Chapter 7
Hester Prynne, carrying a pair of embroidered gloves ordered for the Governor, sets out for Governor Bellingham’s mansion after hearing rumors that some leading townspeople intend to deprive her of her child, Pearl. Accompanied by Pearl, who at this age runs alongside her mother, Hester makes the journey through the countryside. Along the way Pearl displays a volatile temperament, demanding to be carried in her arms, then dashing off, and later confronting a group of Puritan children who mock her mother; Pearl retaliates fiercely, driving them away.
Arriving at the Governor’s large wooden house, Hester and Pearl encounter a bond‑servant—a free‑born Englishman now held as a slave for seven years—who answers Hester’s summons. He informs them that Governor Bellingham is in the house with ministers and a leech, and admits them without resistance. The house exterior is described as bright and glittering, its stucco mixed with broken glass, reflecting sunlight like diamonds. Inside, the hall is spacious, lined with oak panels, carved chairs, a pewter tankard, portraits of the Bellingham ancestors, and a recently crafted suit of armor (helmet, cuirass, gauntlets, sword) that shines with a white radiance. The armor had been worn by the Governor in battle.
Pearl is fascinated by the polished breastplate; she peers into its convex mirror and sees her mother’s scarlet letter enlarged to a gigantic, dominating size, while her own reflection appears like a mischievous imp. Hester humorously looks at the mirror and feels overwhelmed by the exaggerated emblem.
The mother and child then move to a bow‑window at the far end of the hall and look out over a garden. The garden is modest, with cabbage patches, a large pumpkin vine, a few rose‑bushes, and apple trees that are said to descend from those planted by the early settler Reverend Mr. Blackstone. Pearl, seeing the roses, cries for a red rose and refuses to be pacified. Hester attempts to soothe her, but the sound of approaching footsteps signals the arrival of Governor Bellingham, his gentlemen, and ministers. Pearl’s curiosity shifts from crying to silence as the party nears, setting the stage for the forthcoming encounter.