Act III

             The truth has finally come out! John Proctor, the self-proclaimed moral compass of Salem, has been declared a wizard! My most formidable enemy, vanquished! I knew there was something wrong in his manner, not attending Sabbath regularly and refusing to baptize his third child, but now the court has seen what I have known all along! Corey, Nurse, and Proctor, with his servant Mary Warren, interrupted Martha Corey’s trial, proclaiming they had evidence of their wives’ innocence. I tried to warn Danforth of Proctor’s mischief, but he allowed Mary to speak anyway. I revealed Proctor’s real motives, to overthrow the court. Again, Danforth ignored me. Cheever then made an important point by revealing Proctor’s reception of the arrest warrant. Proctor tried to dismiss it as an act of rage, but we all knew his true motivations were beginning to show themselves. This was further cemented when he refused to drop his charges even after his wife was given another year to live. He then tried to rope me into his claims by saying I had seen the girls dancing. I could not lie to Danforth, for fear of my own reputation.

Abby was then called in for questioning, during which she was attacked by Mary’s specter. As she became cold in fear, Proctor denounced her claims and called her a whore! He said that he had known her and began to slander her name and credibility. Although I did not want to believe it, it did make sense. Danforth, on the verge of deciding, called in Elizabeth Proctor to confirm her husband’s lechery. Naturally, she denied it, but little did the clueless woman know she had indicted her husband and herself! I was relieved that Abigail’s credibility, and more importantly, my reputation, were still intact, but Proctor continued to plead his innocence. At that point, Abigail and the other afflicted girls saw Mary Warren’s specter in the form of a bird. No one else could see it, but the girls were petrified. Mary Warren tried to deny the attack, but the evidence was clear. Eventually she broke down and revealed the truth: Proctor had influenced her to lie to the court. At this, Proctor became mad, and yelled that he had seen the Devil, and in his face, he saw Danforth! I was taken aback by his bold accusations, and personally, I was afraid of physical retaliation, but he was quickly subdued and arrested. Hale denounced the court and stormed out. He always seemed like a fickle fellow. Now that Proctor has been arrested and the truth has been exposed, I think that my soul should feel at rest, but somehow I feel as though there is a greater danger ahead.