he　message　pleases　me；　I　will；〃　answered　Pearl。 〃Then　tell　her；〃　rejoined　he；　〃that　I　spake　again　with　theblack…a…visaged；　hump…shouldered　old　doctor；　and　he　engages　to　bringhis　friend；　the　gentleman　she　wots　of；　aboard　with　him。　So　let　thymother　take　no　thought；　save　for　herself　and　thee。　Wilt　thou　tellher　this；　thou　witch…baby？〃 〃Mistress　Hibbins　says　my　father　is　the　Prince　of　the　Air！〃　criedPearl；　with　a　naughty　smile。　〃If　thou　callest　me　that　ill　name；　Ishall　tell　him　of　thee；　and　he　will　chase　thy　ship　with　a　tempest！〃 Pursuing　a　zigzag　course　across　the　market…place；　the　child　returnedto　her　mother；　and　municated　what　the　mariner　had　said。　Hester'sstrong；　calm；　steadfastly　enduring　spirit　almost　sank；　at　last；　onbeholding　this　dark　and　grim　countenance　of　an　inevitable　doom；　which…at　the　moment　when　a　passage　seemed　to　open　for　the　minister　andherself　out　of　their　labyrinth　of　misery…　showed　itself；　with　anunrelenting　smile；　right　in　the　midst　of　their　path。 With　her　mind　harassed　by　the　terrible　perplexity　in　which　theshipmaster's　intelligence　involved　her；　she　was　also　subjected　toanother　trial。　There　were　many　people　present；　from　the　countryround　about；　who　had　often　heard　scarlet　letter；　and　to　whom　it　hadbeen　made　terrific　by　a　hundred　false　or　exaggerated　rumours；　butwho　had　never　beheld　it　with　their　own　bodily　eyes。　These；　afterexhausting　other　modes　of　amusement；　now　thronged　about　HesterPrynne　with　rude　and　boorish　intrusiveness。　Unscrupulous　as　it　was；however；　it　could　not　bring　them　nearer　than　a　circuit　of　severalyards。　At　that　distance　they　accordingly　stood；　fixed　there　by　thecentrifugal　force　of　the　repugnance　which　the　mystic　symbolinspired。　The　whole　gang　of　sailors；　likewise；　observing　the　pressof　spectators；　and　learning　the　purport　of　th