All this while, Hester had been looking steadily at the old man, and was shocked, as well as wonder-smitten, to discern what a change had been wrought upon him within the past seven years. It was not so much that he had grown older; for though the traces of advancing life were visible, he bore his age well, and seemed to retain a wiry vigour and alertness. But the former aspect of an intellectual and studious man, calm and quiet, which was what she best remembered in him, had altogether vanished, and been succeeded by an eager, searching, almost fierce, yet carefully guarded look. It seemed to be his wish and purpose to mask this expression with a smile; but the latter played him false, and flickered over his visage so derisively, that the spectator could see his blackness all the better for it. Ever and anon, too, there came a glare of red light out of his eyes; as if the old man's soul were on fire, and kept on smouldering duskily within his breast, until, by some casual puff of passion, it was blown into a momentary flame. This he repressed, as speedily as possible, and strove to look as if nothing of the kind had happened.
在他倆談話的這段時(shí)間里，海絲特一直不錯(cuò)眼珠地盯著那老人，她驚奇地注意到，在這七年之間，他發(fā)生了多么明顯的變化。那倒不是說他又老了許多；因?yàn)殡m然可以看出他年事益高的痕跡，但就他的年紀(jì)而論，仍有堅(jiān)韌的精力和機(jī)敏，然而，她原來印象最深的他先前那種聰慧好學(xué)的品格，那種平和安詳?shù)娘L(fēng)度，如今已經(jīng)蹤影皆無，取而代之的是一種急切窺測的神色，近乎瘋狂而又竭力掩飾。他似乎有意用微笑來遮掩，但那種微笑卻暴露出他的虛偽，在他臉上時(shí)隱時(shí)現(xiàn)，似是在捉弄他，使旁人益發(fā)清楚地看出他的陰險(xiǎn)。他的眼睛中還不時(shí)閃出陣陣紅光；象是那老人的靈魂正在燃燒，卻憋在胸中裝著，只是偶爾不小心受到激情的鼓吹，才噴出瞬間的火焰。而他則盡快地將這火焰壓下去，竭力裝出一副沒發(fā)生過這種事的樣子。

In a word, old Roger Chillingworth was a striking evidence of man's faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil's office. This unhappy person had effected such a transformation, by devoting himself, for seven years, to the constant analysis of a heart full of torture, and deriving his enjoyment thence, and adding fuel to those fiery tortures which he analysed and gloated over.
總之，老羅杰·齊靈渥斯是一個(gè)顯而易見的實(shí)例，證明人只要甘心從事魔鬼的勾當(dāng)，經(jīng)過相當(dāng)一段時(shí)間，就可以靠他本人的智能將良身變成魔鬼。這個(gè)悶悶不樂的人之所以發(fā)生了這一變化，就是由于他在七年的時(shí)間里全力以赴地剖析一顆充滿痛苦的心靈并從中取樂，甚至還要對他正剖析并觀察著的劇烈痛苦幸災(zāi)樂禍地火上澆油。

The scarlet letter burned on Hester Prynne's bosom. Here was another ruin, the responsibility of which came partly home to her.
紅字在海絲特·白蘭的胸上燃燒。因?yàn)檫@里又多了一個(gè)被毀滅的人，其責(zé)任，部分要?dú)w咎于她。

"What see you in my face," asked the physician, "that you look at it so earnestly?"
“你在我臉上看到了什么，”醫(yī)生問道，“讓你盯得這么緊？”

"Something that would make me weep, if there were any tears bitter enough for it," answered she. "But let it pass! It is of yonder miserable man that I would speak."
“要是我還有多余的心酸的淚的話，我會為一件事而哭泣的，”她回答說?！安贿^，算了吧！我還是來談?wù)勀莻€(gè)不幸的人吧?！?/div>

"And what of him?" cried Roger Chillingworth eagerly, as if he loved the topic, and were glad of an opportunity to discuss it with the only person of whom he could make a confidant. "Not to hide the truth, Mistress Hester, my thoughts happen just now to be busy with the gentleman. So speak freely; and I will make answer."
“談他的什么事呢？”羅杰·齊靈渥斯迫不及待地叫著，仿佛他喜愛這個(gè)話題，巴不得有個(gè)機(jī)會能同這個(gè)唯一可以談?wù)勄那脑挼娜擞懻撘环??！霸蹅儾徽f假話，海絲特太太，這會兒我剛好正忙著在那位先生身上轉(zhuǎn)著念頭。你就隨便說吧，我會作出答復(fù)的?！?/div>