Young Goodman Brown tells his wife, Faith, that he must go to the forest tonight, that it must be accomplished between "'now and sunrise.'" After he's left home, he looks back and sees her peering down the road after him, looking sadly, and he feels guilty for leaving her to go on "'such an errand.'" The narrator describes this errand as his "present evil purpose," and such a description makes it sound as though Brown has had other evil purposes in the past. Further, he clearly seems to know the old man he meets in the forest, and this would indicate that he has met him before.
It seems as though Brown's intention is to commit some sin, some transgression for the last time, as his own admission is that "'after this one night, [he'll] cling to [Faith's] skirts and follow her to Heaven.'" He seems to be aware that he will commit some sin in the forest because he intends to be good, so to speak, starting tomorrow. Whatever this sin is, it is never explicitly stated, but we get quite a few hints that this was his plan when he left home.
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