Evening journal., 1892-09-01

circle OF raulunce around AcE on lnc
darksome cottage floor. And yet russell
gown, torn and soilod with the child's
rude play, made a picture Of her just as
Geriect PEARLS aspect was imbued with /
a sSell Of infinite variety; in this one
child there were many children, com
pretending the full scope between the |
wild flower prettiness Of a peasant baby |
and the posap, in little, Of an infant |
princess. Throughout all, however,
there was a craft of passion, a certain
depth of hue. which She never lost, and !
if. in any OF her changes, she had grown |
fainter or paler. she would have ceased |
70 be herself-it would have been no
longer PEARL
This outward mutability indicated
and did not more than fairly express. the
various properties Of her inner life. Her
nature appeared to possess depth, too, as
well as variety, but-or else Hester's
fears deceived her-it lacked reference
and adaptation to the world into which
she was born The child could not be
made amenable to rules. In giving her
existence a great law had been broken
and the result was q being whose Gle
ments were perhaps beautiful and bril-
/ hant, but all in disorder or with an or
der peculiar to themselves, amid which
the point of variety aud arrangement
was difficult or impossible 20 be discov-
cred.
How soon-with what strange rapid
ity, indeedl-did Pearl arrive at an age
thatswas capable of social intercourse
beyond tha mothers ever ready smile
and nonsense wordsl And then what a
happiness would It have been could Hes
ter Prynne have heard her clear, bird
like voice mingling with the uproar Of
other childish voices, and have distin
guished and unraveled her own darlngs
tones amid all the entangled cutlery OF
q group of sportiye childrenl But this
could never be-. Pearl was a born ont
cast Of the infantile world. An imp OF
evil, emblem and product Of sin, she had
no right among chrstened infants
Nothing was more remarkable than the
instinct, as it seemed, with which the
child comprehonded her loneliness; the
destiny that had drawn an inyiolahle
circle round about her; the whole pecui
iarity, in short, Of her position in re
spect to other children
Never. since her release from prison
5 had Hester met the public gaze without
: her. In all her walks about the town
Pearl, too. was there; first rs the bab,
} in arms and afterward as the little girl
b small companion Of her mother, holding
g a forefnger with her whole grasp, ant
9 tripping along at the rate of three OF
2 four footsteps 70 one of Hester's Sh'
q saw the children Of the settlement OF
3 the grassy margin Of the street, or at thu
d domestic thresholds, disporting them
J. selves in such grim fashion rs the Puu
!. tanic nature would permit-playing "a
q going to church, perchance; OF at scourg
p ing Ouakers, or taking scalps in a shan
e fight with the Indians; or soaring on
IS another with freaks of initiative witch
IS craft. Pearl saw and gazed inteutly
S but never sought TO make acquainl
ance.
a In the afternoon Of certain summer
day, after Pearl grew big enough
ID run about, she amused herself wit
o. gathering handfuls of wild flowers an
II fiinging them, one by one, at b,
? mothers bosom; dancing mp and dow
* like a little elf, whenever she hit III
ID scarlet letter. Hester's first motion ha
ct been to cover her bosom with her claspe
II hands, but whether from pride or resi-.
ID nation, OF o feeling that her penan,
ar might best be wrought out by this M
Ne utterable pain, she resisted the impuh
II and sat erect, pale as death, lOokiu
~ sadly into little Pearls wild eyes. Sti
ne came the battery Of flowers, almost il
~ variably hitting the mark and GOVERN
the mothers breast with hurts for whic
she could find no balm in this worl
nor knew how to seek it in another
last, her shot being all expended, q
BIZ child stood still and gazed at Heste
10 with that little, laughing image Of
le fend peeping out-Or, whether it peep,
or no, her mother so imagined it fro
the unsearchable abyss of her black eye
g. "Child, what art thou% cried Il
" mother
cd "Oh, 1 am your little Pearlr answers
ne the child.
ii But while she said it Pearl laugh
ne and began to dance up and down WI
o the humorsome gestculation Of lit
lot imp, whose next freak might be to fly
ch the chimney
m "Art thou my child, in very trutl
ed asked Hester
Nor did she put the question altogcth
q, idly. but for the moment with porti
al Of genuine earnestness, for such W
re PEARLS wonderful intelligence that
.eC mother half doubted whether she W
en- not acquainted with the secret spell
III. her existence and might not now rev'
II, herself.
er Eyes, am little Pearlw repeated
O child, continuing her antics.
Iac Thou art not my childl Thou art
lcl Pearl Of miner said the mother hi
{. playfully, for it was often the case Il
III, a sportive influence came over her in
l. midst of her deepest suffering. IT
Re me, then, what art thou and who 81
IN thee hither."
Sh "Tell me, mother!" said the child Sc
SIN ously, coming up to Hester and pressi
it herself close to her knees. do tn
la, tell mer'
ex "Thy Heavenly Father sent theer {
cC ! svvared Hester prynno