“Please, Nick,” Myra was all flustered and red. “I never for a moment thought that, uh—”

“It’s all my fault,” Rose said, drawing herself up real dignified. “I guess I can’t blame you for thinking such terrible things about me, Myra, but you should have known that I’d never, never do anything to hurt my very best friend.”

“But I do know it! I never had any such thoughts, Rose, darling!” Myra was practically bawling herself. “I’d never doubt you for a moment, dear.”

“They’re story-tellin’, Myra!” Lennie yelled. “I seen ‘em huggin’ and kissin’.”

Myra slapped him. She pointed to the door of his room, chasing him toward it with a couple more hard slaps. “Now, you get in there! Get right in there and don’t let me see you again tonight!”

“But I seen—”

Myra gave him a crack that practically knocked him off his feet. He went stumbling into his bedroom, blubbering and spitting, and she slammed the door on him.

“I’m terribly, terribly sorry, Rose, darling,” Myra turned back around again. “I—‘Rose!’ You take that hat right back off, because you’re not moving a step out of here!”

“I th-think I’d better go home,” Rose wept, but she didn’t sound real determined. “I’d be too embarrassed to stay after this.”

“But you mustn’t be, dear! There’s absolutely no need to be. Why—”

“But she does,” I cut in, “an’ I don’t blame her a god-dang bit! I feel the same way myself. Why, goddang it, the way I feel right now I get sort of selfconscious even bein’ in the same room with Rose!”

“Well, why don’t you get out of the same room then?” Myra snapped. “My goodness, get out and take a walk or something! No sense in you acting the fool, just because poor Lennie did.”

“All right, I will get out,” I said. “That god-danged Lennie starts all the trouble, and I get drove out of my own house. So don’t you be surprised if I don’t hurry back!”

“I’ll be pleasantly surprised if you don’t. I’m sure neither Rose nor I will miss you, will we, Rose?”

“Well—” Rose bit her lip. “I hate to feel responsible for—”

“Now, don’t you trouble yourself another minute, darling. You just come out in the kitchen with me, and we’ll have a nice cup of coffee.”

Rose went with her, looking just a wee bit disappointed, naturally. At the kitchen door, she glanced back at me quickly, and I shrugged and spread my hands and looked sort of mournful. As if to say, you know, that it was too doggoned bad, but it was just one of those things, and what could you do about it? And she nodded, letting me know that she understood.

I got a pole and fishing line from under my bed. I came back out of the bedroom and called to Myra, asking her if she could pack me up a lunch because I was going fishing. And I guess you know what she told me. So I left.