she means her threat or not, it's clear that Abigail Williams is a dangerous person. In fact, if anybody in the play talks like a witch, it's Abigail. Soon she'll do far worse.^^^^^^^^^^THE CRUCIBLE: ACT I, SCENE 4John Proctor enters, looking for Mary Warren. His appearance startles the girls, and Mary and Mercy Lewis quickly scurry out. Betty has relapsed into lifelessness, so Proctor and Abigail are in effect alone. At once we are aware that these two know each other well, perhaps better than they should. They speak with an easy familiarity, and smile as if they share a secret. He's heard rumors of witchcraft in the town. "Oh, posh!" Abigail replies. "We were dancin' in the woods last night, and my uncle leaped in on us. She [Betty] took fright, is all." How many faces does this Abigail have? We've now heard three different versions of her story; which one are we to believe? Proctor seems to know: his smile widens as he says, "Ah, you're wicked yet, aren't y'! You'll be clapped in the stocks before you're twenty."But Abigail wants more from him than casual banter. "Give me a word, John. A soft word." His answer, "No, no, Abby. That's done with," tells us that the rumor is true, something did happen to cause Goody Proctor to put Abigail out of the house. But for Abby it's definitely not done with. For the rest of the scene she tries to get Proctor to admit he still loves her. And although he keeps repeating that it's over between them, he never actually says, "I don't love you any more."Suddenly, a whole new dimension of the play opens up. Before this scene, the situation has looked like not much more than a prank that backfired. The girls were just letting off steam, and the adults are taking the whole thing too seriously. Indeed, when Rebecca Nurse enters a few moments later, that is her explanation for the whole affair. For the rest of the girls this may be true, but for Abigail there's more at stake. We have seen the dark passion t...
