![]() He knew.George said softly, "-I think I knowed from the very first I think Iknowed we'd never do her. "You an' me can get that littleplace, can't we, George? You an' me can go there an' live nice, can'twe, George? Can't we?"Before George answered, Candy dropped his head and lookeddown at the hay. An' the other guys will." And he looked back atCurley's wife.Now Candy spoke his greatest fear. "Yeah," he said at last, "that's right,Curley will. Curley'llget 'im killed."George watched Candy's lips. "Maybe they'll lock 'im up an' be nice to In."But Candy said excitedly, "We oughtta let'im get away. Why, the poor bastard'd starve." And he tried toreassure himself. I guess we gotta get 'im an' lock 'im up. "I should of knew," George said hopelessly."I guess maybe way back in my head I did."Candy asked, "What we gonna do now, George? What we gonnado now?"George was a long time in answering. "Ain't you got any idear?" he asked.And Candy was silent. And finally, when hestood up, slowly and stify, his face was as hard and tight as wood,and his eyes were hard.Candy said, "What done it?"George looked coldly at him. "Oh, Jesus Christ!" He was down on his kneesbeside her.He put his hand over her heart. He stepped closer, and then he echoedCandy's words. In a moment Candy came back, andGeorge was with him.George said, "What was it you wanted to see me about?"Candy pointed at Curley's wife. The horses stamped and snorted, andthey chewed the straw of their bedding and they clashed thechains of their halters. And then he jumped up and went quickly out of the barn.But the barn was alive now. "You oughten to sleepout here," he said disapprovingly and then he was beside her and-"Oh, Jesus Christ!" He looked about helplessly, and he rubbed hisbeard. "I di'n't know you was here,"he said to Curley's wife.When she didn't answer, he stepped nearer. He rubbed his smoothwrist on his white stubble whiskers. ![]() "Oh, Lennie!" he called again andthen he stopped, and his body stiffened. Tell you what we can do, Lennie." Old Candy appearedaround the end of the last stall. "Oh, Lennie! You in here? 1 been figuringsome more. Outside, the men's voices became louderand clearer.From around the end of the last stall old Candy's voice came."Lennie," he called. And sound stopped andmovement stopped for much, much more than a moment.Then gradually time awakened again and moved sluggishly on.The horses stamped on the other side of the feeding racks and thehalter chains clinked. The curls, tiny little sausages, were spread on the haybehind her head, and her lips were parted.As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered andremained for much more than a moment. Now her rouged cheeksand her reddened lips made her seem alive and sleeping verylightly. She was very pretty andsimple, and her face was sweet and young. And themeanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache forattention were all gone from her face. "Curley's wife lay with a half-covering of yellow hay.
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