Mary Warren: I cannot lie no more. I am with God, I am with God.
But she breaks into sobs at the thought of it, and the right door opens, and enter Susanna Walcott, Mercy Lewis, Betty Parris, and finally Abigail. Cheever comes to Danforth.
Cheever: Ruth Putnam’s not in the court, sir, nor the other children.
Danforth: These will be sufficient. Sit you down, children. Silently they sit. Your friend, Mary Warren, has given us a deposition. In which she swears that she never saw familiar spirits, apparitions, nor any manifest of the Devil. She claims as well that none of you have seen these things either. Slight pause. Now, children, this is a court of law. The law, based upon the Bible, and the Bible, writ by Almighty God, forbid the practice of witchcraft, and describe death as the penalty thereof. But likewise, children, the law and Bible damn all bearers of false witness. Slight pause. Now then. It does not escape me that this deposition may be devised to blind us; it may well be that Mary Warren has been conquered by Satan, who sends her here to distract our sacred purpose. If so, her neck will break for it. But if she speak true, I bid you now drop your guile and confess your pretense, for a quick confession will go easier with you. Pause. Abigail Williams, rise, Abigail slowly rises. Is there any truth in this?
Abigail: No, sir.
Danforth, thinks, glances at Mary, then back to Abigail: Children, a very augur bit will now be turned into your souls until your honesty is proved. Will either of you change your positions now, or do you force me to hard questioning?
Abigail: I have naught to change, sir. She lies.
Danforth, to Mary: You would still go on with this?
Mary Warren, faintly: Aye, sir.
Danforth, turning to Abigail: A poppet were discovered in Mr. Proctor’s house, stabbed by a needle. Mary Warren claims that you sat beside her in the court when she made it, and that you saw her make it and witnessed how she herself stuck her needle into it for safe-keeping. What say you to that?
Abigail, with a slight note of indignation: It is a lie, sir.
Danforth, after a slight pause: While you worked for Mr. Proctor, did you see poppets in that house?
Abigail: Goody Proctor always kept poppets.
Proctor: Your Honor, my wife never kept no poppets. Mary Warren confesses it was her poppet.
Cheever: Your Excellency.
Danforth: Mr. Cheever.
Cheever: When I spoke with Goody Proctor in that house, she said she never kept no poppets. But she said she did keep poppets when she were a girl.
Proctor: She has not been a girl these fifteen years, Your Honor.
Hathorne: But a poppet will keep fifteen years, will it not?
Proctor: It will keep if it is kept, but Mary Warren swears she never saw no poppets in my house, nor anyone else.
Parris: Why could there not have been poppets hid where no one ever saw them?
Proctor, furious: There might also be a dragon with five legs in my house, but no one has ever seen it.
Parris: We are here, Your Honor, precisely to discover what no one has ever seen.
Proctor: Mr. Danforth, what profit this girl to turn herself about? What may Mary Warren gain but hard questioning and worse?
Danforth: You are charging Abigail Williams with a mar-velous cool plot to murder, do you understand that?
Proctor: I do, sir. I believe she means to murder.
Danforth, pointing at Abigail, incredulously: This child would murder your wife?
Proctor: It is not a child. Now hear me, sir. In the sight of the congregation she were twice this year put out of this meetin’ house for laughter during prayer.
Danforth, shocked, turning to Abigail: What’s this? Laughter during – !
Parris: Excellency, she were under Tituba’s power at that time, but she is solemn now.
Giles: Aye, now she is solemn and goes to hang people!
Danforth: Quiet, man.
Hathorne: Surely it have no bearing on the question, sir. He charges contemplation of murder.
Danforth: Aye. He studies Abigail for a moment, then: Con-tinue, Mr. Proctor.
Proctor: Mary. Now tell the Governor how you danced in the woods.
Parris, instantly: Excellency, since I come to Salem this man is blackening my name. He -
Danforth: In a moment, sir. To Mary Warren, sternly, and surprised: What is this dancing?
Mary Warren: I – She glances at Abigail, who is staring down at her remorselessly. Then, appealing to Proctor: Mr. Proctor –
Proctor, taking it right up: Abigail leads the girls to the woods, Your Honor, and they have danced there naked –
Parris: Your Honor, this –
Proctor, at once: Mr. Parris discovered them himself in the dead of night! There’s the “child” she is!
Danforth – it is growing into a nightmare, and he turns, as-tonished, to Parris: Mr. Parris –
Parris: I can only say, sir, that I never found any of them naked, and this man is -
Danforth: But you discovered them dancing in the woods? Eyes on Parris, he points at Abigail. Abigail?
Hale: Excellency, when I first arrived from Beverly, Mr. Parris told me that.
Danforth: Do you deny it, Mr. Parris?
Parris: I do not, sir, but I never saw any of them naked.
Danforth: But she have danced?
Parris, unwillingly: Aye, sir.
Danforth, as though with new eyes, looks at Abigail.
Hathorne: Excellency, will you permit me? He points at Mary Warren.
Danforth, with great worry: Pray, proceed.
Hathorne: You say you never saw no spirits, Mary, were never threatened or afflicted by any manifest of the Devil or the Devil’s agents.
Mary Warren, very faintly: No, sir.
Hathorne, with a gleam of victory: And yet, when people ac-cused of witchery confronted you in court, you would faint, saying their spirits came out of their bodies and choked you –
Mary Warren: That were pretense, sir.
Danforth: I cannot hear you.
Mary Warren: Pretense, sir.
Parris: But you did turn cold, did you not? I myself picked you up many times, and your skin were icy, Mr. Danforth, you –
Danforth: I saw that many times.
Proctor: She only pretended to faint, Your Excellency. They’re all marvelous pretenders.
Hathorne: Then can she pretend to faint now?
Proctor: Now?
Parris: Why not? Now there are no spirits attacking her, for none in this room is accused of witchcraft. So let her turn herself cold now, let her pretend she is attacked now, let her faint. He turns to Mary Warren. Faint!
Mary Warren: Faint?
Parris: Aye, faint. Prove to us how you pretended in the court so many times. Mary Warren, looking to Proctor: I – cannot faint now, sir.
Proctor, alarmed, quietly: Can you not pretend it?
Mary Warren: I – She looks about as though searching for the passion to faint. I - have no sense of it now, I –
Danforth: Why? What is lacking now?
Mary Warren: I – cannot tell, sir, I –
Danforth: Might it be that here we have no afflicting spirit loose, but in the court there were some?
Mary Warren: I never saw no spirits.
Parris: Then see no spirits now, and prove to us that you can faint by your own will, as you claim.
Mary Warren, stares, searching for the emotion of it, and then shakes her head: I –c annot do it.
Parris: Then you will confess, will you not? It were attacking spirits made you faint!
Mary Warren: No, sir, I –
Parris: Your Excellency, this is a trick to blind the court!
Mary Warren: It’s not a trick! She stands. I – I used to faint because I – I thought I saw spirits.
Danforth: Thought you saw them!
Mary Warren: But I did not, Your Honor.
Hathorne: How could you think you saw them unless you saw them?
Mary Warren: I – I cannot tell how, but I did. I – I heard the other girls screaming, and you, Your Honor, you seemed to believe them, and I – It were only sport in the beginning, sir, but then the whole world cried spirits, spirits, and I – I promise you, Mr. Danforth, I only thought I saw them but I did not.
Danforth peers at her.
Parris, smiling, but nervous because Danforth seems to be struck by Mary Warren’s story: Surely Your Excellency is not taken by this simple lie.
Danforth, turning worriedly to Abigail: Abigail. I bid you now search your heart and tell me this – and beware of it, child, to God every soul is precious and His vengeance is terrible on them that take life without cause. Is it possible, child, that the spirits you have seen are illusion only, some deception that may cross your mind when –
Abigail: Why, this – this – is a base question, sir.
Danforth: Child, I would have you consider it –
Abigail: I have been hurt, Mr. Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin’ out! I have been near to murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil’s people – and this is my reward? To be mistrusted, denied, questioned like a –
Danforth, weakening: Child, I do not mistrust you –
Abigial, in an open threat: Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits? Beware of it! There is – Suddenly, from an accusatory attitude, her face turns, looking into the air above – it is truly frightened.
Danforth, apprehensively: What is it, child?
Abigail, looking about in the air, clasping her arms about her as though cold: I – I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. Her eyes fall on Mary Warren.
Mary Warren, terrified, pleading: Abby!
Mercy Lewis, shivering: Your Honor, I freeze!
Proctor: They’re pretending!
Hathorne, touching Abigail’s hand: She is cold, Your Honor, touch her!
Mercy Lewis, through chattering teeth: Mary, do you send this shadow on me?
Mary Warren: Lord, save me!
Susanna Walcott: I freeze, I freeze!
Abigail, shivering visibly: It is a wind, a wind!
Mary Warren: Abby, don’t do that!
Danforth, himself engaged and entranced by Abigail: Mary Warren, do you witch her? I say to you, do you send your spirit out?
With a hysterical cry Mary Warren starts to run. Proctor catches her.
Mary Warren, almost collapsing: Let me go, Mr. Proctor, I cannot, I cannot –
Abigail, crying to Heaven: Oh, Heavenly Father, take away this shadow!