Алая буква
The Recognition
ThedirectnessofthisappealdrewtheeyesofthewholecrowdupontheReverendMr.Dimmesdale—youngclergyman,whohadcomefromoneofthegreatEnglishuniversities,bringingallthelearningoftheageintoourwildforestland.Hiseloquenceandreligiousfervourhadalreadygiventheearnestofhigheminenceinhisprofession.Hewasapersonofverystrikingaspect,withawhite,lofty,andimpendingbrow;large,brown,melancholyeyes,andamouthwhich,unlesswhenheforciblycompressedit,wasapttobetremulous,expressingbothnervoussensibilityandavastpowerofselfrestraint.Notwithstandinghishighnativegiftsandscholar-likeattainments,therewasanairaboutthisyoungminister—anapprehensive,astartled,ahalf-frightenedlook—asofabeingwhofelthimselfquiteastray,andatalossinthepathwayofhumanexistence,andcouldonlybeateaseinsomeseclusionofhisown.Therefore,sofarashisdutieswouldpermit,hetrodintheshadowyby-paths,andthuskepthimselfsimpleandchildlike,comingforth,whenoccasionwas,withafreshness,andfragrance,anddewypurityofthought,which,asmanypeoplesaid,affectedthemliketilespeechofanangel.
SuchwastheyoungmanwhomtheReverendMr.WilsonandtheGovernorhadintroducedsoopenlytothepublicnotice,biddinghimspeak,inthehearingofallmen,tothatmysteryofawoman’ssoul,sosacredeveninitspollution.Thetryingnatureofhispositiondrovethebloodfromhischeek,andmadehislipstremulous.
"Speaktothewoman,mybrother,"saidMr.
