Hester at Her Needle

           HesterPrynne’stermofconfinementwasnowatanend.Herprison-doorwasthrownopen,andshecameforthintothesunshine,which,fallingonallalike,seemed,tohersickandmorbidheart,asifmeantfornootherpurposethantorevealthescarletletteronherbreast.Perhapstherewasamorerealtortureinherfirstunattendedfootstepsfromthethresholdoftheprisonthanevenintheprocessionandspectaclethathavebeendescribed,whereshewasmadethecommoninfamy,atwhichallmankindwassummonedtopointitsfinger.Then,shewassupportedbyanunnaturaltensionofthenerves,andbyallthecombativeenergyofhercharacter,whichenabledhertoconvertthesceneintoakindofluridtriumph.Itwas,moreover,aseparateandinsulatedevent,tooccurbutonceinherlifetime,andtomeetwhich,therefore,recklessofeconomy,shemightcallupthevitalstrengththatwouldhavesufficedformanyquietyears.Theverylawthatcondemnedher—agiantofstemfeaturedbutwithvigourtosupport,aswellastoannihilate,inhisironarm—hadheldherupthroughtheterribleordealofherignominy.Butnow,withthisunattendedwalkfromherprisondoor,beganthedailycustom;andshemusteithersustainandcarryitforwardbytheordinaryresourcesofhernature,orsinkbeneathit.Shecouldnolongerborrowfromthefuturetohelpherthroughthepresentgrief.Tomorrowwouldbringitsowntrialwithit;sowouldthenextday,andsowouldthenext:eachitsowntrial,andyettheverysamethatwasnowsounutterablygrievoustobeborne.