Алая буква
The New England Holiday
Theirimmediateposterity,thegenerationnexttotheearlyemigrants,woretheblackestshadeofPuritanism,andsodarkenedthenationalvisagewithit,thatallthesubsequentyearshavenotsufficedtoclearitup.Wehaveyettolearnagaintheforgottenartofgaiety.
Thepictureofhumanlifeinthemarket-place,thoughitsgeneraltintwasthesadgray,brown,orblackoftheEnglishemigrants,wasyetenlivenedbysomediversityofhue.ApartyofIndians—intheirsavagefineryofcuriouslyembroidereddeerskinrobes,wampum-belts,redandyellowochre,andfeathers,andarmedwiththebowandarrowandstone-headedspear—stoodapartwithcountenancesofinflexiblegravity,beyondwhateventhePuritanaspectcouldattain.Nor,wildaswerethesepaintedbarbarians,weretheythewildestfeatureofthescene.Thisdistinctioncouldmorejustlybeclaimedbysomemariners—apartofthecrewofthevesselfromtheSpanishMain—whohadcomeashoretoseethehumoursofElectionDay.Theywererough-lookingdesperadoes,withsun-blackenedfaces,andanimmensityofbeard;theirwideshorttrouserswereconfinedaboutthewaistbybelts,oftenclaspedwitharoughplateofgold,andsustainingalwaysalongknife,andinsomeinstances,asword.Frombeneaththeirbroad-brimmedhatsofpalm-leaf,gleamedeyeswhich,eveningood-natureandmerriment,hadakindofanimalferocity.
