Initially, John Proctor
brings Mary Warren to the court to confess that she and the other girls were lying when they
accused people in Salem of witchcraft and that they were pretending when they fainted and seemed
to freeze in the courtroom in the presence of those accused. First, the judges ask her to
pretend to faint again, alone. She cannot. Then, when Danforth begins to question Abigail's
integrity as a result of Mary's story, Abigail threatens him and pretends to feel "a cold
wind," looking straight at Mary. The other girls join her, teeth chattering, accusing Mary
of sending a "shadow" on them. Mary panics and tries to run.
Soon
after, Abigail accuses Mary of sending out her spirit as a "yellow bird" who
"want[s] to tear [Abigail's] face." All the other girls pretend to see this yellow
bird as well, and, as the tension rises, they begin, frantically, to repeat everything Mary
says, as though she has bewitched them all. Finally, knowing that Abigail is laying the
foundation to accuse her of witchcraft, Mary turns on John in an effort to save herself. It is
obvious that Danforth thinks Proctor is a liar, and Mary takes the opportunity to accuse him,
knowing that she will be believed, just as Abigail knew that Abigail would be when she initially
accused Tituba, a slave, of witchcraft.
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