CHAPTER TEN

The Doctor and His Patient

Old Roger Chillingworth, throughout life, had been calm, kind and honest, although never quite friendly. When he first came to the town and declared that he would discover the identity of Hester's lover, he began his research, desiring only to find out the truth. As he continued, however, he became more interested in the young minister, looking deep into the minister's heart to find out his secrets, although he grew rather impatient when the minister continued to deny him of his deepest secret of being Pearl's father.

At times, however, the young minister would have suspicions about the true qualities of the mysterious doctor. The minister would look at his doctor friend with shocked and confused eyes, not knowing where his suspicions had come from. Mr Dimmesdale had an honest heart, and believed that all others were honest, as well. Therefore, he rejected his suspicions, and continued to treat the doctor as his dear friend, refusing to recognize him as his worst enemy.

One day, the minister was talking with the old doctor, as he was arranging some unpleasant herbs.

"Where," asked the minister, with a look of suspicion, "did you gather those dark, strange-looking herbs?"

"I discovered them in the graveyard nearby," answered the doctor, continuing his work. "They are new to me. I found them growing on a tombstone with no name, or anything else to remember the dead man, aside from these ugly weeds. Perhaps these weeds represent a terrible secret he had, the ugliness in his heart, which grew after his death. Possibly, if he had admitted his secret while still alive, then these ugly plants would not have grown on his tombstone."

"Perhaps," said Mr Dimmesdale, "he honestly desired to admit his secret, but could not."

"Why?" asked the doctor. "Since nature and God ask for us all to admit our mistakes. Why then, have these terrible black weeds grown on this man's tombstone? They have grown to represent the man's unspoken crime."

"That, sir, is your imagination," replied the minister. "The only judge we all shall have to decide our guilt is God. He makes such decisions at our deaths, not through growing weeds on a tombstone. And, I believe that any man with such a terrible secret will admit it on the last day of his life, not with fear, but with joy."

"Then why not admit the secrets here?" asked Roger Chillingworth, looking quietly at the minister. "Why should the guilty ones not declare their mistakes sooner, rather than immediately before their death?"

"Most do," said the minister, putting his hand to his heart, as if feeling a strong pain there. "Many, many people have told me their terrible secret crimes, and have felt great relief after. Others, however, after keeping their secret for a great while, feel relieved when they admit their sins just before their death."

"Yet, some men keep their secrets hidden," observed the calm doctor.

"True, there are such men," answered Mr Dimmesdale. "It is possible, however, that they still respect God and are eager to continue on earth. Perhaps these criminals do not want to present themselves as evil and dirty to the good humans that God has created because these criminals will not improve the world by admitting their crimes, as the sins have already happened. Instead, they keep the secret hidden, which gives them great guilt and suffering, although they may look like good, honest people."

"These men are cheating themselves," said Roger Chillingworth. "These men fear the guilt and shame they should feel. Such men should not feel love for God and honest humans, while also feeling shame and guilt for their sins. Are you telling me that a criminal man who decided to keep his secrets hidden can help his fellow men more than God's own truth? Believe me, such men are cheating themselves!"

"Perhaps you are right," said the young minister, "but, now, do you believe that my health has improved with your excellent skills as a doctor?"

Before Roger Chillingworth could answer, they heard the wild laughter of a young child's voice coming from the nearby burial ground. The minister then looked out the window to see Hester Prynne and little Pearl passing by. Pearl looked beautiful, but was acting wild at that time, as she often did.

Roger Chillingworth then went to the window, and smiled cleverly as he spoke, "That child has no respect for the laws of right and wrong," he said. "What is she? Is she completely evil? Can she love?"

"I do not know if she is a good human or not," answered Mr Dimmesdale quietly.

The child probably heard them speaking, as she looked up to the window with a naughty smile. She threw a leaf at the minister. Just then, Hester looked up, and these four people, old and young, looked at each other in silence. The child then laughed loudly before she spoke to her mother, "Come away, Mother! Come away or that old Black Man will catch you! He has already caught the minister. Come away, Mother, or he will catch you! But he cannot catch little Pearl!" she declared as she took her mother away, dancing as she went.

"There goes a woman," continued Roger Chillingworth, after a pause, "who has committed a terrible crime, but does not hide her crime. Do you believe Hester Prynne is less miserable because her scarlet letter is on her chest and not hidden from the world?"

"I do believe it," answered the minister. "But, I cannot answer for her. There was a look of pain in her face, which I wish I had not seen. But still, I think people suffer less when they are able to show their pain, as Hester Prynne does, rather than hide their pain and guilt."

There was another pause before the doctor spoke.

"You asked me a short time ago if my help as a doctor has improved your suffering health."

"I did," answered the minister, "and I would like to hear your opinion. Please, speak honestly."

"Well," said the doctor, still arranging his plants, "your illness is quite strange to me, and I still do not know the cause of it," he said before a pause. "Now, please tell me honestly, my young friend, have you told me all your health problems?"

"Yes, of course I have! You have lived with me for months, you know a great deal about my health!" exclaimed the minister.

"You tell me, then, that I know everything?" said Roger Chillingworth, looking carefully at his patient. "Oftentimes, when we become ill, something in our spirit causes our illness. I speak honestly because you are my dear friend. So, I will ask you, is there something in your spirit that makes you ill?"

"You know nothing about medicine of the spirit!" the minister said quickly before standing up to leave.

"A sickness in your spirit," continued the doctor, "has caused your body to become sick, as well. I am unable to cure your body if you do not first cure the illness in your spirit."

"No, not you—not a doctor of the body!" cried Mr Dimmesdale, turning to the old doctor angrily. "Not you! If my spirit is, indeed, ill, then I will ask the doctor of my spirit, God, to cure me! He, if he wishes to, will cure me; or he can kill! He will decide! But who are you, who puts himself between the sufferer and his God?" exclaimed the minister before rushing out of the room.

"I am pleased we have discussed this," said Roger Chillingworth to himself, watching the minister with a clever smile. "We shall be friends again soon. The honest Mr Dimmesdale has great passion in his heart that has greatly upset him!"

After a few hours alone, the disturbed minister calmed himself, and apologized a great number of times to the kind doctor. The young minister was quite confused as to why he became so upset when the doctor offered his advice, which he had asked for. Old Roger Chillingworth continued as the young minister's medical doctor. They spent many hours together each day, but at the end of each visit, the old doctor would leave with a clever smile on his face, although Mr Dimmesdale never noticed his friend's smile.

"A rare patient!" the old doctor whispered. "I must still research this young man, as there is a strange connection between his body and spirit! I will discover the reason for his illness!"

(end of section)