I used the passage on page 114 beginning "Even the grave-yard, here at hand..." ending in, "avail themselves of this unutterable solace?"

I chose this passage because this is where it becomes obvious that Chillingsworth has been suspecting Master Dimmsdale. He is somewhat teasing Dimmsdale and trying to get a confession out of him. Chillingsworth compares the "ugly weeds" to Dimmsdale. He is so angry and so determined to get revenge that he needs Dimmsdale to confess to him that he is Hester's lover, as well as the father of the baby. When Chillingsworth says, "they grew out of his heart," he is referring to the guilt that Dimmsdale is feeling. Chillingsworth is happy with the fact the Dimmsdale is feeling so guilty because it is torturing him. The guilt is physically hurting him, which is a positive for Chillingsworth. He does not want to kill the Reverend, he just wants him to go through the same amount of pain that Chillingsworth has been feeling. The "hideous secret" he talks about is obviously Dimmsdale's secret of being Hester's lover. Dimmsdale's reaction to Chillingsworth's comments on the man under the weeds is to immediately defend him, for Dimmsdale knows what he is going through. He says "Perchance he earnestly desired [to tell the truth], but could not." Chillingsworth continues to try to convince Dimmsdale to confess to him that he is the father. However, he feels that he can only confess to god.