hat flows between her and John Proctor, and we know her too well by now to believe that she'll let this thing rest. Not if she can use it to get what she wants.NOTE: What is this "heat" between Abigail and Proctor? Is it true love, or is it just the lust of the flesh? Or maybe some of both? At this point it's hard to tell. Abigail remembers "how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near!" This sure sounds like lust. But later, in tears, she pleads with him: "I look for John Proctor who took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men! And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I will not, I cannot! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet! John, pity me, pity me!" The earnestness of such a speech is hard to doubt.As for Proctor, we hardly know him yet, but compared to the others we have met so far, he seems the opposite: honest, even when it hurts him; determined to do the right thing, even though it makes him and others suffer. We will have more of a chance to examine his heart later, for he will soon emerge as the hero of this tragedy. For the moment, however, let's just take note of how intense their feelings are for each other, and watch for further developments.^^^^^^^^^^THE CRUCIBLE: ACT I, SCENE 5A psalm is being sung below, and suddenly Betty starts screaming. Her father rushes in, followed by the Putnams, Rebecca Nurse, and an old farmer named Giles Corey. Parris is terrified: it seems as if Betty cannot bear to hear the Lord's name. The rest look on with curiosity, all of them believing this to be a "prodigious sign" that witchcraft is afoot. All except Rebecca Nurse. She goes over and merely stands beside the bed, which miraculously calms Betty down. Once again it seems as if the whole thing might just blow ov...
