mebetter than these men can。 I will not lose the child! Speak for me!Thou knowest… for thou hast sympathies which these men lack… thouknowest what is in my heart; and what are a mother's rights; and howmuch the stronger they are; when that mother has but her child and thescarlet letter! Look thou to it! I will not lose the child! Look toit!〃 At this wild and singular appeal; which indicated that HesterPrynne's situation had provoked her to little less than madness; theyoung minister at once came forward; pale; and holding his hand overhis heart; as was his custom whenever his peculiarly nervoustemperament was thrown into agitation。 He looked now more careworn andemaciated than as we described him at the scene of Hester's publicignominy; and whether it were his failing health; or whatever thecause might be; his large dark eyes had a world of pain in theirtroubled and melancholy depth。 〃There is truth in what she says;〃 began the minister; with avoice sweet; tremulous; but powerful; insomuch that the hallre…echoed; and the hollow armour rang with it… 〃truth in what Hestersays; and in the feeling which inspires her! God gave her the child;and gave her; too; an instinctive knowledge of its nature andrequirements… both seemingly so peculiar… which no other mortalbeing can possess。 And; moreover; is there not a quality of awfulsacredness in the relation between this mother and this child?〃 〃Ay!… how is that; good Master Dimmesdale?〃 interrupted theGovernor。 〃Make that plain; I pray you!〃 〃It must be even so;〃 resumed the minister。 〃For; if we deem itotherwise; do we not thereby say that the Heavenly Father; the Creatorof all flesh; hath lightly recognised a deed of sin; and made of noaccount the distinction between unhallowed lust and holy love? Thischild of its father's guilt and its mother's shame hath e fromthe hand of God; to work in many ways upon her heart; who pleads soearnestly; and with such bitterness of spirit; the right to keepher。 It was meant for a blessing; for the one blessing of her life! Itwas meant; doubtless; as the mother herself hath told us; for aretribution too; a torture to be felt at many an unthought…ofmoment; a pang; a sting; an ever…recurring agony; in the midst of atroubled joy! Hath she not expressed this thought in the garb of thepoor child; so forcibly reminding us of that red symbol which searsher bosom?〃 〃Well said again!〃 cried good Mr。 Wilson。 〃I feared the woman had nobetter thought than to make a mountebank of her child!〃 〃Oh; not so!… not so!〃 continued Mr。 Dimmesdale。 〃She recognises;believe me; the solemn miracle which God hath wrought; in theexistence of that child。 And may she feel; too… what; methinks; is thevery truth… that this boon was meant; above all things else; to keepthe mother's soul alive; and to preserve her from blacker depths ofsin into which Satan might else have sought to plunge her! Thereforeit is good for this poor; sinful woman that she hath an infantimmortality; a being capable of eternal joy or sorrow; confided to hercare… to be trained up by her to righteousness… to remind her; atevery moment; of her fall… but yet to teach her; as it were by theCreator's sacred pledge; that; if she bring the child to heaven; thechild also will bring its parent thither! Herein is the sinful motherhappier than the sinful father。 For Hester Prynne's sake; then; and noless for the poor child's sake; let us leave them as Providence hathseen fit to place them!〃 〃You speak; my friend; with a strange earnestness;〃 said old RogerChillingworth; smiling at him。 〃And there is a weighty import in what my young brother hathspoken;〃 added the Reverend Mr。 Wilson。 〃What say you; worshipfulMaster Bellingham? Hath he not pleaded well for the poor woman?〃 〃Indeed hath he;〃 answered the magistrate; 〃and hath adduced sucharguments; that we will even leave the matter as it now stands; solong; at least; as there shall be no further scandal in the woman。Care must be had; nevertheless; to put the child to due and statedexamination in the catechism; at thy hands or Master Dimmesdale's。Moreover; at a proper season; the tithing…men must take heed thatshe go both to school and to meeting。〃 The young minister; on ceasing to speak; had withdrawn a few stepsfrom the group; and stood with his face partially concealed in theheavy folds of the window…curtain; while the shadow of his figure;which the sunlight cast upon the floor; was tremulous with thevehemence of his appeal。 Pearl; that wild and flighty little elf;stole softly towards him; and taking his hand in the grasp of both herown; laid her cheek against it; a caress so tender; and withal sounobtrusive; that her mother; who was looking on; asked herself; 〃Isthat my Pearl?〃 Yet she knew that there was love in the child's heart;although it mostly revealed itself in passion; and hardly twice in herlifetime had been softened by such gentleness as now。 The minister…for; save the long…sought regards of woman; nothing is sweeter thanthese marks of childish preference; accorded spontaneously by aspiritual instinct; and therefore seeming to imply in us somethingtruly worthy to be loved… the minister looked round; laid his handon the child's head; hesitated an instant; and then kissed her brow。Little Pearl's unwonted mood of sentiment lasted no longer; shelaughed; and went capering down the hall; so airily; that old Mr。Wilson raised a question whether even her tiptoes touched the floor。 〃The little baggage had witchcraft in her; I profess;〃 said he toMr。 Dimmesdale。 〃She needs no old woman's broomstick to fly withal!〃 〃A strange child!〃 remarked old Roger Chillingworth。 〃It is easyto see the mother's part in her。 Would it be beyond a philosopher'sresearch; think ye; gentlemen; to analyse that child's nature; and;from its make and mould; to give a shrewd guess at the father?〃 〃Nay; it would be sinful; in such a question; to follow the clewof profane philosophy;〃 said Mr。 Wilson。 〃Better to fast and pray uponit; and still better; it may be; to leave the mystery as we find it;unless Providence reveal it of its own accord。 Thereby; every goodChristian man hath a title to show a father's kindness towards thepoor; deserted babe。〃 The affair being so satisfactorily concluded; Hester Prynne; withPearl; departed from the house。 As they descended the steps; it isaverred that the lattice of a chamber…window was thrown open; andforth into the sunny day was thrust the face of Mistress Hibbins;Governor Bellingham's bitter…tempered sister; and the same who; afew years later; was executed as a witch。 〃Hist; hist!〃 said she; while her ill…omened physiognomy seemed tocast a shadow over the cheerful newness of the house。 〃Wilt thou gowith us to…night? There will be a merry pany in the forest; and Iwell…nigh promised the Black Man that ely Hester Prynne should makeone。〃 〃Make my excuse to him; so please you!〃 answered Hester; with atriumphant smile。 〃I must tarry at home; and keep watch over my littlePearl。 Had they taken her from me; I would willingly have gone withthee into the forest; and signed my name in the Black Man's booktoo; and that with mine own blood!〃 〃We shall have thee there anon!〃 said the witch…lady; frowning; asshe drew back her head。 But here… if we suppose this interview betwixt Mistress Hibbinsand Hester Prynne to be authentic; and not a parable… was already anillustration of the young minister's argument against sundering therelation of a fallen mother to the offspring of her frailty。 Even thusearly had the child saved her from Satan's snare。 IX。 THE LEECH。 UNDER the appellation of Roger Chillingworth; the reader willremember; was hidden another name; which its former wearer hadresolved should never more be spoken。 It has been related; how; in thecrowd that witnessed Hester Prynne's ignominious exposure; stood aman; elderly; travel…worn; who; just emerging from the perilouswilderness; beheld the woman; in whom he hoped to find embodied thewarmth and cheerfulness of home; set up as a type of sin before thepeople。 Her matronly fame was trodden under all men's feet。 Infamy wasbabbling around her in the public market…place。 For her kindred;should the tidings ever reach them; and for the panions of herunspotted life; there remained nothing but the contagion of herdishonour; which would not fail to be distributed in strict accordanceand proportion with the intimacy and sacredness of their previousrelationship。 Then why… since the choice was with himself… shouldthe individual; whose connection with the fallen woman had been themost intimate and sacred of them all; e forward to vindicate hisclaim to an inheritance so little desirable? He resolved not to bepilloried beside her on her pedestal of shame。 Unknown to all butHester Prynne; and possessing the lock and key of her silence; hechose to withdraw his name from the roll of mankind; and as regardedhis former ties and interests; to vanish out of life as pletelyas if he indeed lay at the bottom of the ocean; whither rumour hadlong ago consigned him。 This purpose once effected; new interestswould immediately spring up; and likewise a new purpose; dark; it istrue; if not guilty; but of force enough to engage the full strengthof his faculties。 In pursuance of this resolv
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