sake don't tell him。〃
〃No。〃
She looked up at me with steady eyes。 〃And you won't call in sick that night。 None of you will。 You can't。〃
〃No； we can't。 If we're there； we can at least make it quick for him。 We can do that much。 It won't be like Delacroix。〃 For a moment； mercifully brief； I saw the black silk mask burning away from Del's face and revealing the cooked blobs of jelly which had been his eyes。
〃There's no way out for you； is there？〃 She took my hand； rubbed it down the soft velvet of her cheek。 〃Poor Paul。 Poor old guy。〃
I said nothing。 Never before or after in my life did I feel so much like running from a thing。 Just taking Jan with me； the two of us with a single packed carpetbag between us； running to anywhere。
〃My poor old guy〃； she repeated； and then： 〃Talk to him。〃
〃Who？ John ？〃
〃Yes。 Talk to him。 Find out what he wants。〃
I thought about it； then nodded。 She was right。 She usually was。
7。
Two days later； on the eighteenth； Bill Dodge； Hank Bitterman； and someone else … I don't remember who； some floater … took John Coffey over to D Block for his shower； and we rehearsed his execution while he was gone。 We didn't let Toot…Toot stand in for John ； all of us knew； even without talking about it； that it would have been an obscenity。
I did it。
〃John Coffey〃； Brutal said in a not…quite…steady voice as I sat clamped into Old Sparky； 〃you have been condemned to die in the ele