红字-the scarlet letter(英文版)-第46章

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…seat；　thy　mother；　and　thou；　and　I；　must　standtogether。　But　the　daylight　of　this　world　shall　not　see　our　meeting！〃　　Pearl　laughed　again。　　But；　before　Mr。　Dimmesdale　had　done　speaking；　a　light　gleamed　farand　wide　over　all　the　muffled　sky。　It　was　doubtless　caused　by　one　ofthose　meteors　which　the　night…watcher　may　so　often　observe　burning　outto　waste；　in　the　vacant　regions　of　the　atmosphere。　So　powerful　was　itsradiance；　that　it　thoroughly　illuminated　the　dense　medium　of　cloudbetwixt　the　sky　and　earth。　The　great　vault　brightened；　like　the　domeof　an　immense　lamp。　It　showed　the　familiar　scene　of　the　street；　withthe　distinctness　of　mid…day；　but　also　with　the　awfulness　that　isalways　imparted　to　familiar　objects　by　an　unaccustomed　light。　Thewooden　houses；　with　their　jutting　stories　and　quaint　gable…peaks；the　door…steps　and　thresholds；　with　the　early　grass　springing　up　aboutthem；　the　garden…plots；　black　with　freshly　turned　earth；　thewheel…track；　little　worn；　and；　even　in　the　market…place；　margined　withgreen　on　either　side　all…　were　visible；　but　with　a　singularity　ofaspect　that　seemed　to　give　another　moral　interpretation　to　thethings　of　this　world　than　they　had　ever　borne　before。　And　therestood　the　minister；　with　his　hand　over　his　heart；　and　Hester　Prynne；with　the　embroidered　letter　glimmering　on　her　bosom；　and　little　Pearl；herself　a　symbol；　and　the　connecting　link　between　those　two。　Theystood　in　the　noon　of　that　strange　and　solemn　splendour；　as　if　itwere　the　light　that　is　to　reveal　all　secrets；　and　the　daybreak　thatshall　unite　all　who　belong　to　one　another。　　There　was　witchcraft　in　little　Pearl's　eyes；　and　her　face；　as　sheglanced　upward　at　the　minister；　wore　that　naughty　smile　which　made　itsexpression　frequently　so　elvish。　She　withdrew　her　hand　from　Mr。Dimmesdale's；　and　pointed　across　the　street。　But　he　clasped　both　hishands　over　his　breast；　and　cast　his　eyes　towards　the　zenith。　　Nothing　was　more　mon；　in　those　days；　than　to　interpret　allmeteoric　appearances；　and　other　natural　phenomena；　that　occurredwith　less　regularity　than　the　rise　and　set　of　sun　and　moon；　as　so　manyrevelations　from　a　supernatural　source。　Thus；　a　blazing　spear；　a　swordof　flame；　a　bow；　or　a　sheaf　of　arrows；　seen　in　the　midnight　sky；prefigured　Indian　warfare。　Pestilence　was　known　to　have　been　forebodedby　a　shower　of　crimson　light。　We　doubt　whether　any　marked　event；　forgood　or　evil；　ever　befell　New　England；　from　its　settlement　down　toRevolutionary　times；　of　which　the　inhabitants　had　not　beenpreviously　warned　by　some　spectacle　of　this　nature。　Not　seldom；　it　hadbeen　seen　by　multitudes。　Oftener；　however；　its　credibility　rested　onthe　faith　of　some　lonely　eye…witness；　who　beheld　the　wonder　throughthe　coloured；　magnifying；　and　distorting　medium　of　his　imagination；and　shaped　it　more　distinctly　in　his　afterthought。　It　was；　indeed；　amajestic　idea；　that　the　destiny　of　nations　should　be　revealed；　inthese　awful　hieroglyphics；　on　the　cope　of　heaven。　A　scroll　so　widemight　not　be　deemed　too　expansive　for　Providence　to　write　a　people'sdoom　upon。　The　belief　was　a　favourite　one　with　our　forefathers；　asbetokening　that　their　infant　monwealth　was　under　a　celestialguardianship　of　peculiar　intimacy　and　strictness。　But　what　shall　wesay；　when　an　individual　discovers　a　revelation；　addressed　to　himselfalone；　on　the　same　vast　sheet　of　record！　In　such　a　case；　it　could　onlybe　the　symptom　of　a　highly　disordered　mental　state；　when　a　man；rendered　morbidly　self…contemplative　by　long；　intense；　and　secretpain；　had　extended　his　egotism　over　the　whole　expanse　of　nature；　untilthe　firmament　itself　should　appear　no　more　than　a　fitting　page　for　hissoul's　history　and　fate！　　We　impute　it；　therefore；　solely　to　the　disease　in　his　own　eye　andheart；　that　the　minister；　looking　upward　to　the　zenith；　beheld　therethe　appearance　of　an　immense　letter…　the　letter　A…　marked　out　in　linesof　dull　red　light。　Not　but　the　meteor　may　have　shown　itself　at　thatpoint；　burning　duskily　through　a　veil　of　cloud；　but　with　no　such　shapeas　his　guilty　imagination　gave　it；　or；　at　least；　with　so　littledefiniteness；　that　another's　guilt　might　have　seen　another　symbol　init。　　There　was　a　singular　circumstance　that　characterised　Mr。Dimmesdale's　psychological　state　at　this　moment。　All　the　time　thathe　gazed　upward　to　the　zenith；　he　was；　nevertheless；　perfectly　awarethat　little　Pearl　was　pointing　her　finger　towards　old　RogerChillingworth；　who　stood　at　no　great　distance　from　the　scaffold。　Theminister　appeared　to　see　him；　with　the　same　glance　that　discernedthe　miraculous　letter。　To　his　features；　as　to　all　other　objects；　themeteoric　light　imparted　a　new　expression；　or　it　might　well　be　that　thephysician　was　not　careful　then；　as　at　all　other　times；　to　hide　themalevolence　with　which　he　looked　upon　his　victim。　Certainly；　if　themeteor　kindled　up　the　sky；　and　disclosed　the　earth；　with　anawfulness　that　admonished　Hester　Prynne　and　the　clergyman　of　the　dayof　judgment；　then　might　Roger　Chillingworth　have　passed　with　themfor　the　arch…fiend；　standing　there　with　a　smile　and　scowl；　to　claimhis　own。　So　vivid　was　the　expression；　or　so　intense　the　minister'sperception　of　it；　that　it　seemed　still　to　remain　painted　on　thedarkness；　after　the　meteor　had　vanished；　with　an　effect　as　if　thestreet　and　all　things　else　were　at　once　annihilated。　　〃Who　is　that　man；　Hester？〃　gasped　Mr。　Dimmesdale；　overe　withterror。　〃I　shiver　at　him！　Dost　thou　know　the　man？　I　hate　him；　Hester！〃　　She　remembered　her　oath；　and　was　silent。　　〃I　tell　thee；　my　soul　shivers　at　him！〃　muttered　the　ministeragain。　〃Who　is　he？　Who　is　he？　Canst　thou　do　nothing　for　me？　I　have　anameless　horror　of　the　man！〃　　〃Minister；〃　said　little　Pearl；　〃I　can　tell　thee　who　he　is！〃　　〃Quickly；　then；　child！〃　said　the　minister；　bending　his　ear　closeto　her　lips。　〃Quickly！…　and　as　low　as　thou　canst　whisper。〃　　Pearl　mumbled　something　into　his　ear；　that　sounded；　indeed；　likehuman　language；　but　was　only　such　gibberish　as　children　may　be　heardamusing　themselves　with；　by　the　hour　together。　At　all　events；　if　itinvolved　any　secret　information　in　regard　to　old　RogerChillingworth；　it　was　in　a　tongue　unknown　to　the　erudite　clergyman；and　did　but　increase　the　bewilderment　of　his　mind。　The　elvish　childthen　laughed　aloud。　　〃Dost　thou　mock　me　now？〃　sai