第22部分(第2/7 頁)

heir　guilt　has　unbarred　the　door；　and　whichmust　needs　propagate　a　hellish　breed　within　them。　But；　if　they　seek　toglorify　God；　let　them　not　lift　heavenward　their　unclean　hands！　If　theywould　serve　their　fellow…men；　let　them　do　it　by　making　manifest　thepower　and　reality　of　conscience；　in　constraining　them　to　penitentialself…abasement！　Wouldst　thou　have　me　to　believe；　O　wise　and　piousfriend；　that　a　false　show　can　be　better…　can　be　more　for　God'sglory；　or　man's　welfare…　than　God's　own　truth？　Trust　me；　such　mendeceive　themselves！〃 〃It　may　be　so；〃　said　the　young　clergyman；　indifferently；　aswaiving　a　discussion　that　he　considered　irrelevant　or　unseasonable。　Hehad　a　ready　faculty；　indeed；　of　escaping　from　any　topic　thatagitated　his　too　sensitive　and　nervous　temperament。　〃But；　now；　I　wouldask　of　my　well…skilled　physician；　whether；　in　good　sooth；　he　deemsme　to　have　profited　by　his　kindly　care　of　this　weak　frame　of　mine？〃 Before　Roger　Chillingworth　could　answer；　they　heard　the　clear；wild　laughter　of　a　young　child's　voice；　proceeding　from　the　adjacentburial…ground。　Looking　instinctively　from　the　open　window…　for　itwas　summer…time…　the　minister　beheld　Hester　Prynne　and　little　Pearlpassing　along　the　footpath　that　traversed　the　enclosure。　Pearllooked　as　beautiful　as　the　day；　but　was　in　one　of　those　moods　ofperverse　merriment　which；　whenever　they　occurred；　seemed　to　remove　herentirely　out　of　the　sphere　of　sympathy　or　human　contact。　She　nowskipped　irreverently　from　one　grave　to　another；　until；　ing　to　thebroad；　flat；　armorial　tombstone　of　a　departed　worthy…　perhaps　of　IsaacJohnson　himself…　she　began　to　dance　upon　it。　In　reply　to　hermother's　mand　and　entreaty　that　she　would　behave　more　decorously；little　Pearl　paused　to　gather　the　prickly　burrs　from　a　tall　burdockwhich　grew　beside　the　tom