"If I was alone I could live so easy." His voice was monotonous, had no emphasis. "I could get a job an’ not have no mess."

George raised the gun and his hand shook, and he dropped his hand to the ground again.

You hadda, George. I swear you hadda.

"It don’t make no difference," George said, and he fell silent again.

"Never you mind," said Slim. "A guy got to sometimes."

And then from out of Lennie’s head there came a little fat old woman. She wore thick bull’s–eye glasses and she wore a huge gingham apron with pockets, and she was starched and clean.

Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering.

A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically.

An’ live on the fatta the lan’.

The red light dimmed on the coals.