1984
Chapter 1
‘Wherecanwemeet?’
‘VictorySquare,nearthemonument.’
‘It’sfulloftelescreens.’
‘Itdoesn’tmatterifthere’sacrowd.’
‘Anysignal?’
‘No.Don’tcomeuptomeuntilyouseemeamongalotofpeople. Anddon’tlookatme.Justkeepsomewherenearme.’
‘Whattime?’
‘Nineteenhours.’
‘Allright.’
AmpleforthfailedtoseeWinstonandsatdownatanothertable. Theydidnotspeakagain,and,sofarasitwaspossiblefortwopeoplesittingonoppositesidesofthesametable,theydidnotlookatoneanother. Thegirlfinishedherlunchquicklyandmadeoff,whileWinstonstayedtosmokeacigarette.
WinstonwasinVictorySquarebeforetheappointedtime. Hewanderedroundthebaseoftheenormousflutedcolumn,atthetopofwhichBigBrother’sstatuegazedsouthwardtowardstheskieswherehehadvanquishedtheEurasianaeroplanes(theEastasianaeroplanes,ithadbeen,afewyearsago)intheBattleofAirstripOne. InthestreetinfrontofittherewasastatueofamanonhorsebackwhichwassupposedtorepresentOliverCromwell.
