CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The Minister and His Follower

Slowly as the minister walked, she went closer to him, and began to speak. "Arthur Dimmesdale!" she said, quietly at first, then louder. "Arthur Dimmesdale!"

"Who speaks?" answered the minister.

Looking around anxiously, he saw the figure of a person coming near him. He walked closer, and discovered the scarlet letter.

"Hester! Hester Prynne!" said he. "Is that you?"

"Yes," she answered. "And you, Arthur Dimmesdale, is that you?"

Both were rather astonished to meet, after so many years of silence and guilt. Each seemed to view the other as only a ghost, shocked to be speaking. It was with fear and slow caution that the two met. Arthur Dimmesdale, always the polite gentleman, put out his hand to greet Hester Prynne. She held the hand, surprised at how cold and thin it had become. After touching hands, they now felt at ease, both alive on earth together again.

Without a word more spoken—neither he nor she had the courage to speak—they walked deeper into the woods. After a while, the minister looked at Hester Prynne carefully.

"Hester," said he, "have you found peace?"

She smiled sadly, looking down at her chest.

"Have you?" she asked.

"None! Nothing but hopelessness!" he answered. "What else could I look for, being a weak liar? If I did not believe in God, perhaps I could have found peace. But, I am here to suffer for my great crime. Hester, I am most miserable!"

"The townspeople love and respect you," said Hester. "And surely you do good things for them! Does that not comfort you?"

"More misery, Hester! Only more misery!" answered the minister, with a bitter smile. "I have no faith in the good work I do. It is all a lie because I am a lie and a terrible sinner! How can a ruined man like me help the souls of others? If the people of this town knew the truth about me, their respect and love would quickly become angry hate! I have laughed bitterly about the difference between what I seem to be to others and what I truly am! And the devil laughs at it, as well!"

"You wrong yourself in this," said Hester, gently. "You have deeply regretted your crime. Your sin has been forgiven for quite some time. Why should your regret not bring you peace?"

"No, Hester, no!" replied the minister. "There is no forgiveness for me. I should have long ago declared my terrible sin. You must be happy, Hester Prynne, who wears the scarlet letter openly on your chest! Mine burns my chest in secret! If I had one friend, or one enemy, to declare my sins to, my soul may be alive, but I have kept this secret for seven years, and now am near death!"

Hester Prynne looked into his face, but hesitated to speak. Yet, as he spoke such honest words, she knew she must tell him Roger Chillingworth's terrible secret.

"You say you wish to have a friend to cry over your sin to," Hester began, "I will be that friend to you, as I was the partner of your sin!" Again, she hesitated, but spoke again. "You have had a great enemy near you, who lives with you."

The minister looked at her in horror, unable to breathe.

"What do you mean?" cried he. "An enemy! And in my own home! What do you mean?"

Hester Prynne now understood the terrible harm he had suffered, which she was responsible for. She now did not doubt that Roger Chillingworth had been the reason for the minister's great suffering. She had ruined this good man, and knew that she must speak about it.

"Oh, Arthur," cried she, "forgive me! I have tried to be honest in everything else, but I have cheated you in this matter! I thought I was saving you from a criminal death! But a lie is never good, even though death may come otherwise. That old man! The doctor! He who calls himself Roger Chillingworth! He was my husband!"

The minister looked at her, for an instant, with passion, but then with great anger and confusion. She then saw the terrible pain he had suffered for the past seven years.

"I should have known it," he whispered. "I did know it! I have always hated looking at the old, misshapen man. Why did I not understand? Oh, Hester Prynne, this is shameful! This terrible event is your fault, woman! I cannot forgive you!"

"You must forgive me!" cried Hester. "Let God punish! You shall forgive!"

With sudden tenderness, she threw her arms around him, and put his head against her chest. She would not let him go until he agreed to forgive her. The rest of the world had blamed her for seven long years, and she had never complained. But the anger of this pale, weak, sinful, and sad man was what Hester could not bear!

"Will you forgive me?" she repeated over and over again. "Will you forgive?"

"I do forgive you, Hester," replied the minister, after a long silence. "I will forgive you now. May God forgive us both! We are not, Hester, the worst sinners in the world. There is one worse than us! That old man's desire to continually harm my spirit is a worse sin than mine."

"Yes!" whispered Hester. "We had a promise to each other, and will meet again in Heaven. Have you forgotten?"

"No, Hester," said Arthur Dimmesdale, standing up. "No!

I have not forgotten!"

They sat down again, side by side, holding hands in silent sadness.

"Hester," cried he, after a short time, "here is a new horror! Roger Chillingworth knows your purpose to tell me of his true character. Will he continue, then, to keep our secret? What will he now do to harm us?"

"There is a strange secrecy in his nature," replied Hester thoughtfully. "I believe he will not tell our secret."

"And I! How am I to live with him any longer?" exclaimed Arthur Dimmesdale, putting his hand to his heart nervously. "Think for me, Hester! You are strong!"

"You must no longer live with this man," said Hester, slowly.

"But how can I avoid living with him? Perhaps I must die here in order to escape him."

"Will you die of weakness? There is no other cause!"

"Be strong for me!" answered he. "Advise me on what to do."

"Is this the only place to live on earth? Perhaps, we three could leave together for a new life, without Roger Chillingworth." "Yes, Hester," replied the minister, with a sad smile. After a moment, he spoke again. "It cannot be! I am powerless to go, being a weak sinner! My soul is now lost! I must not leave here!"

"You have suffered for seven long years, but will no longer suffer. Leave this ruined place. Begin a new life!"

"Oh, Hester!" cried Arthur Dimmesdale, "I must die here!

I have no more strength or courage to leave!"

"You will not go alone!" answered she, in a deep whisper, "we shall all three go."

Then, all was spoken and decided!

(end of section)