The scarlet letter had not done its office.
那個紅字尚未克盡厥責。

Now, however, her interview with the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale, on the night of his vigil, had given her a new theme of reflection, and held up to her an object that appeared worthy of any exertion and sacrifice for its attainment. She had witnessed the intense misery beneath which the minister struggled, or, to speak more accurately, had ceased to struggle. She saw that he stood on the verge of lunacy, if he had not already stepped across it. It was impossible to doubt, that, whatever painful efficacy there might be in the secret sting of remorse, a deadlier venom had been infused into it by the hand that proffered relief. A secret enemy had been continually by his side, under the semblance of a friend and helper, and had availed himself of the opportunities thus afforded for tampering with the delicate springs of Mr. Dimmesdale's nature. Hester could not but ask herself, whether there had not originally been a defect of truth, courage, and loyalty, on her own part, in allowing the minister to be thrown into a position where so much evil was to be foreboded, and nothing auspicious to be hoped. Her only justification lay in the fact, that she had been able to discern no method of rescuing him from a blacker ruin than had overwhelmed herself, except by acquiescing in Roger Chillingworth's scheme of disguise. Under that impulse, she had made her choice, and had chosen, as it now appeared, the more wretched alternative of the two. She determined to redeem her error, so far as it might yet be possible. Strengthened by years of hard and solemn trial, she felt herself no longer so inadequate to cope with Roger Chillingworth as on that night, abased by sin, and half maddened by the ignominy that was still new, when they had talked together in the prison-chamber. She had climbed her way, since then, to a higher point. The old man, on the other hand, had brought himself nearer to her level, or perhaps below it, by the revenge which he had stooped for.
但是此時，自從那天夜里丁梅斯代爾先生夜游時他倆見了一面以來，她又有了一個新的題目去思索；在她看來，為了達到那一目標，她簡直值得耗盡一切精力并作出一切犧牲。她已經(jīng)目睹了牧師是在多么劇烈的痛苦之中掙扎著——或者說得更準確些，是怎樣停止掙扎的。她親眼看到，他已經(jīng)站到發(fā)瘋的邊緣——如果說他還沒有跨過那邊緣處于瘋狂狀態(tài)的話。無庸置疑，不管自責的秘刺中有什么致痛的功效，那只提供救援之手又在那螫刺中注入了致他死命的毒液。一個秘密的敵人，假借朋友和救護者之名，時刻不離他的方前左右，并借此機會撬動丁梅斯代爾先生秉性中纖弱的鎖簧。海絲特不禁自問：是否由于她這方面在真誠、勇氣及忠貞上本來存在著缺陷，才造成牧師被拋進兇隙橫生、毫無祥兆的境地呢？她唯一能夠自我辯解的就是：除去默許羅杰·齊靈渥斯隱姓埋名之外，她原本別無它法使牧師免遭比她承受的還要陰暗的毀滅。在那種動機之下，她作出了自己的抉擇，而如今看來，她所選定購卻是二者之間更加不幸的方案。她決心在盡可能的情況下來補償自己的過失。經(jīng)過多年艱苦和嚴正的考驗，她已經(jīng)堅強有力多了，自信不象當年那個夜晚那樣不是羅杰·齊靈渥斯的對手了：當晚他倆在牢房中談話時，她是剛剛肩負犯罪的重壓，并為羞恥之心逼得半瘋的。從那晚起，她已在自己的道路上攀登到一個新高度了。面另一方面；那個老人呢，由于不顧一切地尋求復仇，則使自己降低到同她接近或許比她還低的水平了。

In fine, Hester Prynne resolved to meet her former husband, and do what might be in her power for the rescue of the victim on whom he had so evidently set his gripe. The occasion was not long to seek. One afternoon, walking with Pearl in a retired part of the peninsula, she beheld the old physician, with a basket on one arm, and a staff in the other hand, stooping along the ground, in quest of roots and herbs to concoct his medicines withal.
終于，海絲特·白蘭打定主意去會她原先的丈夫，盡她的全力來解救顯然已落入對方掌握之中的犧牲品。沒過多久；她便找到了機會；一天下午，在半島上一處荒無人煙的地點，她帶著珠兒散步，剛好看見那老醫(yī)生，一手挽著籃子，另一只手往著拐杖，正彎著腰在地上一路搜尋可以配藥的樹根和藥草。