Pearl's inevitable tendency to hover about the enigma of the scarlet letter seemed an innate quality of her being. From the earliest epoch of her conscious life, she had entered upon this as her appointed mission. Hester had often fancied that Providence had a design of justice and retribution, in endowing the child with this marked propensity; but never, until now, had she bethought herself to ask, whether, linked with that design, there might not likewise be a purpose of mercy and beneficence. If little Pearl were entertained with faith and trust, as a spirit messenger no less than an earthly child, might it not be her errand to soothe away the sorrow that lay cold in her mother's heart, and converted it into a tomb?- and to help her to overcome the passion, once so wild, and even yet neither dead nor asleep, but only imprisoned within the same tomb-like heart? Such were some of the thoughts that now stirred in Hester's mind, with as much vivacity of impression as if they had actually been whispered into her ear. And there was little Pearl, all this while, holding her mother's hand in both her own, and turning her face upward, while she put these searching questions, once, and again, and still a third time.
珠兒一味糾纏著要弄清紅字之謎，看來是她的一種內(nèi)在的天性。從她開始懂事的時候起，就對這一問題當作指定的使命來琢磨。海絲特從那時起就常常想象：上天賦予這孩子這種突出的傾向，是有其懲惡揚善的果報意圖在內(nèi)的；但直到最近，她才捫心自問，是否還有一個與那個意圖相關的施賜仁慈與恩惠的目的。如果把小珠兒不僅當作一個塵世的孩子，也當‘作一個精神使者，對她抱有忠誠與信任，那么，她難道就不能承擔起她的使命，把冷冷地藏在她母親心中、從而把那顆心變成墳墓的憂傷掃蕩凈盡嗎？——并幫助母親克制那一度十分狂野、至今仍未死去或入睡、而只是禁錮在同一顆墳墓般的心中的激情呢？此時在海絲特頭腦中翻騰的就是這些念頭；其印象之活躍生動，不啻在她耳畔低語。而且眼前就有小珠兒，在這段時間里始終用雙手握住母親的手，還仰起臉來望著母親，同時一而再、再而三地刨根問底。

"What does the letter mean, mother?- and why dost thou wear it?- and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?"
“這字母到底是什么意思，媽媽？——你干嘛要戴著它？——牧師干嘛總要用手捂著心口？”

"What shall I say?" thought Hester to herself. "No! If this be the price of the child's sympathy, I cannot pay it."
“我該說什么才好呢？”海絲特心中自忖?！安怀桑∪绻@是換取孩子同情的代價，我是不能支付的。”

Then she spoke aloud.
于是她開口說話了。
?

"Silly Pearl," said she, "what questions are these? There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about. What know I of the minister's heart? And as for the scarlet letter, I wear it for the sake of its gold thread."
“傻珠兒，”她說，“這是些什么問題呢？這世上有許多事情是一個小孩子不該問的。我怎么會知道關于牧師的心的事情呢？至于這紅字嘛，我戴上是因為金線好看。”