Maid of Salem Page #7

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that the new governor

arrived with his pardon?

(PEOPLE SHOUTlNG)

(DOOR UNLOCKlNG)

Oh...

Oh, John. John.

I cannot believe

it"s really you.

It"s been so long

since l"ve seen anyone.

I know. I know.

I tried every way.

They wouldn"t let me

come here until today.

But why?

Barbara Clarke,

you are ordered to

appear before the court.

(BELL TOLLlNG)

(PEOPLE CHATTERlNG)

MAN:
Here come the judges.

SOLDlER:
Halt.

Forward face.

Barbara Clarke,

you are hereby

indicted and arraigned

on charges of practicing

the detestable arts

of witchcraft,

to the grievous harm

and the endangerment

of the colony.

You have persistently

denied these charges.

Now, if you expect

mercy of God, confess.

I have nothing to confess.

LAUGHTON:
Then you deny

that you have been snared

into witchcraft?

I deny there is such

a thing as witchcraft.

(PEOPLE GASPlNG)

Blasphemy.

Why waste time

trying her?

I am sworn to

administer justice,

Mr. Morse.

The trial will proceed.

Timothy Clarke.

Come forward.

Timothy,

you have stated that

on a certain night

you saw the accused

in the arms of

a cloaked figure?

Yes, sir.

And when she said

it was no man,

you believed it

was Satan himself?

Answer.

Yes, sir.

But the child did not

say that at the hearing.

No, sir.

The thought has

since been put

into his mind.

Silence. Under the law,

you may not speak

without leave.

LAUGHTON:
You have said that

you saw her in her room

at night, dancing alone.

Yes, sir.

LAUGHTON:
And when you

questioned her, she said?

She...

She said she was dancing

with a handsome young man.

But... But I wasn"t

supposed to see him.

And have you anything

to say to that?

I was but jesting,

pretending. No more.

LAUGHTON:
And who were you

pretending to dance with?

The man Timothy

saw at the bridge.

The man I have

already told you of.

The man you all refuse

to believe exists.

May I question Timothy?

You may question.

Timothy, that night,

you really thought it

was a man, didn"t you?

TlMOTHY:
Yes.

Well, it was.

Now think.

Try hard to remember.

That man wore

a feather in his hat,

a dark cloak, a long sword.

Strange clothes that

you had never seen before.

Couldn"t that

have made you think

that he was not real?

Yes.

LAUGHTON:
Enough.

Timothy, you may go.

Barbara Clarke,

you"ve told

a strange story.

If there were

such a man

as you now claim,

why didn"t you

tell about him

in the beginning?

Because I believed Timothy

had seen his face

and could describe him.

SEWALL:
Why shouldn"t

he describe him?

Because he was

in hiding here,

a political refugee.

LAUGHTON:
An artful tale.

SEWALL:
Is he in hiding still?

He must be,

or he would come to me now.

Is he known

to anyone here?

What is his name?

Can you tell us

anything about him?

(SOBBlNG) I cannot.

I cannot betray him.

Do we need any

further evidence?

I think we do.

So far,

it has not been proven

that the accused

has brought harm

to anyone as charged.

But she has.

She"s brought harm

to one Mercy Cheeves.

Call Mercy Cheeves.

Mercy Cheeves.

Now tell us,

how did the prisoner

harm your child?

She has bewitched her, sirs.

She gave her a puppet.

From that day

she has been ailing

until we fear

for her life.

LAUGHTON:
Is that the puppet?

Yes.

LAUGHTON:
Let me see it.

(SOBBlNG) Don"t.

Please don"t take it.

(SHUSHlNG)

She cries this way

whenever it is

taken from her.

Child, who has

bewitched you?

(MERCY SOBBlNG)

Barbara. Barbara.

Don"t let them hurt me.

Let me go.

Let me go.

Let the child go

to the prisoner.

There, there, Mercy,

don"t cry.

No one is

going to hurt you.

Barbara won"t let them.

Why don"t you

come home with me?

I will, dear, soon.

No. Come now.

What"s these?

That... That"s just

a silly game

we"re playing.

They took my puppet.

I know,

but her dress

was all dirty.

Now, if you

leave her here,

I"ll make her

a nice new one.

A red one?

Yes.

Yes, a red one.

Now, be a good girl

and go to your mother,

will you?

Go, Mercy.

(SOBBlNG)

Take the child out.

ALL:
She"s a witch.

She"s a witch.

GOODE:
Of course

she"s a witch.

You have condemned yourself.

Now tell us,

what power have you

over that child?

Can you not see

for yourselves?

It"s something that

poor child has never had

from its father and mother,

kindness and love.

Things that seem

to have been forgotten

hereabouts.

Is it so strange

that she should turn to

someone who shows

her a little kindness,

and yet the evidence

of such you call evil?

Don"t, don"t let this

blindness lead us

again to murder!

There"s been enough of it.

Isn"t it plain that

she"s telling the truth?

That she"s shielding someone,

someone she cares for?

I know because...

John. No, no, John.

Please do not

listen to him.

She"s bewitched him,

too.

Martha!

She"s of evil blood,

born into witchcraft.

Don"t, Martha! Don"t!

Her mother was

burned as a witch

in England.

(PEOPLE SHOUTlNG)

(GAVEL POUNDlNG)

What proof

have you of this?

Ask her own aunt,

Ellen Clarke.

LAUGHTON:
Call Ellen Clarke.

You have heard

the accusation.

Is it true?

Answer.

Was the prisoner"s mother

burned as a witch?

Yes.

But many innocent people

were called witches.

Was she pronounced a witch

by a God-fearing

English court?

Answer.

Oh, stop it. Stop it.

Isn"t it enough that

you"re torturing me?

Yes, my mother was

accused of being a witch.

She was burned as one.

But does that

prove she was guilty

any more than I am,

or the others

you have condemned?

We"re not tried by justice,

but by fear and ignorance.

MORSE:
"Tis the devil

speaking.

There is no power of evil

such as you believe.

Blasphemy.

Why don"t you confess?

I will not confess a lie,

nor deny God to save my life.

I do confess pity for you.

You who have been

given the power to save

and send righteous people

to their death.

I don"t ask mercy of you,

but only pray God

for your awakening.

She"s innocent.

(ALL SHOUTlNG)

Oh, good day, lad.

You"re Timothy,

I warrant.

Will you tell

your cousin Barbara

l"m here?

Barbara? She... She...

What is it, lad?

Speak up.

Mother.

Barbara,

will you not confess

and save your life?

Then may He have

mercy on your soul.

ROGER:
Hold.

MAN:
Who is he?

Hold.

Hold. Hold.

"Tis murder you"re doing.

By what authority

do you interfere?

Arrest him!

Take him away.

Wait, wait.

Wait. Wait.

Wait. Hold.

At least let us hear

what he has to say.

Who are you, sir?

I am Roger Coverman.

I"m the one that

girl"s been protecting.

The one you poor fools

thought was Satan.

Well, look at me.

Am I not flesh and blood?

Aye. Now that I look well,

"twas you.

"Twas you that made me think

I saw the devil himself.

Now are you convinced?

But what of the other

charges against her?

Have you not

heard enough?

Will you be satisfied

only with this girl"s death,

when before your very eyes

the principal charge

against her has

been proven false?

What of the others

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