1984

           Buttherewasaspaceofacoupleofsecondsduringwhichtheexpressionofhiseyesmightconceivablyhavebetrayedhim. Anditwasexactlyatthismomentthatthesignificantthinghappened—if,indeed,itdidhappen. 

           MomentarilyhecaughtO’Brien’seye. O’Brienhadstoodup. Hehadtakenoffhisspectaclesandwasintheactofresettlingthemonhisnosewithhischaracteristicgesture. Buttherewasafractionofasecondwhentheireyesmet,andforaslongasittooktohappenWinstonknew—yes,heknew! —thatO’Brienwasthinkingthesamethingashimself. Anunmistakablemessagehadpassed. Itwasasthoughtheirtwomindshadopenedandthethoughtswereflowingfromoneintotheotherthroughtheireyes. ’Iamwithyou,’O’Brienseemedtobesayingtohim. ’Iknowpreciselywhatyouarefeeling. Iknowallaboutyourcontempt,yourhatred,yourdisgust. Butdon’tworry,Iamonyourside! ’Andthentheflashofintelligencewasgone,andO’Brien’sfacewasasinscrutableaseverybodyelse’s. 

           Thatwasall,andhewasalreadyuncertainwhetherithadhappened. Suchincidentsneverhadanysequel. Allthattheydidwastokeepaliveinhimthebelief,orhope,thatothersbesideshimselfweretheenemiesoftheParty. Perhapstherumoursofvastundergroundconspiraciesweretrueafterall—perhapstheBrotherhoodreallyexisted! Itwasimpossible,inspiteoftheendlessarrestsandconfessionsandexecutions,tobesurethattheBrotherhoodwasnotsimplyamyth. Somedayshebelievedinit,somedaysnot. Therewasnoevidence,onlyfleetingglimpsesthatmightmeananythingornothing: snatchesofoverheardconversation,faintscribblesonlavatorywalls —once,even,whentwostrangersmet,asmallmovementofthehandwhichhadlookedasthoughitmightbeasignalofrecognition.