As Accusations Arise (Entry 3, Act 2)

As time went by, and court had opened up for the accusations, for those mentioned in court, I believed it right to tell them of their potential involvement. This included Rebecca Nurse, who came from a well-respected family. I found there to be nothing out of the ordinary at the home of her and her husband, Francis, and could not really believe that they were possibly considered to be partaking in the Devil's work. Elizabeth Proctor, husband of John Proctor, was the next I had to visit. I came up to their house, and I was welcomed inside, and was generously offered food. I explained that I had been personally making rounds to get to know the accused, yet they already knew, as Mary Warren was under their employment. So, I began to test them, to see if they would or ever could have been enlisted by the Devil. I had heard that they rarely went to church, and found it to be that Reverend Parris was not a very appealing preacher, or at least according to Proctor. He described the preacher as a materialistic, and negative speaker, as he often spoke of Hell. I continued into asking why only two of their three children were Baptized, but the response was the same. So, I changed the subject to the Ten Commandments and asked them to tell me all Ten, as a witch would be unable to do. However, for their sake, I let it pass that they were unable to remember adultery, which is strange, as this could be incriminating evidence. But, then, both husband and wife claimed to not have a belief in witches! They would deny the Bible! They attempted to speak their way out of the difficult situation, but to no real avail, as Giles Corey burst in, as Ezekiel Cheever had arrested his wife, as well as Rebecca Nurse, and he was on his way. Cheever showed up shortly after, and attempted to take Elizabeth. John was immediately insulted and began to act with hostility as Cheever searched the house, coming upon a poppet supposedly given to Elizabeth by Mary Warren. John Proctor tore his wife's arrest warrant as Cheever took her away, and soon the awful ordeal was over with. I left the distraught men with some advice to believe that God will let the innocent run free, before departing, as Proctor had thrown men out. This was the first incident that I was unsure of the real reasoning for accusation. To me, it was impossible that these women were witches.