In this excerpt, one of the women who is at the market place, in front of the jail, waiting anxiously to be a witness of the punishment that Hester Prynne is about to receive, voices that, if she could have her way, she would be glad to be the one in charge of condemning Hester Prynne, much more severely and implacably, it can be inferred (notice that she says "would she come off with such a sentence..."?, as if suggesting that the punishment had not been severe enough).