CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The New England Holiday

Early in the morning on the day of the young minister Mr Dimmesdale's speech, Hester Prynne and little Pearl came into the market place. There were already crowds of people there to celebrate this public holiday. On this day, as she had for the past seven years, Hester wore a poor-looking gray dress, which hid behind the bright colors of the scarlet letter. Her face, as usual, had no strong emotions present. She had long ago learned to give up her great passion, and settle in her role in society as a criminal woman, always to be punished for her terrible sin of passion and love. She realized that this was the last time she would be forced to see the stares from the townspeople as she walked alone with her little Pearl. "This is your last look at the scarlet letter and its wearer!" Hester thought to herself. "In a little while, she and her scarlet letter of punishment will be gone forever, and the scarlet letter will be deep in the sea, never to be seen again!"

Pearl was excited to be in the market place during the town holiday. "What is this, Mother?" cried Pearl. "Why have all the people left their work today? Is it a play day for the whole world? Why have all these people come here to this market place, Mother?"

"They wait to see the march pass," said Hester. "The governor and the town leaders will walk by, and the ministers, and all the great people and good people, with the music and the soldiers marching before them."

"And will the minister be there?" asked Pearl. "And will he hold out both his hands to me, as he did when we were at the stream in the forest?"

"He will be there, child," answered her mother. "But he will not greet you today, and you will not greet him."

"What a strange, sad man is he!" said the child, as if speaking to herself. "In the dark night, he calls to us, and holds your hand and mine, as he did on that platform there during the night! And in the deep forest, where only the old trees can hear him speak to us! But here, in the sunny day, and among all the people, he does not know us, and we must not know him! A strange, sad man is he, with his hand always over his heart!"

"Be quiet, Pearl! You do not understand these things," said her mother. "Do not think about the minister now. Think of the happiness and joy of this holiday today, which begins a new life for us all!"

Though the usual human life of the Puritan market place was full of sad gray, brown or black colors, today, there were bright red and yellow colors in the market. The town leaders, of course, dressed in dark black clothing, looking strict and serious. Old Roger Chillingworth, the doctor, was seen to enter the market place speaking for a great while with the captain of the ship that would be leaving for England the following day.

He had explained that he would be boarding the ship along with the young minister, Mr Dimmesdale, his closest friend, and that Hester Prynne and little Pearl were to board first, and the two men would join them later. Hester discovered this information after speaking with the captain some time after she noticed the old doctor in a conversation with him.

"So, mistress," said the captain to Hester, "I have just been informed that there will now be four persons instead of the three coming on board the ship tomorrow!"

"What do you mean?" asked Hester, quite surprised. "You have another passenger?"

"Well, you do not know?" cried the ship's captain. "That doctor, Chillingworth, has asked to board tomorrow with the gentleman that you spoke of—he that was in trouble with those old Puritan rulers!"

"The two men know each other well, indeed," replied Hester, looking calm. "They have lived together for a great amount of time," she said, hiding her anger and feelings of hopelessness.

Then, the conversation between the ship captain and Hester Prynne was over. But, at that instant, she saw old Roger Chillingworth standing away from the crowds of people, smiling at her, looking more evil than he ever had before.

(end of section)