Thursday, February 07, 2019

The Minister's Black Veil

The Minister's Black Veil is an 1832 Nathaniel Hawthorne short story. You can read it online here or here. It begins,
THE SEXTON stood in the porch of Milford meetinghouse, pulling busily at the bell rope. The old people of the village came stooping along the street. Children, with bright faces, tripped merrily beside their parents, or mimicked a graver gait, in the conscious dignity of their Sunday clothes. Spruce bachelors looked sidelong at the pretty maidens, and fancied that the Sabbath sunshine made them prettier than on weekdays. When the throng had mostly streamed into the porch, the sexton began to toll the bell, keeping his eye on the Reverend Mr. Hooper's door. The first glimpse of the clergyman's figure was the signal for the bell to cease its summons.

"But what has good Parson Hooper got upon his face?" cried the sexton in astonishment.

All within hearing immediately turned about, and beheld the semblance of Mr. Hooper, pacing slowly his meditative way toward the meetinghouse. With one accord they started, expressing more wonder than if some strange minister were coming to dust the cushions of Mr. Hooper's pulpit.

"Are you sure it is our parson?" inquired Goodman Gray of the sexton.

"Of a certainty it is good Mr. Hooper," replied the sexton. "He was to have exchanged pulpits with Parson Shute, of Westbury; but Parson Shute sent to excuse himself yesterday, being to preach a funeral sermon."

The cause of so much amazement may appear sufficiently slight. Mr. Hooper gentlemanly person, of about thirty, though still a bachelor, was dressed with due clerical neatness, as if a careful wife had starched his band, and brushed the weekly dust from his Sunday's garb. There was but one thing remarkable in his appearance. Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath Mr. Hooper had on a black veil. On a nearer view it seemed to consist of two folds of crepe, which entirely concealed his features, except the mouth and chin, but probably did not intercept his sight, further than to give a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things. With this gloomy shade before him, good Mr. Hooper walked onward, at a slow and quiet pace, stooping somewhat, and looking on the ground, as is customary with abstracted men, yet nodding kindly to those of his parishioners who still waited on the meetinghouse steps. But so wonderstruck were they that his greeting hardly met with a return.

"I can't really feel as if good Mr. Hooper's face was behind that piece of crape," said the sexton.

"I don't like it," muttered an old woman, as she hobbled into the meetinghouse. "He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face."

"Our parson has gone mad!" cried Goodman Gray, following him across the threshold.
Listen to it here:


11 comments:

  1. Bookmarked when I get my break

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you like it. I like Hawthorne's short works better than his novels.

      Delete
  2. Sounds great, thanks. It's on my list to hear soon. Valerie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He does have a way with words, I think. He can get an image across that sticks with you.

      Delete
  3. I'm a big fan of Hawthorne, so will listen if I ever catch up. Or maybe while I am catching up!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is number 2 by this old Puritan. You must be enjoying him. I noticed you said his short stories are better than his novels. I can't image what it was like to live back in those early New England days with all those strict rules. Need to go to work so I will have to read this later. Hugs-Erika

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had a list I was going through during October and just ran out of October lol Rather than wait 'til _next_ October I just decided to scatter them along as the mood struck me.

      Delete
  5. I love how you find such interesting short stories! I hope you are recovering well 😀. Wishing you a great day! J 😊 x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, recovery is going well :) My only pain was neck pain, I'm sure from the position they had me in during the procedure. That's pretty much gone now. :)

      Delete
    2. I don't know if you follow comments, but on the off-chance.... I keep trying to comment on your blog without success :( I can't imagine what the problem is -maybe I'm caught in a spam filter- but I also tried contacting you through the contact-me link on your blog and failed at that, too. I'll keep trying.

      Delete