第11部分(第1/7 頁)

acy；　bethinkingthemselves　that　this　woman　is　youthful　and　fair；　and　doubtless　wasstrongly　tempted　to　her　fall…　and　that；　moreover；　as　is　most　likely；her　husband　may　be　at　the　bottom　of　the　sea…　they　have　not　been　boldto　put　in　force　the　extremity　of　our　righteous　law　against　her。　Thepenalty　thereof　is　death。　But　in　their　great　mercy　and　tenderness　ofheart；　they　have　doomed　Mistress　Prynne　to　stand　only　a　space　of　threehours　on　the　platform　of　the　pillory；　and　then　and　thereafter；　for　theremainder　of　her　natural　life；　to　wear　a　mark　of　shame　upon　herbosom。〃 〃A　wise　sentence！〃　remarked　the　stranger；　gravely　bowing　his　head。〃Thus　she　will　be　a　living　sermon　against　sin；　until　the　ignominiousletter　be　engraved　upon　her　tombstone。　It　irks　me；　nevertheless；that　the　partner　of　her　iniquity　should　not；　at　least；　stand　on　thescaffold　by　her　side。　But　he　will　be　known！…　he　will　be　known！…　hewill　be　known！〃 He　bowed　courteously　to　the　municative　townsman；　and；whispering　a　few　words　to　his　Indian　attendant；　they　both　made　theirway　through　the　crowd。 While　this　passed；　Hester　Prynne　had　been　standing　on　herpedestal；　still　with　a　fixed　gaze　towards　the　stranger；　so　fixed　agaze　that；　at　moments　of　intense　absorption；　all　other　objects　inthe　visible　world　seemed　to　vanish；　leaving　only　him　and　her。　Suchan　interview；　perhaps；　would　have　been　more　terrible　than　even　to　meethim　as　she　now　did；　with　the　hot；　mid…day　sun　burning　down　upon　herface；　and　lighting　up　its　shame；　with　the　scarlet　token　of　infamy　onher　breast；　with　the　sin…born　infant　in　her　arms；　with　a　whole　people；drawn　forth　as　to　a　festival；　staring　at　the　features　that　should　havebeen　seen　only　in　the　quiet　gleam　of　the　fireside；　in　the　happy　shadowof　a　home；　or　beneath　a　matronly　veil；　at　church。　Dreadful　as　itwas；　s