Hester Prynne faced the balcony. The voice she had heard belonged to Boston’s oldest minister, Pastor John Wilson.
“Hester Prynne,” continued the old pastor’ “I have told your minister here, the Reverend Mr. Dimmsedale, that he should force you to tell us the name of the wicked man who had.”
Then Governor Bellingham spoke, “Good Reverend Dimmesdale, as her minister, you are responsible for this woman’s soul. You must urge he to speak and therefore prove her repentance.”
To respond, Reverend Dimmesdale rose to address the crowd. The reverend was a young clergyman who had graduated from one of the great English universities. His powerful voice and impressive intellect had already brought him great respect and admiration from the colonists he served.
“Speak to the woman, brother,”urged Pastor Wilson. “You are the only one who can save her soul!”
Reverend Dimmesdale looked to the woman on the scaffolding. “Hester Prynne,” he began. “You’ve heard what the good pastor Wilson has said. I urge you to speak the name of your fellow sinner. It will give both of your hearts peace. Do not remain silent out of misplaced pity or tenderness for him!”
Even the baby in Hester Prynne,” arms was affected by the reverend’s powerful voice.
It looked up at him with a half-happy, half-sad expression on its face. But to this entreaty, Hester just shook her head.
“Woman, do hot test the limits of Heaven’s mercy!” said Pastor Wilson with an angry voice. “Speak the name, and your repentance will be enough to take the scarlet letter off your breast!”
“Never!” shouted Hester Prynne. She looked deeply into Reverend Dimmesdale’s eyes. “This letter is branded too deeply on my heart to remove it so easily. I hope to endure his agony as well as my owe!”
“Speak!” cried the townspeople around the scaffolding. “Speak the name of your baby’s father!”
She went pale as she seemed to recognize one of the stern, cold voices coming from the crowd. But she insisted, “I will not speak. My baby will never have an earthly father. She will have to know the heavenly one!”
“She won’t confess his name,” whispered Dimmesdale, as he leaned over the balcony with his hand over his heart. “She will not speak!” he announced to the crowd.
Once Hester had returned to the prison, she was in a state of nervous hysteria. And the baby kept a constant watch on her to make sure she did not a hurt herself or her baby. Finally, he brought in a doctor to see her. The doctor was the same stranger who had taken an interest in her while she had been on the scaffolding. His name was Roger Chillingworth.
As the jailer led i into the room and Hester Prynne saw him, she became as still as death.
“Don’t worry,” the doctor told the jailer. “I’ll take great care of Mrs. Prynne and her child. You will soon have peace and quiet in your prison.”
The doctor mixed up an herbal remedy from local plants that he had learned from the natives.