Hawthorne's "scariet Letter."

When Mr. tíeorge Banoroít, then Collector of tbo Port of Bostoo, appointed llawthoruo weigher and gauger in the curitoiii-Lousc, he did a wise tliiug for no pnblic offioer ever performed liii diaagroeable dutiua bettor than our roma n cu r. Hete is a tattered little oftíoiol duoumcut gned by Hawthorua whoïi he ras watohing oventbu interest ot' the oouutry t certiütís bis atteudauue at tiiü uuhidiug of a brig, theu lyiug ai Long Whaif iu Boston. I koep tilia precious relio sida by side 7th one of a similar euxtotu-houdu oharaoter, üijriid liobert Burn. I caujo lo kuow tlawtborno very intioiately alter the Vbiga displaced khe Democratie roiuunoor frora uílloe. ín u ardfiit tlosira tu ii.ifd bim retained iu tbe publio rriue, bit aalary at timt timo beiug bis sol depeudeuoe, - not toieseeing th&t hi wilbdrtiwal f rom that uort of euiploymeut would ba tiie brst tbiDg for Amaiioan lottern túat oould pogibly bapptíü,- I called, iu bit behalf, ou dovuial iuilueutial polilioians of the day, aud I weil reiue.nber the rebutl'rt I rbcsivüd n my butbui.im for tbo author cf the "Twioe-ïold Talen." One poispous little fentloman iu autbur ity, aftar beariug my appeal, quita astouiíded roa by his ignorí.noe o t!ie ul'iiiii#oi' a litentry man un his country. "Yeii, jen," he írea8tÍ0HÜy croaked dowu bis publio turtle-fod throat,"Iee thfougb ít all. I bee tbrous;h it ; ihit llii7tborno i ono of them :ere visioaistH, and wo dou't want do üuoh a man as biui round." 8o tbo "visiouint" was uot aliowed to raiuuiu in otocc, nd the oountry ts bettir gerved by bim in another way. Iu the wiutur of 1819, aflet be had buen cjeoted froin tbo uuaícj-úourie, I we:it tiowu to Salem to see bim aud inquire after hii healtb, for we beard bu Lad ioen tuíioring troui illnoss. He was tbeu liring iu a modectt woodea boutie ia Olivor Street, if I reiiiemboi' rightly tbe ocation. I found iiiu alone iu a ohauber over lira HÍttingroosu of the d.veiliug ; aud au tbe dity was oold, be wad hoveriuir m.ur a stove. We feil uto ihlk about hi futuro pr"Hpoota, ai.d Le was, au I fered I vliould Uut! liiïa, iu a yery defpoüding mood. - "Now," Mid I, "ia tha time for you to publish, for I kno dar Dg theue years iu Suleui you uiut havo ut somethin ready for tho prass." "Honsense," aid hú ; " wlmt heart hud I to write aoything wbeu my publialiurs (M. nd Coiupany) huv beea go innny years trjiujj to sell asmail edition of tho 'Twioe-Tcld Tales?' I ítill pregsad upon him the good chances Lo would íiow liava witb somathiag uew. "Wbo would riok publiahio a book for tne, the most unuopuli.r writer iu. America?" "I would," buícI I, "aud would start with ai) edit;a of Uto , uni copleo oí nnything you wnto. - "What madneía " he exolaioied ; "your frieudship for mo geía tho bekter of your judgment. No, uo," lia contiuued ; "I have no monoy to iudeinnify a publíebor'a loases on my aoouuut." I lonked ut my watch and found thnt the train would soon be starting for Boston, aud 1 knew that there was i:ot muoh timo to loso in trying to discover what had been bis literary work duriug tl.eee last fow years in Salum. I remoiuber (bat I prcssod bioi tu reveal to me what ho had been writiug. Ho shook bis head and gare me to uuderetand be had producod ncnhiüfi;. At that moment I cnught sight of a buiouu or gut of tlrawors near where we were sitting ; and immediately it ooeurred to me thnt bidden uway soiiievvhcre iu tbat aitiulu uf furuiture WUB a story or stories by the autbor of the "Twioe-Told Tale,'1 aod I büciime m posilive of it tlat I chargcd him vebemmtly with ttie fkot. Iïesaemed Burprised, I thought, but hhook bis head Bgain ; aod I rose to take uiy Icava, buggiiig biui not to come into thu old eutry, Hayiug I would cono baok and nee him agaio in a few days. I was burrying dowu the Htairs whuu be ciilicd after me iroru tbo cLaaiber, asking me to slop lor u uioaeut. Thon uiokly ileppin uto the eutry with rotl of GuanuMciipt in bis band be Bsfd. "How in lleaven's nmue did you kuow this tbiujj wad there ' As you have found me out, take wh&t I buvu wriUen aud teil mi', alter you get home and have tima to read it, if it in good for Hiiylhiujj;. It i either very good or very bad, - I luu't know which." Ou my way up to lïoeton I read the jerui of "The Searict Lotter;" before Iblept thiit night I wroto hin a nota all aglow wilb admiratioQ of the marvellous story bo bad put iuto my hands, aud tolliug bim t'a.it I v.'oiild come aaiu to Siilom tho nest day aud arraoge fo" its publiuiitiou. 1 went ou in tuch au amazing stuto of eieitemeiit whou we met agaiu in the liitlo bouso, thut ho would not believe 1 was leally iu taruet. lie Bütiued to think 1 wa bcsido myself, a:) iuughtíd sadly ut my oiitbubiaBin. - tlowever, we oou atrauged fur bis ugaiu aiiceHrini; buforo the nublic iu thu hhape