红字-the scarlet letter(英文版)-第7部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


iled　to　think　that　it　had　now　anotherkind　of　vogue。　The　Custom…House　marker　imprinted　it；　with　a　stenciland　black　paint；　on　pepper…bags；　and　baskets　of　anatto；　andcigar…boxes；　and　bales　of　all　kinds　of　dutiable　merchandise；　intestimony　that　these　modities　had　paid　the　impost；　and　goneregularly　through　the　office。　Borne　on　such　queer　vehicle　of　fame；　aknowledge　of　my　existence；　so　far　as　a　name　conveys　it；　was　carriedwhere　it　had　never　been　before；　and；　I　hope；　will　never　go　again。　　But　the　past　was　not　dead。　Once　in　a　great　while；　the　thoughts；　thathad　seemed　so　vital　and　so　active；　yet　had　been　put　to　rest　soquietly；　revived　again。　One　of　the　most　remarkable　occasions；　when　thehabit　of　bygone　days　awoke　in　me；　was　that　which　brings　it　withinthe　law　of　literary　propriety　to　offer　the　public　the　sketch　which　Iam　now　writing。　　In　the　second　story　of　the　Custom…House；　there　is　a　large　room；　inwhich　the　brick…work　and　naked　rafters　have　never　been　covered　withpanelling　and　plaster。　The　edifice…　originally　projected　on　a　scaleadapted　to　the　old　mercial　enterprise　of　the　port；　and　with　an　ideaof　subsequent　prosperity　destined　never　to　be　realised…　contains　farmore　space　than　its　occupants　know　what　to　do　with。　This　airy　hall；therefore；　over　the　Collector's　apartments；　remains　unfinished　to　thisday；　and；　in　spite　of　the　aged　cobwebs　that　festoon　its　dusky　beams；appears　still　to　await　the　labour　of　the　carpenter　and　mason。　At　oneend　of　the　room；　in　a　recess；　were　a　number　of　barrels；　piled　one　uponanother；　containing　bundles　of　official　documents。　Large　quantities　ofsimilar　rubbish　lay　lumbering　the　floor。　It　was　sorrowful　to　think　howmany　days；　and　weeks；　and　months；　and　years　of　toil；　had　been　wastedon　these　musty　papers；　which　were　now　only　an　encumbrance　on　earth；and　were　hidden　away　in　this　forgotten　corner；　never　more　to　beglanced　at　by　human　eyes。　But；　then；　what　reams　of　othermanuscripts…　filled　not　with　the　dulness　of　official　formalities；but　with　the　thought　of　inventive　brains　and　the　rich　effusion　of　deephearts…　had　gone　equally　to　oblivion；　and　that；　moreover；　withoutserving　a　purpose　in　their　day；　as　these　heaped…up　papers　had；　and…saddest　of　all…　without　purchasing　for　their　writers　the　fortablelivelihood　which　the　clerks　of　the　Custom…House　had　gained　by　theseworthless　scratchings　of　the　pen！　Yet　not　altogether　worthless；perhaps；　as　materials　of　local　history。　Here；　no　doubt；　statisticsof　the　former　merce　of　Salem　might　be　discovered；　and　memorialsof　her　princely　merchants…　old　King　Derby；　old　Billy　Gray；　old　SimonForrester；　and　many　another　magnate　in　his　day…　whose　powdered　head；however；　was　scarcely　in　the　tomb；　before　his　mountain…pile　ofwealth　began　to　dwindle。　The　founders　of　the　greater　part　of　thefamilies　which　now　pose　the　aristocracy　of　Salem　might　here　betraced；　from　the　petty　and　obscure　beginnings　of　their　traffic；　atperiods　generally　much　posterior　to　the　Revolution；　upward　to　whattheir　children　look　upon　as　long…established　rank。　　Prior　to　the　Revolution；　there　is　a　dearth　of　records；　the　earlierdocuments　and　archives　of　the　Custom…House　having；　probably；　beencarried　off　to　Halifax；　when　all　the　King's　officials　acpaniedthe　British　army　in　its　flight　from　Boston。　It　has　often　been　a　matterof　regret　with　me；　for；　going　back；　perhaps；　to　the　days　of　theProtectorate；　those　papers　must　have　contained　many　references　toforgotten　or　remembered　men；　and　to　antique　customs；　which　wouldhave　affected　me　with　the　same　pleasure　as　when　I　used　to　pick　upIndian　arrow…heads　in　the　field　near　the　Old　Manse。　　But；　one　idle　and　rainy　day；　it　was　my　fortune　to　make　a　discoveryof　some　little　interest。　Poking　and　burrowing　into　the　heaped…uprubbish　in　the　corner；　unfolding　one　and　another　document；　and　readingthe　names　of　vessels　that　had　long　ago　foundered　at　sea　or　rotted　atthe　wharves；　and　those　of　merchants；　never　heard　of　now　on　'Change；nor　very　readily　decipherable　on　their　mossy　tombstones；　glancing　atsuch　matters　with　the　saddened；　weary；　half…reluctant　interest　whichwe　bestow　on　the　corpse　of　dead　activity…　and　exerting　my　fancy；sluggish　with　little　use；　to　raise　up　from　these　dry　bones　an　image　ofthe　old　town's　brighter　aspect；　when　India　was　a　new　region；　andonly　Salem　knew　the　way　thither…　I　chanced　to　lay　my　hand　on　a　smallpackage；　carefully　done　up　in　a　piece　of　ancient　yellow　parchment。This　envelope　had　the　air　of　an　official　record　of　some　period　longpast；　when　clerks　engrossed　their　stiff　and　formal　chirography　on　moresubstantial　materials　than　at　present。　There　was　something　about　itthat　quickened　an　instinctive　curiosity；　and　made　me　undo　the　fadedred　tape；　that　tied　up　the　package；　with　the　sense　that　a　treasurewould　here　be　brought　to　light。　Unbending　the　rigid　folds　of　theparchment　cover；　I　found　it　to　be　a　mission；　under　the　hand　andseal　of　Governor　Shirley；　in　favour　of　one　Jonathan　Pue；　as　Surveyorof　his　Majesty's　Customs　for　the　port　of　Salem；　in　the　Province　ofMassachusetts　Bay。　I　remembered　to　have　read　（probably　in　Felt'sAnnals）　a　notice　of　the　decease　of　Mr。　Surveyor　Pue；　about　fourscoreyears　ago；　and　likewise；　in　a　newspaper　of　recent　times；　an　account　ofthe　digging　up　of　his　remains　in　the　little　graveyard　of　St。　Peter'sChurch；　during　the　renewal　of　that　edifice。　Nothing；　if　I　rightly　callto　mind；　was　left　of　my　respected　predecessor；　save　an　imperfectskeleton；　and　some　fragments　of　apparel；　and　a　wig　of　majesticfrizzle；　which；　unlike　the　head　that　it　once　adorned；　was　in　verysatisfactory　preservation。　But；　on　examining　the　papers　which　theparchment　mission　served　to　envelop；　I　found　more　traces　of　Mr。Pue's　mental　part；　and　the　internal　operations　of　his　head；　than　thefrizzled　wig　had　contained　of　the　venerable　skull　itself。　　They　were　documents；　in　short；　not　official；　but　of　a　privatenature；　or；　at　least；　written　in　his　private　capacity；　andapparently　with　his　own　hand。　I　could　account　for　their　being　includedin　the　heap　of　Custom…House　lumber　only　by　the　fact；　that　Mr。　Pue'sdeath　had　happened　suddenly；　and　that　these　papers；　which　heprobably　kept　in　his　official　desk；　had　never　e　to　the　knowledge　ofhis　heirs；　or　were　supposed　to　relate　to　the　business　of　therevenue。　On　the　transfer　of　the　archives　to　Halifax；　this　package；proving　to　be　of　no　public　concern；　was　left　behind；　and　hadremained　ever　since　unopened。　　The　ancient　Surveyor…　being　little　molested；　I　suppose；　at　thatearly　day；　with　business　pertaining　to　his　office…　seems　to　havedevoted　some　of　his　many　leisure　hours　to　researches　as　a　localantiquarian；　and　other　inquisitions　of　a　similar　nature。　Thesesupplied　material　for　petty　activity　to　a　mind　that　would　otherwisehave　been　eaten　up　with　rust。　A　portion　of　his　facts；　by…the…bye；did　me　good　service　in　the　preparation　of　the　article　entitled　〃MAINSTREET；〃　included　in　the　present　volume。　The　remainder　may　perhapsbe　applied　to　purposes　equally　valuable；　hereafter；　or　notimpossibly　may　be　worked　up；　so　far　as　they　go；　into　a　regular　historyof　Salem；　should　my　veneration　for　the　natal　soil　ever　impel　me　toso　pious　a　task。　Meanwhile；　they　shall　be　at　the　mand　of　anygentleman；　inclined；　and　petent；　to　take　the　unprofitable　labouroff　my　hands。　As　a　final　disposition；　I　contemplate　depositing　themwith　the　Essex　Historical　Society。　　But　the　object　that　most　drew　my　attention；　in　the　mysteriouspackage；　was　a　certain　affair　of　fine　red　cloth；　much　worn　andfaded。　There　were　traces　about　it　of　gold　embroidery；　which；however；　was　greatly　frayed　and　defaced；　so　that　none；　or　very　little；of　the　glitter　was　left。　It　had　been　wrought；　as　was　easy　to　perceive；with　wonderful　skill　of　needlework；　and　the　stitch　（as　I　am　assured　byladies　conversant　with　such　mysteries）…　gives　evidence　of　a　nowforgotten　art；　not　to　be　recovered　even　by　the　process　of　pickingout　the　threads。　This　rag　of　scarlet　cloth…　for　time；　and　wear；　anda　sacrilegious　moth；　had　reduced　it　to　little　other　than　a　rag…　oncareful　examination；　assumed　the　shape　of　a　letter。　It　was　the　capitalletter　A。　By　an　accurate　measurement；　each　limb　proved　to　be　preciselythree　inches　and　a　quarter　in　length。　It　had　been　intended；　therecould　be　no　doubt；　as　an　ornamental　article　of　dress；　but　how　it　wasto　be　worn；　or　what　rank；　honour；　and　dignity；　in　by…past