"Thou hast escaped me!" he repeated more than once. "Thou hast
escaped me!"
"May God forgive thee!" said the minister. "Thou, too, hast
deeply sinned!"
He withdrew his dying eyes from the old man, and fixed them on
the woman and the child.
"My little Pearl," said he, feebly and there was a sweet and
gentle smile over his face, as of a spirit sinking into deep
repose; nay, now that the burden was removed, it seemed almost
as if he would be sportive with the child--"dear little Pearl,
wilt thou kiss me now? Thou wouldst not, yonder, in the forest!
But now thou wilt?"
Pearl kissed his lips. A spell was broken. The great scene of
grief, in which the wild infant bore a part had developed all
her sympathies; and as her tears fell upon her father's cheek,
they were the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and
sorrow, nor forever do battle with the world, but be a woman in
it. Towards her mother, too, Pearl's errand as a messenger of
anguish was fulfilled.
"Hester," said the clergyman, "farewell!"
"Shall we not meet again?" whispered she, bending her face down
close to his. "Shall we not spend our immortal life together?
Surely, surely, we have ransomed one another, with all this woe!
Thou lookest far into eternity, with those bright dying eyes!
Then tell me what thou seest!"
"Hush, Hester--hush!" said he, with tremulous solemnity. "The
law we broke!--the sin here awfully revealed!--let these alone
be in thy thoughts! I fear! I fear! It may be, that, when we
forgot our God--when we violated our reverence each for the
other's soul--it was thenceforth vain to hope that we could meet
hereafter, in an everlasting and pure reunion. God knows; and He
is merciful! He hath proved his mercy, most of all, in my
afflictions. By giving me this burning torture to bear upon my
breast! By sending yonder dark and terrible old man, to keep the
torture always at red-heat! By bringing me hither, to die this
death of triumphant ignominy before the people! Had either of
these agonies been wanting, I had been lost for ever! Praised be
His name! His will be done! Farewell!"
That final word came forth with the minister's expiring breath.
The multitude, silent till then, broke out in a strange, deep
voice of awe and wonder, which could not as yet find utterance,
save in this murmur that rolled so heavily after the departed
spirit.