We are not, Hester, the worst sinners in the world. There is one worse than even the polluted priest! That old man's revenge has been blacker than my sin. He has violated, in cold blood, the sanctity of a human heart. Thou and I, Hester, never did so!

Explain.

The excerpt given above is taken from the historical fiction 'The Scarlet Letter: A Romance' written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in 1850

Explanation:

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts.

The scarlet letter is a classical work. When published it became popular and was one of the first mass-produced books in America.

"We are not, Hester, ..., never did so!" these words are said by Dimmesdale to Hester when they escape to forest from the public and Chillingworth. There they sit in a secluded place near a brook joining hands. Hester confesses before Dimmesdale that Chillingworth is her husband and Dimmesdale begins to condemn Hester that she is the reason for his suffering. Hester begs Dimmesdale's pardon and Dimmesdale forgives her realizing that worse sinner is Chillingworth more than them. The sin of revenge of the old man (Chillingworth) is worse than Hester and Dimmesdale's.