Алая буква
The Interior of a Heart
Thereweremen,too,ofasturdiertextureofmindthanhis,andendowedwithafargreatershareofshrewd,hardiron,orgraniteunderstanding;which,dulymingledwithafairproportionofdoctrinalingredient,constitutesahighlyrespectable,efficacious,andunamiablevarietyoftheclericalspecies.Therewereothersagain,truesaintlyfathers,whosefacultieshadbeenelaboratedbywearytoilamongtheirbooks,andbypatientthought,andetherealised,moreover,byspiritualcommunicationswiththebetterworld,intowhichtheirpurityoflifehadalmostintroducedtheseholypersonages,withtheirgarmentsofmortalitystillclingingtothem.Allthattheylackedwas,thegiftthatdescendeduponthechosendisciplesatPentecost,intonguesofflame;symbolising,itwouldseem,notthepowerofspeechinforeignandunknownlanguages,butthatofaddressingthewholehumanbrotherhoodintheheart’snativelanguage.Thesefathers,otherwisesoapostolic,lackedHeaven’slastandrarestattestationoftheiroffice,theTongueofFlame.Theywouldhavevainlysought—hadtheyeverdreamedofseeking—toexpressthehighesttruthsthroughthehumblestmediumoffamiliarwordsandimages.Theirvoicescamedown,afarandindistinctly,fromtheupperheightswheretheyhabituallydwelt.
Notimprobably,itwastothislatterclassofmenthatMr.Dimmesdale,bymanyofhistraitsofcharacter,naturallybelonged.
