The scarlet letter (saddleback classics)

It had the effect of setting Hester asidefrom all other people.“The hussy!” said a woman.. She heldthe child so tightly that it cried out in pain.She looked down at the scarlet letter an

SCARLET LETTER

“The judges have shown too much

mercy At the least they should have put

the brand of a hot iron on her forehead!”

Hester Prynne must be punished Why

won’t she name her baby’s father? The

vengeful Puritans of Boston demand an

answer Can the new doctor in town unlock

the mystery of the shameful secret?

Hester’s gentle pastor seems unable—or

unwilling—to give her any help.

On the Scaffold • 1

ADAPTED BY

Stephen Feinstein

SCARLET LETTER

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE

THE

The Call of the Wild

A Christmas Carol Frankenstein The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Red Badge of Courage

The Scarlet Letter

A Tale of T wo Cities Treasure Island

Development and Production: Laurel Associates, Inc.

Cover and Interior Art: Black Eagle Productions

Three Watson Irvine, CA 92618-2767 E-Mail: info@sdlback.com Website: www.sdlback.com

ISBN 1-56254-274-5

Printed in the United States of America

05 04 03 02 01 00 M 99 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic

or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher Copyright © 1999 by Saddleback Educational Publishing All rights reserved.

On the Scaffold • 1

1 On the Scaffold 5

2 A Familiar Face 11

3 The Interview 18

4 Pearl 23

5 At the Governor’s House 28

6 The Doctor and His Patient 37

7 A Sign in the Night Sky 44

8 Hester and the Doctor 50

9 A Meeting in the Forest 57

10 The New England Holiday 65

11 The Confession 72

CONTENTS

On the Scaffold

It was a summer morning in the year

1642 In the small town of Boston, an angrycrowd was gathering in front of a woodenbuilding Its oak door was studded with ironspikes The building was a prison

The people in the crowd were Puritans,people who followed a strict religious code.The men had beards and wore dark clothesand tall gray hats The women wore whitecaps or cloaks with hoods Everyone’s eyeswere glued to the door They were waiting

to see the prisoner, Hester Prynne

One woman in the crowd said, “TheReverend Dimmesdale is very upset thatsuch a scandal has come upon his church.”

“ T h e j u d g e s h a v e s h o w n t o o m u c hmercy,” said another woman “We womenwould not have been so easy At the very

1

On the Scaffold • 1

least, they should have put the brand of ahot iron on her forehead As it is, she caneasily cover up the mark And then she canwalk the streets as brave as ever.”

Yet another woman added in an angryvoice, “Why do we talk of marks andbrands? This woman has brought shameupon us all Surely she ought to die!”

“Mercy on us!” said a man in the crowd

“Those are the hardest words yet Hush now!The lock is turning in the prison door Herecomes Mistress Prynne herself.”

Stepping out into the bright morningsunshine was an official of the court He wasleading a tall young woman As she camethrough the door, Hester Prynne shook free

of his hand Walking proudly, she carried athree-month-old baby in her arms Shelooked around at the faces in the crowd.When she saw her neighbors, she smiled andblushed On the front of Hester Prynne’sgown, in fine red cloth, was the letter A It wassurrounded by fancy designs in gold thread.Hester was skilled at needlework She haddone the embroidery on the gown herself

Those who knew Hester were amazed athow her beauty shone out It was not whatthey had expected at a time like this Theythought she would have looked sad, as ifunder a dark cloud Instead, her dark hair,deep black eyes, and beautiful featuresseemed to express a wild and free spirit Butthe sight that drew all eyes was that scarletletter It had the effect of setting Hester asidefrom all other people.

“The hussy!” said a woman “She usesher skill with the needle to laugh in our

“I’ll give a piece of my old red flannel

to make a more fitting letter,” said a third,sour-faced woman

The grim court official was trying to leadHester toward the marketplace He made amotion with his staff “Make way, goodpeople! Make way, in the King’s name!” hecried “Open a passage! I promise you thatevery man, woman, and child will get a goodlook at Mistress Prynne’s mark of sin.”

A lane was opened through the crowd

“Come along with me, Mistress Hester.Show your scarlet letter in the marketplace!”said the court official Following behindhim, Hester set forth toward the place setfor her punishment

The distance from the prison door to themarketplace was not very great But forHester the walk seemed to take a very longtime Schoolboys ran in front, staring up into

her face People on both sides of her shoutedwords such as, “Shameless woman!” Everystep of the way was torture for Hester Yet

s h e p a s s e d t h r o u g h t h i s p a r t o f h e rpunishment with outward calm Finally shereached the marketplace

A scaffold had been set up at the westernend of the marketplace It stood beneath theeaves of Boston’s oldest church Hesterapproached the scaffold and climbed a flight

of wooden steps There she stood f oreveryone to see For a moment Hester feltlike crying out and throwing herself fromthe scaffold Yet in the next moment thecrowd of people before her seemed todisappear Instead, she saw the people andplaces she had known in her childhood

In her mind Hester saw again the village

in Old England where she was born Shesaw her home—the small, poor house ofgray stone, now falling apart She saw herfather’s face with the white beard thatflowed over his collar Her mother’s facewore her typical look of love and concern

On the Scaffold • 1

And she saw her own face, glowing withgirlish beauty, in the mirror in which shehad so often looked

There was another face in her memory—thin, pale, and intelligent This was the face

of an older man whose left shoulder washigher than his right The man’s eyes weredim from studying so many books bylamplight Hester remembered that a newlife, in connection with this strange man,had seemed to await her

Then these shifting scenes faded Onceagain Hester gazed at the marketplace Asshe stood there, she wondered if all of thiscould really be happening to her She heldthe child so tightly that it cried out in pain.She looked down at the scarlet letter andtouched it Yes! The baby and the shamewere real All else had disappeared

A Familiar

Face

As Hester stood holding her child on thescaffold, she wished that she could besomewhere else To keep her mind off hersuffering, she looked out over the crowd Onits outer edge, two men caught her eye—anIndian and the white man standing besidehim The white man was dressed in a strangecombination of English and Indian clothes.Hester stared at the strange white man’sface He had an intelligent expression, asthough he had spent many years studyingbooks Then Hester noticed that one ofhis shoulders rose higher than the other.Suddenly she realized that she knew thisman Her eyes met his across the crowd.But as soon as the man saw that Hesterrecognized him, he put his finger to his lips.Then the man touched the shoulder of a

2

A Familiar Face • 2

townsman standing next to him “Sir, who

is that woman?” he asked “Why is she set

up to public shame?”

The townsman said, “Friend, you must

be a stranger in this region Or else youwould have heard of Mistress Hester Prynneand her evil ways She has raised a greatscandal in Master Dimmesdale’s church.”

“I am indeed a stranger in these parts Ihave met with misfortune on sea and onland,” said the stranger “For a long time Iwas held captive by the Indians south ofhere This Indian with me brought me here

to arrange for my ransom Will you tell me

of Hester Prynne’s—am I saying her namecorrectly?—of this woman’s crimes, whathas brought her to this scaffold?”

“Truly, I will tell you, friend,” said thetownsman “How glad your heart must be

to find yourself here in Boston—where sin

is punished This woman was the wife of anEnglish gentleman He had decided to comeover and join us in Massachusetts He senthis wife here before him, staying behind tolook after some business But sir, would you

believe it In the two years she has beenhere, no word has come of her husband! Andthe young wife, being left all alone ”

“Aha! I see,” said the stranger with abitter smile “A wise husband might haveknown what would happen So who is thebaby’s father?”

“In truth, friend, that remains a mystery,”answered the townsman “Mistress Prynnerefuses to name him.”

“The husband should come himself tolook into this mystery,” said the strangerwith a smile

“He should, indeed—if he is still alive,”said the townsman “Most likely, he is at thebottom of the sea That is why our goodjudges have not sentenced her to death Theyhave ordered that she stand on the scaffoldfor three hours Also, she must wear thescarlet letter for the rest of her life.”

“A wise sentence,” said the stranger,bowing his head “Something bothers

me, however Surely her partner in sinshould, at least, stand on the scaffold byher side Surely he will be known!—he will

A Familiar Face • 2

be known!—he will be known!”

The stranger bowed politely to thetownsman Then he and the Indian madetheir way through the crowd All this time,Hester had not taken her ey es off thestranger Now she was almost glad that shewas standing on the scaffold in front of alarge crowd It would have been worse,much worse, to have had to greet the man,face to face, the two of them alone

“Hester Prynne!” said a stern voice.Hester was so lost in thought that at firstshe didn’t hear her name “Listen, HesterPrynne!” the voice said, loudly

Hester looked up It was John Wilson, theoldest minister in Boston He was standing

on a balcony, directly above the scaffold.Some of Boston’s most important citizens,including Governor Bellingham, were withhim Wilson put his hand on the shoulder of

a pale young man beside him “I’ve asked

my young friend Mr Dimmesdale to talk toyou before all of the people here As yourpastor, perhaps he can get you to tell us wholed you into this sin He didn’t want to, but

now I’m asking him once again BrotherDimmesdale, will it be you or I that shalldeal with this poor sinner’s soul?”

Then the Governor said, “Good MasterDimmesdale, you must somehow persuadethis woman to repent and confess You areresponsible now for this woman’s soul.”This direct appeal drew the eyes of the

w h o l e c r ow d t o t h e R ev e re n d A r t h u rDimmesdale The young clergyman had

c o m e f r o m o n e o f E n g l a n d ’s g re a t e s tuniversities He had already become knownfor his skill as a speaker and for his strongreligious feelings Now he stepped forward.His face had gone white and his lips shook

He seemed very nervous and frightened

“Hester Prynne,” he said, “if you feel itwill bring peace to your soul, I ask you tospeak the name of your fellow sinner andfellow sufferer Do not be silent from anymistaken pity for him Believe me, Hester,

it would be good if he were to step downfrom a high place to stand beside you Thatwould be better than to hide a guilty heartfor the rest of his life.”

A Familiar Face • 2

The young pastor’s voice was sweet, rich,deep, and heartfelt People seemed to bemoved more by the sound of his voice than

by his words Dimmesdale’s voice broughtout feelings of sympathy in the hearts of allwho listened Even Hester’s poor babyfelt the influence of that fine voice Holding

up its little arms, the baby looked towardDimmesdale The people in the crowd nowfelt that Hester would surely speak thesinner’s name

But Hester shook her head

“Woman!” Reverend Wilson cried in aharsh voice “Speak out the name! Just tell

us the name and repent—and you will beallowed to remove the scarlet letter.”

“Never!” said Hester As she said this,she looked not at Wilson but into the eyes

of the young minister

“Speak, woman!” cried out another voice

from the crowd about the scaffold “Speak,and give your child a father!”

“I will not speak!” answered Hester.Having recognized this stern voice, she hadturned pale as death “My child must seek a

heavenly Father She shall never know anearthly one.”

“She will not speak,” Dimmesdale saidsoftly He had been leaning over the balcony,with his hand upon his heart Like everyoneelse, he had been waiting for Hester’sanswer Now he stood up and said tohimself, “What a wonderful woman She is

so strong and has such a generous heart Shewill not speak!”

S o H e s t e r P r y n n e r e m a i n e d o n t h escaffold Reverend Wilson began a longsermon, warning about the evils of sin Hekept coming back to the scarlet letter.Hester’s baby began to cry, but Hesterwasn’t able to quiet her Finally, with hersecret still her own, Hester was led downfrom the scaffold and returned to prison

The Interview • 3

The Interview

After being led back to prison, HesterPrynne’s nerves were on edge She began

to act in strange ways Her baby cried much

of the time Master Brackett, the jailer, wasafraid that Hester might harm herself or thebaby He brought in a doctor, whom heintroduced as Dr Roger Chillingworth.Hester became as still as death, althoughthe baby continued to moan Chillingworthwas the same man Hester had recognized inthe crowd by the scaffold

“Leave me alone with my patient,” thedoctor said to the jailer “Trust me—it shallsoon be peaceful in your prison.”

C h i l l i n g w o r t h e x a m i n e d t h e b a b ycarefully Then he took some medicine out

of a leather case He mixed the medicinewith water in a cup “I’ve learned a lot about

3

medicine from my studies and my stay withthe Indians Here, woman This child isyours, not mine Give the baby this medicinewith your own hand.”

Hester looked into the doctor’s facewith questioning eyes She did not trustChillingworth “Would you take revenge on

an innocent baby?” she whispered

“Foolish woman!” said the doctor “Whywould I want to harm your baby? I would givethis medicine even if it were my own child.”Chillingworth took the baby in his arms andgave it the medicine Soon his little patientstopped moaning and fell into a deep sleep.Next, the doctor examined Hester He felther pulse and looked into her eyes His gazemade her heart shrink and shudder It wasvery familiar, yet so strange and cold NowChillingworth prepared some medicine forHester “Drink this; it will calm you It isfrom a recipe taught to me by an Indian.”

“I have thought about death, even wishedfor it,” said Hester “Yet if death is in thiscup, I ask you to think again before I drinkit.” Hester studied his eyes

The Interview • 3

“Drink, then,” the doctor said “Do youknow me so little? Even if I wanted revenge,what could be better than to let you live?”Hester drank the medicine in the cup

“Hester,” the doctor went on, “it was myown foolishness that led to your troubles.What had I—an old man interested only inbooks and ideas—to do with youth andbeauty like your own? Had I really beenwise, I might have foreseen all of this.”

“You know I was honest with you,” saidHester “I never pretended to love you.”

“True It was my fault, as I’ve said But

I was lonely It didn’t seem so wild a dream

at the time As old as I was, I still believed

I could find happiness I wanted to getmarried and have a family.”

“I fear I have greatly wronged you,”said Hester

“We have wronged each other,” said thedoctor “And now we are even I seek norevenge against you But the man lives whohas wronged us both You must tell me hisname, Hester Who is he?”

“Do not ask me this,” answered Hester,looking firmly into Chillingworth’s face

“You shall never know!”

“You will not reveal his name? I will findhim anyway Let him live! Let him hidehimself, if he may! But one day he shall bemine!” the doctor cried “Now there is onething I must ask of you,” he went on “Asyou have kept his secret, now keep mine.Tell no one I am your husband!”

“But why do you ask this?” said Hester

“Why not announce it yourself, and get rid

of me at once?”

The Interview • 3

“It may be that I do not want to be known

as a husband who has been betrayed by hiswife,” Chillingworth said “It may be forother reasons But that is my business.Therefore, let the world believe that yourhusband is already dead Above all, tell not

a word of our secret to the man you areprotecting If you should fail me in this,beware! His life will be in my hands.”

“Very well then I will keep your secret,

as I have his,” said Hester

“Swear it!” the doctor demanded

Hester did so Then the doctor gatheredhis things and got ready to leave He said,

“And now, Mistress Prynne, I leave youalone with your baby and the scarlet letter.And perhaps your bad dreams.” He had astrange, unpleasant smile on his face.Hester didn’t like the look of that smile

“Why are you smiling like this?” she said

“Have you made me promise something thatwill ruin my soul?”

“Not your soul, Hester No, not yours!” And

with those words, Chillingworth left the room

The day finally came when Hester’sprison term ended The prison door wasthrown open Hester, carrying her littlechild, stepped out into the bright sunshine

It was a beautiful day, the sort of day that

m a k e s p e o p l e f e e l h a p p y t o b e a l i v e Although Hester was indeed glad to be free

of prison, she was not free from the sickness

in her heart To her, it seemed as if the sun’sonly purpose was to shine on the scarletletter on her dress

Now that she had served her time inprison, Hester was free to go where shepleased She could have gone back toEngland, or anywhere else But in her heartshe did not feel free She felt that she mustremain in Boston and continue to wear thescarlet letter She believed that she had not

4

Pearl • 4

yet finished paying for her sin

Hester got permission from the judges tomove into a little cottage on the edge oftown The house sat on a lonely bluffoverlooking the sea Here she lived with herchild, little Pearl To earn a living, Hesterdid needlework for the women in town.Before long, word of her skill spread andher work was in demand People paid her tosew decorations on their scarves, caps, andgloves But no one ever asked her to work

on a white bridal veil

Hester had no friends Although she waskind to others, people were often cruel toher People would point to her in the street.Children would call her names and run afterher When she went to church, the pastorwould make her the topic of the sermon.Because she had nobody to help take care

of little Pearl, Hester and her child werenever apart

Hester had named the child “Pearl,” as ajewel of great price Pearl had cost Hester agreat deal indeed Still, the baby was heronly treasure

One day Hester was bending over Pearl’scradle The baby looked up and noticed thegold on the letter A She put up her littlehand and grabbed the letter, laughing Thescarlet letter thus became the first object thatPearl had ever noticed

As Pearl grew, she never made friendsamong the other children She was just asmuch an outcast among the Puritans as washer mother Pearl seemed to sense that theadults did not want her to play with theirchildren So she saw them as enemies She

Pearl • 4

never tried to speak to the other children Ifthey ever gathered around her, she wouldchase them and throw stones at them

Pearl enjoyed playing among the pinetrees at home She imagined the trees werePuritans, and she laughed at them The ugly

w e e d s i n t h e g a r d e n b e c a m e P u r i t a nchildren, whom she struck down

Pearl was growing into a beautiful andintelligent little girl She had a wild spiritand a love of mischief, and Hester could notcontrol her One day Pearl invented a newgame She gathered up a bunch of wildflowers Then she began throwing flowers

at the scarlet letter on her mother’s dress.Laughing, Pearl danced up and down like alittle devil She had a strange look in hereyes that frightened Hester

“Child, what are you?” cried the mother

“Oh, I am your little Pearl!” answered thechild, laughing

“You are not my child! You are no Pearl

of mine,” said Hester, half playfully, halfsadly “Tell me, then, what are you and whosent you here?”

“You tell me, mother,” said the child,

seriously She came up to Hester and pressedherself close to her knees “Do tell me!”

“Why, the Heavenly Father sent you!”answered Hester

Pearl reached up and touched the scarletletter with a small fingertip “No, he did notsend me,” the little girl cried “I have noHeavenly Father!”

“Hush, Pearl! You must not talk likethis!” said the mother “He sent us all intothis world, even me, your mother If he didnot send you, then from where did youcome?”

“Tell me! Tell me!” repeated Pearl, nolonger serious She was laughing and rolling

on the floor “It is you who must tell me!”Hester thought for a long time, but couldnot give her daughter an answer She did notknow the answer to that question

At the Governor’s House • 5

At the Governor’s House

One day Hester Prynne went to the house

of Governor Bellingham She was bringinghim a pair of fine gloves that she hadembroidered These elegant gloves were to

be worn for special occasions

There was another and more importantreason for Hester’s visit, however Hesterhad heard that the Governor and othersthought that her child should be taken fromher They thought that she was not a goodmother for Pearl The little girl, who wasalready three years old, would be better offbeing raised by other people

On this day, Hester had dressed Pearl in

a red velvet dress decorated with goldthread Pearl’s dress looked a lot like thescarlet letter on Hester’s dress As Hesterand Pearl made their way down the street

5

toward the Governor’s house, they passed agroup of children.

“Look!” cried a boy “There is the woman

of the scarlet letter And there is the likeness

of the scarlet letter running by her side Let’sthrow mud at them.”

When Pearl heard this, she screamed andshouted at the children She stamped herfoot and shook her fist Frightened by thelittle girl rushing at them, the Puritanchildren ran away At that, Pearl smiledsweetly at her mother The two reached theGovernor’s house without further adventure.One of the Governor’s servants met them

at the front door “Good day Is the Governorhome?” asked Hester

“ H e i s , b u t h e h a s v i s i t o r s — s o m eministers and a doctor You may not seehim now,” said the servant

“Nevertheless, I will enter,” said Hester.She stepped inside, Pearl following rightbehind her Because of Hester’s proudmanner, the servant thought she must be aperson of some importance So he didn’t try

to stop her

At the Governor’s House • 5

Inside the hall, they came across theGovernor’s suit of armor The polished steelshone like a mirror Pearl was pleased withthe armor She spent some time looking at it

“Mother,” Pearl cried, “I see you here.Look! Look!”

Hester looked She saw that, because thereflection was curved, the scarlet letterlooked huge In fact Hester appeared to behidden behind it “Come along, Pearl!” shesaid, drawing her away “Come and look atthis garden outside the window.”

Pearl, seeing rosebushes, began to begfor a red rose

“Hush, child, hush!” said her mother

“Do not cry, dear little Pearl! I hear voices

in the garden The Governor is coming, andsome gentlemen along with him.”

Turning to look, Pearl saw some men

a p p r o a c h i n g , a n d b e c a m e s i l e n t T h eGovernor was walking with Reverend

Wi l s o n B e h i n d t h e m c a m e R eve r e n dDimmesdale and Doctor Chillingworth

“Well, well, what have we here?” said theGovernor when he saw Pearl

“Indeed,” said Reverend Wilson, “whatlittle bird of scarlet may this be? Are you aChristian child?”

“I am my mother’s child,” answered thelittle girl in red, “and my name is Pearl.”

“But where is your mother?” asked theold minister “Ah! I see,” he added Turning

to the Governor, he whispered, “This is thechild about whom we were just speaking and her unhappy mother, Hester Prynne.”

“We might have guessed that her mothermust be the scarlet woman!” said theGovernor “Let us look into this matter.”Governor Bellingham stepped into thehall, followed by his three guests “HesterPrynne,” said the Governor, “there has beenmuch talk about the child Wouldn’t it bebetter for her if she were taken from you?She should be dressed properly And sheneeds to be taught manners and the truths

of heaven and earth What can a poor womanlike you do for the child?”

“I can teach my little Pearl what I havelearned from this,” said Hester, pointing tothe scarlet letter

At the Governor’s House • 5

“Woman, it is your badge of shame! It isbecause of that letter that we would put thechild into other hands!” said the Governor

“But the letter teaches me lessons eachday,” Hester added “From these lessons mychild may become wiser and better.”

“We shall see,” said the Governor “GoodMaster Wilson, please see if this child haslearned what a good Christian of her ageshould know.”

Mr Wilson sat down in a chair next tothe little girl “Pearl,” he said, “can you tell

me, my child, who made you?”

Pearl knew who had made her Hermother had taught her all about the Father

in heaven But this is not what she told

Mr Wilson Instead, the little girl said thatshe had been picked by her mother from abush of wild roses

Old Roger Chillingworth smiled andturned to whisper something in ReverendDimmesdale’s ear Hester looked at thedoctor He looked even more ugly than sheremembered him to be

“This is awful!” cried the Governor in

shock “Here is a three-year-old child, andshe cannot tell who made her! Gentlemen,

we need ask no more questions.”

Hester grabbed Pearl and drew her intoher arms “God gave me this child,” shecried “She is my happiness—and she is mytorture! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearlpunishes me, too! You shall not take her! Iwill die first!”

“My poor woman,” said Mr Wilson, “thechild shall be well cared for! Far better thanyou can do!”

“It was God who gave the child into mykeeping,” repeated Hester Her voice hadrisen almost to a scream “I will not giveher up.” Then she turned to Mr Dimmesdalefor the first time “Speak for me,” she cried

“You were my pastor You know me betterthan these men can You know what is in

my heart I will not lose the child Help me!”

Dimmesdale stepped forward The paleyoung man held his hand over his heart.Hester noticed that he always did this when

he was nervous And Dimmesdale looked asthough his health was failing He had lost

At the Governor’s House • 5

weight She saw a look of pain and sadness

in his large dark eyes

“There is truth in what she says,” beganthe minister His sweet yet powerful voiceshook as he spoke “God gave Hester thechild as a blessing—the one blessing in herlife! Also, as she has told us, God has meant

to punish her She has shown this in thedress of the poor child It is to remind us ofwhat the red letter stands for.”

“Well said!” cried Mr Wilson “I wasafraid the woman had no better thought than

to make a clown of the child.”

“Oh, not so!” cried Dimmesdale “Hesterknows what the child was meant by God to do

It is to keep her from falling into sin again.For her sake—no less than for the child’s—let

us leave them as God has placed them.”

“Ah, you speak with strong feeling, myfriend,” said the old doctor, smiling atDimmesdale

“And there is much truth in what he

says,” added Mr Wilson “What do you say,

Master Bellingham? Has he not pleaded wellfor the poor woman?”

“Indeed he has,” said the Governor “Wewill leave the matter as it stands—so long

as there is no further scandal.”

Pearl ran up to Reverend Dimmesdale.She took his hand in both of hers, and puther cheek against it Dimmesdale put hishand on the girl’s head and kissed her brow.Then Pearl ran laughing and dancing downthe long hall

“A strange child,” said the old doctor

“It is easy to see her mother in her Suppose

we were to watch her closely Do you think

it might then be possible to guess who thefather is?”

“No, it would be sinful,” said Mr Wilson

“Surely it is better to pray on it and leavethe mystery as we find it Let every goodChristian man show a father’s kindnesstoward the poor child.”

Hester and Pearl then left the house Asthey were going down the stairs, a voiceabove them said, “Hist! Hist! Hssst!”

They looked up In an open window wasthe face of Mistress Hibbins, the Governor’ssister She was known as a mean old woman

At the Governor’s House • 5

Several years later, Mistress Hibbins would

be put to death as a witch In those days, ofcourse, people believed in witches

Mistress Hibbins said, “Will you go with

us tonight? There will be a merry company

in the forest I promised the Devil thatHester Prynne would be there!”

“Please make my excuse to him,” Hesteranswered with a smile “I must stay homeand care for my little Pearl Had they takenher from me, I would have gladly gone withyou And I would have signed my name inthe Devil’s book—with my own blood!”

“We shall have you there soon,” said thewitch-lady, as she drew back her head

The Doctor and His Patient

R eve r e n d A rt h u r D i m m e s d a l e wa sloved and much admired by the members

of his church They had noticed that theyoung pastor’s health had begun to fail.Therefore, they were very happy that

Dr Roger Chillingworth had dr oppedinto their lives Some even felt this to be anact of God Yet each Sunday, ReverendDimmesdale seemed to be paler and thinner,and his voice grew weaker

The people believed that Chillingworth,with his great knowledge of medicine,would be able to save their beloved pastor.Nobody knew why Chillingworth had shown

up in Boston at this time After all, why

w o u l d a g r e a t d o c t o r f r o m a G e r m a nuniversity choose to settle in Boston? Theonly explanation for this miracle must be

6

The Doctor and His Patient • 6

that he had been sent to care for ReverendDimmesdale

The elders of the church arranged forChillingworth to care for Dimmesdale “Hishealth is getting worse,” they said to the olddoctor “But with your fine care he is sure

to be healed No doubt it is God’s will thatyou should care for him.”

T h e n t h e e l d e r s w e n t t o s p e a k t oDimmesdale about his health They urgedhim to accept Chillingworth’s help

“I need no medicine,” said Dimmesdale

“Do you wish to die? Don’t you know itwould be a sin to refuse the help that Godhas offered? It is your duty to get well Yourpeople need you,” said the church elders.Dimmesdale listened in silence Then hesaid, “Were it God’s will that my life endtoday, I would be content.”

Chillingworth then spoke out “Youngclergymen often seem too willing to give uptheir hold of life It is as if they would ratherwalk with God in heaven.”

“No,” said Dimmesdale, putting his hand

to his heart He looked as if he were in pain

“Were I more worthy to walk there, I could

be happier to work here.”

“Good men always judge themselves tooharshly,” said Chillingworth

In this manner, Chillingworth becameDimmesdale’s doctor The old doctor wasnot only interested in the young pastor’smedical problems He wanted to learn asmuch as he could about Dimmesdale as aperson As time went on, the two menbecame friends They spent more and moretime together People saw them taking longwalks on the seashore and in the forest Theyhad long talks about everything—greatideas, nature, history

Finally, at Chillingworth’s suggestion,the two agreed to share the same house Inthis way the doctor could keep a constantwatch over his patient Dimmesdale had anapartment in front On the other side of thehouse, Chillingworth set up his laboratory

As the years went by, people began to see

a change in Dr Chillingworth When theylooked at his face, they could see somethingevil and ugly they had not noticed before

The Doctor and His Patient • 6

At the same time, Dimmesdale had notgotten well If anything, he had becomemore troubled He often had nightmares—sometimes he saw devils, sometimes angels.And there was often a look of terror andgloom in his eyes

Some people began to suspect thatChillingworth was either an agent of theDevil or the Devil himself They wondered

if their young pastor was being tested insome way by God And they prayed that hewould some day win out in this terriblebattle for his soul

Dimmesdale still did not know that Dr.Chillingworth was his enemy He was notaware that Chillingworth was trying to pryloose his secret Although he did not entirelytrust the old doctor, he did not completely

trust any man So he continued to treat

Chillingworth in a friendly manner

Then one day Dimmesdale was watching

t h e d o c t o r a t w o r k i n h i s l a b o r a t o r y.Chillingworth was looking at some odd-looking leaves He was studying them to see

if they could be used as a medicine