“Even in the grave-yard, here at hand,” answered the physician, continuing his employment. “They are new to me. I found them growing on a grave, which bore no tombstone, nor other memorial of the dead man, save these ugly weeds that have taken upon themselves to keep him in remembrance. They grew out of his heart, and typify, it may be, some hideous secret that was buried with him, and which he had done better to confess during his lifetime.”
Is this some kind of a tactic of Chillingworth to get deeper into Dimmesdale's heart? Even though it was not Dimmesdale's grave where the herbs grew, it connects to him, as he has a secret in his heart too. It is like the jewell Chillingworth keeps looking for in Dimmesdale's heart. The jewell, the secret in Dimmesdale's heart, that keeps Chillingworth's heart bumping.
Good - continue to think about these connections and the things Chillingworth does to torture Dimmesdale. There is a connection of darkness here, and an attempt to "win" Dimmesdale in this scene.
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