-
Главная
-
- Книги
-
- Авторы
-
- Натаниэль Хоторн
-
- Алая буква
-
- Стр. 53/92
Для того чтобы воспользоваться озвучкой предложений, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Озвучка предложений доступна при наличии PRO-доступа
Купить PRO-доступ
She
took
her
mother
's
hand
in
both
her
own
,
and
gazed
into
her
eyes
with
an
earnestness
that
was
seldom
seen
in
her
wild
and
capricious
character
.
The
thought
occurred
to
Hester
,
that
the
child
might
really
be
seeking
to
approach
her
with
childlike
confidence
,
and
doing
what
she
could
,
and
as
intelligently
as
she
knew
how
,
to
establish
a
meeting-point
of
sympathy
.
It
showed
Pearl
in
an
unwonted
aspect
.
Heretofore
,
the
mother
,
while
loving
her
child
with
the
intensity
of
a
sole
affection
,
had
schooled
herself
to
hope
for
little
other
return
than
the
waywardness
of
an
April
breeze
,
which
spends
its
time
in
airy
sport
,
and
has
its
gusts
of
inexplicable
passion
,
and
is
petulant
in
its
best
of
moods
,
and
chills
oftener
than
caresses
you
,
when
you
take
it
to
your
bosom
;
in
requital
of
which
misdemeanours
it
will
sometimes
,
of
its
own
vague
purpose
,
kiss
your
cheek
with
a
kind
of
doubtful
tenderness
,
and
play
gently
with
your
hair
,
and
then
be
gone
about
its
other
idle
business
,
leaving
a
dreamy
pleasure
at
your
heart
.
And
this
,
moreover
,
was
a
mother
's
estimate
of
the
child
's
disposition
.
Any
other
observer
might
have
seen
few
but
unamiable
traits
,
and
have
given
them
a
far
darker
colouring
.
But
now
the
idea
came
strongly
into
Hester
's
mind
,
that
Pearl
,
with
her
remarkable
precocity
and
acuteness
,
might
already
have
approached
the
age
when
she
could
have
been
made
a
friend
,
and
intrusted
with
as
much
of
her
mother
's
sorrows
as
could
be
imparted
,
without
irreverence
either
to
the
parent
or
the
child
.
In
the
little
chaos
of
Pearl
's
character
there
might
be
seen
emerging
and
could
have
been
from
the
very
first
--
the
steadfast
principles
of
an
unflinching
courage
--
an
uncontrollable
will
--
sturdy
pride
,
which
might
be
disciplined
into
self-respect
--
and
a
bitter
scorn
of
many
things
which
,
when
examined
,
might
be
found
to
have
the
taint
of
falsehood
in
them
.
She
possessed
affections
,
too
,
though
hitherto
acrid
and
disagreeable
,
as
are
the
richest
flavours
of
unripe
fruit
.
With
all
these
sterling
attributes
,
thought
Hester
,
the
evil
which
she
inherited
from
her
mother
must
be
great
indeed
,
if
a
noble
woman
do
not
grow
out
of
this
elfish
child
.
Pearl
's
inevitable
tendency
to
hover
about
the
enigma
of
the
scarlet
letter
seemed
an
innate
quality
of
her
being
.
From
the
earliest
epoch
of
her
conscious
life
,
she
had
entered
upon
this
as
her
appointed
mission
.
Hester
had
often
fancied
that
Providence
had
a
design
of
justice
and
retribution
,
in
endowing
the
child
with
this
marked
propensity
;
but
never
,
until
now
,
had
she
bethought
herself
to
ask
,
whether
,
linked
with
that
design
,
there
might
not
likewise
be
a
purpose
of
mercy
and
beneficence
.
If
little
Pearl
were
entertained
with
faith
and
trust
,
as
a
spirit
messenger
no
less
than
an
earthly
child
,
might
it
not
be
her
errand
to
soothe
away
the
sorrow
that
lay
cold
in
her
mother
's
heart
,
and
converted
it
into
a
tomb
?
--
and
to
help
her
to
overcome
the
passion
,
once
so
wild
,
and
even
yet
neither
dead
nor
asleep
,
but
only
imprisoned
within
the
same
tomb-like
heart
?
Such
were
some
of
the
thoughts
that
now
stirred
in
Hester
's
mind
,
with
as
much
vivacity
of
impression
as
if
they
had
actually
been
whispered
into
her
ear
.
And
there
was
little
Pearl
,
all
this
while
,
holding
her
mother
's
hand
in
both
her
own
,
and
turning
her
face
upward
,
while
she
put
these
searching
questions
,
once
and
again
,
and
still
a
third
time
.
"
What
does
the
letter
mean
,
mother
?
and
why
dost
thou
wear
it
?
and
why
does
the
minister
keep
his
hand
over
his
heart
?
"
"
What
shall
I
say
?
"
thought
Hester
to
herself
.
"
No
!
if
this
be
the
price
of
the
child
's
sympathy
,
I
can
not
pay
it
.
"
Then
she
spoke
aloud
--
"
Silly
Pearl
,
"
said
she
,
"
what
questions
are
these
?
There
are
many
things
in
this
world
that
a
child
must
not
ask
about
.
What
know
I
of
the
minister
's
heart
?
And
as
for
the
scarlet
letter
,
I
wear
it
for
the
sake
of
its
gold
thread
.
"
