After Hester returned to the prison, she was in such an upset state that someone had to keep a constant watch over her, just in case she harmed herself or did something reckless to her baby. As night came closer, it became clear that no amount of punishment or scolding would calm her down. So, Master Brackett, the jailer, decided to bring in a doctor. He introduced him as someone skilled in both traditional medicine and the healing herbs used by Native American people. To be honest, Hester needed help, but even more so, her baby needed it. The little one, feeding off her mother’s milk, seemed to be taking in all of Hester’s stress and pain. The baby was writhing in pain, like a mirror of the emotional suffering Hester had felt all day.

The man who came into the room was the one Hester had noticed in the crowd earlier. He wasn’t in prison for a crime, but because it was the most convenient place to keep him until the authorities figured out his situation. His name was Roger Chillingworth. The jailer, after bringing him in, was surprised by how quiet things got right after Chillingworth entered the room. Hester, who had been in such an intense state before, suddenly became completely still, though the baby kept crying.

"Leave me alone with my patient," the doctor said to the jailer. "I promise you’ll find peace soon, and Hester Prynne will be easier to handle after this."

Master Brackett responded, "If you can manage that, I’ll say you’re a real expert! This woman has been acting crazy—she’s like she’s possessed, and I was almost ready to beat the devil out of her."

The doctor entered calmly, just as you’d expect from someone who was used to the medical profession. He didn’t change his calm demeanor even when the jailer left him alone with Hester, the woman who had been staring at him so intently earlier. The doctor’s first priority was the baby, whose cries were impossible to ignore. He carefully examined the infant before taking out a small leather case from under his coat. Inside were medical supplies, one of which he mixed with a cup of water.

"My knowledge of alchemy and the year I spent with people who know a lot about healing herbs has made me a better doctor than some who have formal medical degrees," he said. "Here, woman, take this. The child is yours, not mine. She won’t see me as a father. So you should give her this medicine yourself."

Hester pulled away from the medicine, her face showing clear fear as she looked at him.

"Are you trying to hurt my innocent baby?" she whispered.

"You're being ridiculous!" the doctor said, his voice a mix of coldness and calm. "Why would I hurt this poor, innocent baby? The medicine is good for her, and if this were my child—yeah, even if it were both mine and yours—I couldn’t do better for her."

Hester still hesitated, not in a clear state of mind, so the doctor gently took the baby from her arms and gave the medicine himself. It quickly worked, just like he promised. The baby's cries stopped, her twitching eased up, and after a few moments, she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. Then the doctor turned his attention to Hester. He checked her pulse, looked into her eyes—his gaze made her heart race, both familiar and unsettling at the same time—and after a thorough check, he mixed another drink.

“I don’t know those fancy old medicines," he said, "but I’ve learned a lot from people in the wilderness, and here's one of their remedies. An Indian shared it with me after I taught him some of my own ancient knowledge. Drink it. It might not be as soothing as a clear conscience, but it’ll calm you down, like throwing oil on a stormy sea."

He handed her the cup. Hester took it, staring into his face with a look that wasn’t quite fear but full of doubt and suspicion. She glanced down at her sleeping baby.

“I’ve thought about dying," she said. "I’ve even wished for it. I would’ve prayed for it, if I thought it was okay for someone like me to pray. But if death is in that cup, I want you to think carefully before you make me drink it. See? It's already at my lips.”

“Then drink it," he replied, his calm never changing. "Do you really think you know me so little, Hester Prynne? If I wanted revenge, what better way to get it than to let you live? To give you medicine to keep you alive so that this shame will always stay with you, burned into your chest?" He pointed to the scarlet letter on her. It felt like it was actually burning her skin, making her flinch. He smiled. "Live, then, and carry your punishment with you everywhere—under the eyes of everyone, including your husband and this child. Live with your shame, and drink the medicine.”

Without saying anything else, Hester took the drink and, at his signal, sat down on the bed next to her baby, still sleeping. The doctor pulled up the only chair in the room and sat down beside her. Hester couldn’t help but shiver. She knew that after doing everything he could to ease her pain, he was now about to face her as the man she had hurt more than anyone else.

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“Hester,” he said, “I’m not asking why or how you ended up in this mess. Or, maybe I should say, why you ended up on this pedestal of shame, where I found you. The reason’s not hard to figure out. It’s my mistake, and your weakness. I—I'm a guy who spends all his time thinking, buried in books from big libraries, a man who's already past his prime, having given up my best years for the pursuit of knowledge—what was I doing even thinking I could be with someone as young and beautiful as you? Born with so many flaws, how could I ever think that my brain could cover up the things you’d want in a guy? People say I’m wise. But if wise men were ever truly wise about themselves, I would’ve seen this coming. I should’ve known that when I left the forest and came into this town full of religious people, the first thing I’d see would be you, Hester Prynne, standing there as the symbol of shame for everyone to see. I should’ve known that, from the moment we walked down those church steps together, as a married couple, the first thing that would be on my path would be that burning red letter on your chest.”

“You know,” Hester said, unable to handle the last part about the letter of shame, “you know that I was honest with you. I didn’t love you, and I never pretended to.”

“True,” he replied. “It was my mistake! I’ve already admitted it. But before all of this, my life had been pointless. Everything felt so empty. My heart was big enough for many people, but it was cold and lonely, with no warmth. I wanted to fill it up. I didn't think it was such a crazy idea—especially with how old and gloomy and flawed I was—that I could still find a bit of happiness, just like everyone else. So, Hester, I let you into my heart, into the deepest part of it, and tried to warm you with the heat your presence brought.”

“I’ve really hurt you,” Hester murmured.

“We’ve both hurt each other,” he answered. “My mistake came first when I led you into something wrong, something unnatural, when I should have known better. So now, I don’t want revenge. I’m not plotting anything against you. Between us, the scales are balanced. But Hester, there’s a man who has wronged us both! Who is he?”

“Don’t ask me!” Hester said, staring right at him. “You’ll never know!”

“Never, you say?” he asked, a dark smile creeping onto his face. “Never know who he is? Listen to me, Hester, there are few things in this world—whether physical or in the hidden realm of thought—that are hidden from someone who is really dedicated to solving a mystery. You might keep your secret from the town, from the ministers and judges, just like you did today, when they tried to make you give up his name. But I come at this with senses they don’t have. I’ll find this man the way I’ve searched for truth in books and treasure in alchemy. There’s a connection that will make me aware of him. I’ll see him tremble. I’ll feel something strange, a shiver that comes out of nowhere. One way or another, he’ll be mine!”

The doctor’s eyes were so intense as he stared at her that Hester instinctively put her hands over her heart, terrified that he might already know her secret.

“You won’t tell his name? It doesn’t matter,” he said confidently, as if he was certain fate was on his side. “He doesn’t have a mark of shame like you do, but I’ll still see it in his heart. Don’t worry about him. Don’t think I’ll try to stop Heaven’s justice or, for my own loss, expose him to the law. And don’t think I’ll go after his life or his reputation, if, as I think, he’s a decent guy. Let him live! Let him hide behind his honor if he can! But still, he’ll be mine.”

“Your actions seem merciful,” Hester said, shocked and confused. “But your words make you sound like a monster.”

“One thing I want to ask of you, Hester, since you were once my wife,” the scholar continued. “You’ve kept the secret of your lover. Keep mine too! No one knows who I am here. Don’t tell anyone that you ever called me your husband! I’ll make my home here, because everywhere else I’ve been a wanderer, cut off from the world. But here, I have a woman, a man, a child, and I feel connected to them in a way I never have before. Whether it's out of love or hate, right or wrong, you and your people belong to me. My home is where you are, where he is. But don’t betray me!”

“Why do you want this?” Hester asked, pulling back, not sure why she felt uneasy about this secret bond. “Why not just reveal yourself and let me go?”

“It could be,” he answered, “because I don’t want to face the shame of being the husband of a woman who’s been unfaithful. Or maybe there’s another reason. But enough about that. My plan is to live and die unknown. So, let your husband be someone who’s already gone, someone no one will ever hear about again. Don’t acknowledge me—don’t say anything, don’t even look at me in a way that would give me away! And whatever you do, don’t tell that man you’re thinking of. If you do, beware! His reputation, his position, even his life, will be in my hands. Be careful!”

“I’ll keep your secret, just like I’ve kept his,” Hester promised.

“Swear it!” he demanded.

And she swore.

“Now, Mistress Prynne,” he said, using the name he would later be known by, “I’ll leave you alone. Alone with your baby and your scarlet letter. How is it, Hester? Does your punishment make you wear that letter even when you sleep? Are you afraid of nightmares or terrible dreams?”

“Why are you smiling like that?” Hester asked, uneasy from the look in his eyes. “Are you like the devil that haunts the forest around us? Have you trapped me in a bond that will destroy my soul?”

“Not your soul,” he replied with another smile. “No, not yours.”