What is the people's initial reaction to Mr. Hooper's veil in "The Minister's Black Veil"?

Before he
donned the black veil, the Reverend Mr. Hooper had been known as a pleasant and popular
clergyman but not a particularly effective one. His previous preaching was mild and inoffensive
but did not make a major impression on his parishioners. In other words, although he was
well-liked, he really had not been accomplishing his major task of saving souls.

When he dons the black veil, even though the rest of his appearance is unchanged, he
makes a quite different, almost uncanny impression on his parishioners. The parishioners are
"wonder-struck" at his transformation and the sexton wonders if it is really Hopper
under the veil. The members of his congregation react with fear, awe, and puzzlement to the
veil. Even more significantly, they find his sermon more powerful than any he has given
before.