但由于人们不时最粗暴地触痛她最嫩弱的地方，使她清晰地自我感觉到一次次新的剧痛。如前所述，她一心一意接济穷苦人，但她伸出的救援之手所得到的回根却是谩骂。同样，她由于职业关系而迈入富室时，上流社会的夫人们却惯于向她心中滴入苦汁；有时她们不动声色地对她施展阴谋，因为女人们最善于利用日常琐事调制微妙的毒剂；有时她们则明目张长胆地攻汗她那毫无防御的心灵，犹如在渍烂的创口上再重重地一击。海丝特长期以来对此泰然处之；她毫无反手之力，只是在苍白的面颊上不禁泛起红潮，然后便潜入内心深处。她事事忍让，确实是一位殉道者，但她不准自己为敌人祈祷——她尽管宽宏大量，却唯恐自己用来祝福的语言会顽强地扭曲成对他们的诅咒。
清教徒的法庭对她极其狡狯地安排下的惩罚，时刻不停地以种种方式使她感到永无休止的悸痛。牧师会在街心停住脚步，对她规劝一番，还会招来一群人围任这可怜的有罪的女人，对她又是嘻笑，又是蹙额。当地走进教堂，一心以为自己会分享众生之父在安息日的微笑时，往往不幸地发现，她正是讲道的内容。她对孩子们渐生畏惧之心，因为他们从父母那里摄取到一种模模糊糊的概念；这个除去一个小孩之外从无伴侣、在镇上蹈踊独行的可怕的女人，身上有着某种骇人之处。于是，他们先放她过去，再远远尾随着她尖声喊叫，那些出于无心肠口而出的语言，对他们本无明确的含义，可她听来却同样可畏。她的耻辱似乎已广为传播，连整个自然界都无有不晓了；即使树时在窃窃私语这一隐私；夏口的微风在悄然四散，冬天的寒风在高声疾呼，她的痛楚也不过如此！此外，一双陌生的眼睛的凝视也会让她感到特别难过。当不速之客毫无例外地好奇地盯着她那红字时，就把那标记又一次烙进海丝特的灵魂；以致她常常禁不住，但终归还是控制使自己，不去用手捂住那象征。其实，熟人的目光又何尝不给地带来苦恼！那种习以为常的冷冷的一瞥真叫她受不了。简而言之，海丝特·白兰始终感到被人们注视那标记的可怕的痛苦；那地方不但众远不会结痂，相反；看来还会随着逐日的折磨而变得益发敏感。
但也有时候——好多天有这么一次，或者要好几个月才有这么一次，她会感到一双眼睛——一双人类的眼睛望着她那耻辱的印记，似乎能给她片刻的宽慰，象是分担了她的一半痛苦。但那瞬向一过，更深的刺病便疾速返回；因为在这短暂的邂逅中，她又重新犯了罪。难道海丝特是独自犯下这罪过的吗？
奇特而孤独的生活的折磨，已经在一定程度上影响了她的思绪，设若她精神上怯懦些，心理上脆弱些，这种影响就会更加严重。当地在这个与她表面上保持着联系的小小天地中迈着孤独的步伐走来定去时，海丝特似乎时时觉得，——如果全然出于幻觉，其潜在的力量也是不可抗拒的——她感到或者说想象着，那红字赋予了她一种新的体验。她战战兢兢又不由得不去相信，那字母让她感应到别人内心中隐藏着的罪孽。她对这些启示诚惺诚恐。这些启示意昧着什么呢？如若不是那个邪恶的天使的阴险的挑动，难道还能是别的吗？他一心想说服这个目前还只是他的半个牺牲品的、劳苦挣扎着的女人：表面的贞洁不过是骗人的伪装，如果把一处处真情全都暴露在光天化日之下的话，除去海丝特·白兰之外，好多人的胸前都会有红字闪烁的。或许，她应该把那些如此含糊又如此明晰的暗示当作真理来接受吧？在她所有的不幸遭遇中，再没有比这种感受更使她难堪和厌恶的了。这种感受总是不合时宜地涌上心头，令她既困惑又震惊。有时候，当她走过一位德高望重的长官或牧师身边时，她胸前的红色耻辱就会感应出一种悸动——这些人可都是虔诚的楷模和正义的化身，在那个崇尚古风的年代，他们都是人间天使，令人肃然起敬的。每逢这种时刻，海丝特总会自忖：“我又遇到什么魔障了吗？”可是，在她勉强抬起的眼睛前面，除去那位活圣人的身形之外，却看不到别人！也有时候，当她遇到某位太太时，望着她们那神圣凛然的面孔，心中便会油然生出一种神秘的妹妹之感，而那位太太却是被众口一词地公认为从来都是冷若冰霜的。那位太太胸中的未见阳光的冰雪和海丝特·白兰胸前的灼热逼人的耻辱，这二者之间有何共同之处呢？还有时候，她周身通电似的战栗会警告说；“看啊，海丝特，这位可是你的伙伴！”而她抬头一看，就会发现一双少女的眼睛，羞怯地对红字一瞥，便连忙榴开，脸上迅速泛起一片隐隐可见的冰冷的赧颜，似乎她的女贞因这刹那的一瞥就此受到某种珐辱。啊，用那个致命的象征为护符的恶魔，你无论在青年人还是老年人身上，难道不肯给这个可怜的罪人留下一点值得祟敬的东西吗？——象这样的丧失信仰从来都是罪恶的一种最悲惨的结果咽。所幸，海丝特·白兰仍在竭力使自己相信，世人还没有象她那样罪孽深重；如果承认这一点，就足以证明：这个自身脆弱和男人的严酷法律的可怜的牺牲品，还没有彻底堕落。
在那个压抑人性的古老年月里，凡夫俗子们对他们感兴趣的事情，总要涂上一层荒诞恐怖的色彩，他们就此杜撰了一篇关于红字的故事，我们完全可以随手写成一个骇人的传说。他们曾经断言，那个象征不仅是人间的染缸中染出来的红布，而且还由炼狱之火烧得通红，每逢海丝待·白兰夜间外出，那红字便闪闪发光。而我们应该说，那红字深深烙进海丝特的胸膛，因此在那个传说中包含着比我们如今将信将疑的更多的真理。
①《旧约．创世记》中说，该隐是亚当及夏接之长于，固妒嫉而杀死弟弟亚伯。
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confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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morbid
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| adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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infamy
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| n.声名狼藉，出丑，恶行 | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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combative
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| adj.好战的；好斗的 | |
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lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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annihilate
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| v.使无效；毁灭；取消 | |
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ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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13
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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15
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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16
embody
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| vt.具体表达，使具体化；包含，收录 | |
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17
frailty
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| n.脆弱；意志薄弱 | |
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18
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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19
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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20
condemnation
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| n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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21
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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22
fatality
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| n.不幸，灾祸，天命 | |
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23
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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24
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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25
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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26
irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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27
tinge
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| vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息 | |
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28
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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29
infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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30
stainless
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| adj.无瑕疵的，不锈的 | |
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31
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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32
maidenhood
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| n. 处女性, 处女时代 | |
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33
galling
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| adj.难堪的,使烦恼的,使焦躁的 | |
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34
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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35
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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36
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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37
dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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38
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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39
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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40
purge
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| n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁 | |
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41
martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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42
outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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43
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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44
sterile
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| adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的 | |
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45
cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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46
emigrants
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| n.（从本国移往他国的）移民( emigrant的名词复数 ) | |
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47
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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48
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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49
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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50
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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51
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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52
license
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| n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许 | |
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53
magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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54
magistrates
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| 地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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55
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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56
plying
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的现在分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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57
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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58
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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59
scamper
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| v.奔跑，快跑 | |
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60
contagious
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| adj.传染性的，有感染力的 | |
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61
incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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62
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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63
embroider
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| v.刺绣于(布)上；给…添枝加叶，润饰 | |
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64
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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65
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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66
dames
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| n.（在英国）夫人（一种封号），夫人（爵士妻子的称号）( dame的名词复数 )；女人 | |
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67
adornment
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| n.装饰；装饰品 | |
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68
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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69
fabrics
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| 织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地 | |
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70
sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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71
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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72
progenitors
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| n.祖先( progenitor的名词复数 )；先驱；前辈；原本 | |
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73
dispense
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| vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施 | |
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74
ordinations
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| n.授予神职( ordination的名词复数 )；授圣职 | |
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75
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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76
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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77
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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78
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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79
plebeian
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| adj.粗俗的；平民的；n.平民；庶民 | |
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80
emolument
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| n.报酬，薪水 | |
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81
commiseration
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| n.怜悯，同情 | |
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82
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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83
fictitious
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| adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的 | |
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84
bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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85
requited
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| v.报答( requite的过去式和过去分词 )；酬谢；回报；报复 | |
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86
mortify
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| v.克制，禁欲，使受辱 | |
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87
mildewed
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| adj.发了霉的，陈腐的，长了霉花的v.（使）发霉，（使）长霉( mildew的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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88
moulder
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| v.腐朽，崩碎 | |
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89
coffins
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| n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物 | |
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90
relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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91
ascetic
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| adj.禁欲的；严肃的 | |
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92
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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93
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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94
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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95
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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96
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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97
superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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98
wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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99
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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100
penance
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| n.（赎罪的）惩罪 | |
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101
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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102
voluptuous
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| adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的 | |
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103
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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104
derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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105
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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106
meddling
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| v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 ) | |
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107
betokened
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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108
steadfast
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| adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的 | |
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109
penitence
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| n.忏悔，赎罪；悔过 | |
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110
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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111
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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112
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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113
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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114
repugnance
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| n.嫌恶 | |
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115
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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116
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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117
bounty
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| n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与 | |
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118
reviled
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| v.辱骂，痛斥( revile的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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119
distil
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| vt.蒸馏；提取…的精华，精选出 | |
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120
malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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121
concoct
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| v.调合，制造 | |
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122
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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123
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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124
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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125
aspirations
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| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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126
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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127
throbs
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| 体内的跳动( throb的名词复数 ) | |
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128
throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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129
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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130
exhortation
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| n.劝告，规劝 | |
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131
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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132
mishap
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| n.不幸的事，不幸；灾祸 | |
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133
discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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134
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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135
imbibed
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| v.吸收( imbibe的过去式和过去分词 )；喝；吸取；吸气 | |
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136
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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137
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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138
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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139
purport
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| n.意义，要旨，大要；v.意味著，做为...要旨，要领是... | |
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140
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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babbled
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| v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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diffusion
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| n.流布；普及；散漫 | |
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pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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callous
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| adj.无情的，冷淡的，硬结的，起老茧的 | |
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ignominious
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| adj.可鄙的，不光彩的，耻辱的 | |
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momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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insidious
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| adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧 | |
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guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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revere
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| vt.尊崇，崇敬，敬畏 | |
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piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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161
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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contumaciously
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rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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talisman
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| n.避邪物，护身符 | |
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corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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averred
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| v.断言( aver的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；证明…属实；作为事实提出 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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