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e night of early May。 An unvaried pall of cloudmuffled the whole expanse of sky from zenith to horizon。 If the samemultitude which had stood as eye…witnesses while Hester Prynnesustained her punishment could now have been summoned forth; theywould have discerned no face above the platform; nor hardly theoutline of a human shape; in the dark grey of the midnight。 But thetown was all asleep。 There was no peril of discovery。 The ministermight stand there; if it so pleased him; until morning should reddenin the east; without other risk than that the dank and chill night…airwould creep into his frame; and stiffen his joints with rheumatism;and clog his throat with catarrh and cough; thereby defrauding theexpectant audience of to…morrow's prayer and sermon。 No eye couldsee him; save that ever…wakeful one which had seen him in hiscloset; wielding the bloody scourge。 Why; then; had he e hither?Was it but the mockery of penitence? A mockery; indeed; but in whichhis soul trifled with itself! A mockery at which angels blushed andwept; while fiends rejoiced; with jeering laughter! He had been drivenhither by the impulse of that Remorse which dogged him everywhere; andwhose own sister and closely linked panion was that Cowardice whichinvariably drew him back; with her tremulous gripe; just when theother impulse had hurried him to the verge of a disclosure。 Poor;miserable man! what right had infirmity like his to burden itself withcrime? Crime is for the iron…nerved; who have their choice either toendure it; or; if it press too hard; to exert their fierce andsavage strength for a good purpose; and fling it off at once! Thisfeeble and most sensitive of spirits could do neither; yet continuallydid one thing or another; which intertwined; in the sameinextricable knot; the agony of heave
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