the eldest female member of his church who is looking for a small tidbit of spiritual comfort, he nearly blurts out a devastating, "unanswerable argument against the immortality of the human soul." Seeing that he might run into a young maid whom Dimmesdale had just recently won over to the church, the minister hurries by, ignoring her; he fears that he will plant some corrupting germ in her innocent heart. He also runs into Mistress Hibbins who chuckles at him, offering herself as an escort the next time he visits the forest. Returning to his house, Dimmesdale tells Chillingworth that he has no more need of the leech's drugs. Afraid to ask Dimmesdale outright if the minister knows Chillingworth's real identity, the leech becomes wary. Dimmesdale, who had already started to write the sermon he was supposed to deliver on Election Day (a religious holiday about the "elect," or "saints" of the Puritan church) three days from now, throws his former manuscript in the fire and writes a newer, better one.Chapter 21: The New England Holiday Chapter 22: The Procession Summary As at the novel's beginning, the narrator sets the scene for another public gathering in the market place. This time, the purpose is to celebrate Election Day, not to punish Hester Prynne. The celebration is, truth be told, pretty sober, but the narrator says there is slightly more joy in the air. As they wait in the market-place among an assorted group of people (townsfolk, Indians, and mariners), Pearl asks Hester whether the strange minister who does not want to acknowledge them in public will hold their hands today. Lost in her own thinking, Hester is imagining herself escaping from all of this soon, proudly defiant. This sense of peace is shattered, however, when one of the mariners on their escape ship tells her that Chillingworth will be joining them since the ship needs a doctor and Chillingworth says he is one of Hester's party. Hester sees Chillingworth stan...
