Hour of the Witch

William dies with Mary and Catherine at his bedside, and Mary’s father pays for his headstone. At dinner, Mary notices Catherine seeking solace in Thomas, whom she admires and, Mary suspects, secretly loves.

As night falls, Mary cannot sleep. While the rest of the house is in bed, she returns to the spot where she replaced the tines. While there, she discovers something more: a wooden pestle with a three-pronged fork carved into the handle. As she is examining the object, Catherine discovers her and exclaims, “Thou art the witch!” (73). Mary flees in fear.

Thomas wakes up and asks what is happening. Mary explains, but Thomas taunts her, telling her she’s too “stupid” and “barren” to be a witch. Claiming he’s teaching Mary her place as his wife, he inflicts the most violent abuse yet against Mary and stabs her hand with the Devil’s tines. Bruised and bleeding, Mary decides that she will divorce him.

Mary realizes that she and Thomas have crossed a point from which they cannot come back, especially since Thomas was sober when he stabbed her with the tines. He asks to see the wound the next day and, without apologizing, tells her she will heal before leaving for the mill.