英文名著精选阅读：《红字》第十二章(中)

　　Chapter 12 THE MINISTER'S VIGIL

　　第十二章　牧师的夜游

　　Carried away by the grotesquehorror of this picture, the minister, unawares, and to his own infinite alarm, burst into a great pealof laughter. It was immediately responded to by a light, airy, childish laugh, in which, with a thrill of the heart- but he knew not whether of exquisitepain, or pleasure as acute- he recognised the tones of little Pearl.

　　牧师的神思随着这一荒唐可怖的画面驰骋，在不知不觉之中突然爆发出一阵狂笑，一连他自己都大吃一惊。这狂笑立刻得到一声轻灵的童稚笑声的响应，随着一阵心悸——不过他弄不清到底是出于剧烈的痛楚抑或极度的欢乐——，他从笑声中辨出了小珠儿的腔调。

　　"Pearl! Little Pearl!" cried he, after a moment's pause; then, suppressinghis voice- "Hester! Hester Prynne! Are you there?"

　　“珠儿!小珠儿!”他稍停片刻就喊道;然后，他压低了嗓音说：“海丝特!海丝特·白兰!是你在那儿吗?”

　　"Yes; it is Hester Prynne!" she replied, in a tone of surprise; and the minister heard her footsteps approaching from the sidewalk, along which she had been passing. "It is I, and my little Pearl."

　　“是的;我是海丝特·白兰!”她应答着，语调中充满惊奇;接着牧师听到了她走下便道，逐渐接近的脚步声。“是我，还有我的小珠儿。

　　"Whence come you, Hester?" asked the minister. "What sent you hither?"

　　“你从哪里来，海丝特?”牧师问道。“你怎么到这儿来啦?”

　　"I have been watching at a death-bed," answered Hester Prynne- "at Governor Winthrop's death-bed, and have taken his measure for a robe, and am now going homeward to my dwelling."

　　“我刚刚守护在一个死者的床边，”海丝特·白兰回答说，“是在温斯洛普总督床边，给他量了袍子的尺寸，现在我正往家里走。”

　　"Come up hither, Hester, thou and little Pearl," said the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale. "Ye have both been here before, but I was not with you. Come up hither once again, and we will stand all three together!"

　　“上这儿来吧，海丝特，你，还有小珠儿，”可敬的丁梅斯代尔先生说。“你们母女俩以前已经在这儿站过了，可是我当时没和你们在一起。再上来一次吧，我们三日人一起站着吧!”

　　She silently ascended the steps, and stood on the platform, holding little Pearl by the hand. The minister felt for the child's other hand, and took it. The moment that he did so, there came what seemed a tumultuousrush of new life, other life than his own, pouring like a torrentinto his heart, and hurrying through all his veins, as if the mother and the child were communicating their vital warmth to his half-torpidsystem. The three formed an electric chain.

　　她默默地踏上台阶，并且站到了台上，手中一直牵着小珠儿。牧师够着孩子的另一只手，也握住了。就在他这么做的瞬间，似有一般不同于他自己生命的新生命的激越之潮，急流般涌入他的心房，冲过他周身的血管，仿佛那母女俩正把她们生命的温暖传递给他半麻木的躯体。三人构成了一条闭合的电路。