When we meet John Proctor in Act one, he has already been involved with Abigail Williams, the girl he and his wife hired to help out around the house. Elizabeth Proctor found out about the fling and together she and John fired Abigail and sent her home. John's inner conflicts deal with his guilt for having cheated on Elizabeth and lusting after Abigail. He is dealing with the pain he has caused his wife, and also with her attempts to trust him completely again. The dinner scene in Act II scene 1 is full of the tension of two people who have hurt each other or failed each other and their attempts to pretend that everything is OK. John is obviously trying to put the whole event behind him as is clear in Act I where he rejects Abigail's advances and any idea of a further relationship with this girl. Elizabeth, while very polite, still accuses and prods and questions.
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