rit　sustained　herself　as　best　a　woman　might；　under　the　heavyweight　of　a　thousand　unrelenting　eyes；　all　fastened　upon　her　andconcentrated　at　her　bosom。　It　was　almost　intolerable　to　be　borne。　Ofan　impulsive　and　passionate　nature；　she　had　fortified　herself　toencounter　the　stings　and　venomous　stabs　of　public　contumely；wreaking　itself　in　every　variety　of　insult；　but　there　ore　terrible　in　the　solemn　mood　of　the　popular　mind；　that　shelonged　rather　to　behold　all　those　rigid　countenances　contorted　withscornful　merriment；　and　herself　the　object。　Had　a　roar　of　laughterburst　from　the　multitude…　each　man；　each　woman；　each　littleshrill…voiced　child；　contributing　their　individual　parts…　HesterPrynne　might　have　repaid　them　all　with　a　bitter　and　disdainfulsmile。　But；　under　the　leaden　infliction　which　it　was　her　doom　toendure；　she　felt；　at　moments；　as　if　she　must　needs　shriek　out　with　thefull　power　of　her　lungs；　and　cast　herself　from　the　scaffold　downupon　the　ground；　or　else　go　mad　at　once。 Yet　there　were　intervals　when　the　whole　scene；　in　which　she　wasthe　most　conspicuous　object；　seemed　to　vanish　from　her　eyes；　or　atleast；　glimmered　indistinctly　before　them；　like　a　mass　ofimperfectly　shaped　and　spectral　images。　Her　mind；　and　especially　hermemory。　was　preternaturally　active；　and　kept　bringing　up　otherscenes　than　this　roughly　hewn　street　of　a　little　town；　on　the　edgeof　the　Western　wilderness；　other　faces　than　were　lowering　upon　herfrom　beneath　the　brims　of　those　steeple…crowned　hats。　Reminisce