# 21
He now dug into the poor clergyman's heart, like a miner searching for gold; or, rather, like a sexton delving into a grave, possibly in quest of a jewel that had been buried on a the dead man's bosom, but likely to find nothing save mortality and corruption.
Hawthorn is referring to the secret that Dimmesdale is keeping. The idea that Chillingsworth is digging into his grave in search of a "jewel" relates to the acts of Chillingsworth later on in the book. I say this because Chillingsworth, by not sharing information, is digging Dimmesdale's grave for him. The funny thing is that Roger is also digging Dimmesdale's grave up for the truth.
Hawthorn coincidentally says that the jewel Chillingsworth is looking for is upon a dead man's bosom. This is a very truthful statement since Arthur has an A for adultry upon his chest. This entire comparison is to make us understand that the doctor who is supposedly searching for a cure to Dimmesdale's sickness is actually performing sinful deeds in order to find the truth Dimmesdale is hiding.
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