THE CUSTOM HOUSE
INTRODUCTORY TO THE SCARLET LETTER"
Chapter 1 THE PRISON-DOOR
Chapter 2 THE MARKET-PLACE
Chapter 3 THE RECOGNITION
Chapter 4 THE INTERVIEW
Chapter 5 HESTER AT HER NEEDLE
Chapter 6 PEARL
Chapter 7 THE GOVERNOR''S HALL
Chapter 8 THE ELF-CHILD AND THE MINISTER
Chapter 9 THE LEECH
Chapter 10 THE LEECH AND HIS PATIENT
Chapter 11 THE INTERIOR OF A HEART
Chapter 12 THE MINISTER''S VIGIL
Chapter 13 ANOTHER VIEW OF HESTER
Chapter 14 HESTER AND THE PHYSICIAN
Chapter 15 HESTER AND PEARL
Chapter 16 A FOREST WALK
Chapter 17 THE PASTOR AND HIS PARISHIONER
Chapter 18 A FLOOD OF SUNSHINE
Chapter 19 THE CHILD AT THE BROOK-SIDE
Chapter 20 THE MINISTER IN A MAZE
Chapter 21 THE NEW ENGLAND HOLIDAY
Chapter 22 THE PROCESSION
Chapter 23 THE REVELATION OF THE SCARLET LETTER
Chapter 24 CONCLUSION
內容試閱：
"It were well，" muttered the most iron-visaged of the old
dames，"if we stripped Madame Hester''s rich gown off her dainty
shoulders; and as for the red letter，which she hath stitched
socuriously，I''ll bestow a rag of mine own the umatic flannel，to
make afitter one! "
"Oh，peace，neighbours，peacel" whispered their youngest companion;
"do not let her hear you l Not a stitch in that embroidered
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!"criedhe."
Open a passage; and I promise ye，Mistress Prynne shall be set where
man，woman，and child may have a fair sight of her braveapparel，from
this time till an hour past meridian.A blessing on the righteous
Colony of the Massa chusetts，where iniquity0 is dragged out into
the sunshine! Come along，Madame Hester，and show your scarlet letter
in the market-place!"
A lane was forthwith opened through the crowd of
spectators.Preceded by the beadle，and attended by an irregular
procession of.stern-browed men and unkindly-visaged women，Hester
Prynne set forth towards the place appointed for her punishment.A
crowd of eager and curious schoolboys，understanding little of the
matter inhand，except that it gave them a half-holiday，ran before
her progress，turning their heads continually to stare into her
face，and at thewinking baby in her arms，and at the ignominious
letter on her breast.It was no great distance，in those days，from
the prison-door to the market-place.Measured by the prisoner''s
experience，however，itmight be reckoned a journey of some length;
for，haughty as herdemean our was，she perchance underwent an agony
from every footstep of those that thronged to see her，as if her
heart had been flunginto the street for them all to spurn and
trample upon.In ourn ature，how ever，there is a provision，alike
marvellous and mercifulthat the sufferer should never know the
intensity of what he endures by its present torture，but chiefly by
the pang that rankles after it With almost a serene deportment，the
refore，Hester Prynne passed through this portion of her ordeal，and
came to a sort of scafiold，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 merely
historical and traditionary among us，but was held，in the old
time，to be as effectual an a gent，in the promotion of good
citizenship，as everwas the guillotine among the terrorists of
France.It was，in short，the plat form of the pillory; and above it
rose the framework of that instrument of discipline，so fashioned as
to confine the human head in its tight grasp，and thus hold it up to
the public gaze.The very ideall of ignominy was embodied and made
manifest in this contrivance of wood and iron.There can be no
outrage，methinks，against our common nature-whatever be the
delinquencies@ of the individual-no outrage more flagrant than to
forbid the culprit to hide his face for shame; as it was the
essence of this punishment to do.In Hester Prynne''s
instance，however，as not unfrequendy in other cases，her sentence
bore，that she should stand a certain time upon the plat form，but
without undergoing that gripe about the neck and confinement of the
head，the proneness to which was the most devilish characteristic of
this ugly engine.Knowing well her part，she ascendeda flight of
wooden steps，and was thus displayed to the surrounding multitude，at
about the height of a man''s shoulders above the street.
Had there been a Papist among the crowd of Puritans，he might have
seen in this beautiful woman，so picturesque in her attire and
mieno，and with the infant at her bosom，an object to remind him of
the image of Divine Maternity，which so many illustrious painters
have vied with one another to represent; something which should
remind him，indeed，but only by contrast，of that sacred image of
sinless mother hood，whose infant was to redeem the world.Here，there
wasthe taint of deepest sin in the most sacred quality of human
life，working such effect，that the world was only the darker for
thiswoman''s beauty，and the more lost for the infant that she had
borne.
The scene was not without a mixture of awe，such as must always
sinvest the spectacle of gLult and shame in a
fellow-creature，before society shall have grown corrupt enough to
smile，instead of shuddering，at it.The witnesses of Hester Prynne''s
disgrace had not yet passed beyond their simplicity.They were stern
enough to lookup on her death，had that been the sentence，without a
murmur at its severity，but had none of the heartlessness of another
social state，which would find only a theme for jest in an
exhibition like the present.Even had there been a disposition to
turn the matter into ridicule，it must have been repressed and
overpowered by the solemn presence of men no less dignified than
the Governor，and several of hiscoun sellors，a judge，a general，and
the ministers of the town.
……
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