So to take his mind of the subject he caustically reminds Mary Warren, who now works for him, that he forbade her to leave his house, and proceeds to threaten her with a whipping if she does not obey his rule. Mary immediately departs for the Proctor House hold.
Later in the act Abigail and Procter exchange several words. She gets him to admit that he still holds mild feelings for her but that their relationship is over. Angered she retorts, mockingly, at Procter for folding into the will of his "cold, sniveling" wife. Procter with his temper at a boil threatens to whip her, leading to Abigail blurting out Procter put knowledge into her heart.
As if not to cause enough commotion Mr. Proctor then turns to Parris and questions his decision to call upon Reverend Hall. He suggests that Parris should of consulted the legal authorities or set up a town meeting before asking the reverend to uncover demons in Salem. Parris contends that Procter has no right to defy his religious authority. He reminds Proctor that Salem is not a community of Quakers, and Procter informs him that he does not like Parris's kind of authority.
When Reverend Hall arrives at the Parris house, he carries with him several books to aid him in his work. Parris informs Hale about the girls and their activities in the woods. Along with that Mrs. Putnam reports having sent her daughter to conjure the spirits of her dead children. She then asks him if losing seven children before they live a day is natural. Without an answer Hale turns to his books to look for an answer. Meanwhile the rest of the people tell their suspicions of witchcraft to the reverend.
The Reverend starts his investigation by asking Abigail what she did in the forest. She still sticks to her story. Parris hesitantly contributes that he saw a kettle in the grass when he saw the girls dancing. Abigail claims that there was nothing in the kettle except soup.