1984

           Thepassagedownwhichheledthemwassoftlycarpeted,withcream-paperedwallsandwhitewainscoting,allexquisitelyclean. Thattoowasintimidating. Winstoncouldnotrememberevertohaveseenapassagewaywhosewallswerenotgrimyfromthecontactofhumanbodies. 

           O’Brienhadaslipofpaperbetweenhisfingersandseemedtobestudyingitintently. Hisheavyface,bentdownsothatonecouldseethelineofthenose,lookedbothformidableandintelligent. Forperhapstwentysecondshesatwithoutstirring. ThenhepulledthespeakwritetowardshimandrappedoutamessageinthehybridjargonoftheMinistries: 

           ‘Itemsonecommafivecommasevenapprovedfullwisestopsuggestioncontaineditemsixdoubleplusridiculousvergingcrimethinkcancelstopunproceedconstructionwiseantegettingplusfullestimatesmachineryoverheadsstopendmessage.’ 

           Herosedeliberatelyfromhischairandcametowardsthemacrossthesoundlesscarpet. AlittleoftheofficialatmosphereseemedtohavefallenawayfromhimwiththeNewspeakwords,buthisexpressionwasgrimmerthanusual,asthoughhewerenotpleasedatbeingdisturbed. TheterrorthatWinstonalreadyfeltwassuddenlyshotthroughbyastreakofordinaryembarrassment. Itseemedtohimquitepossiblethathehadsimplymadeastupidmistake. ForwhatevidencehadheinrealitythatO’Brienwasanykindofpoliticalconspirator? Nothingbutaflashoftheeyesandasingleequivocalremark: beyondthat,onlyhisownsecretimaginings,foundedonadream. Hecouldnotevenfallbackonthepretencethathehadcometoborrowthedictionary,becauseinthatcaseJulia’spresencewasimpossibletoexplain. AsO’Brienpassedthetelescreenathoughtseemedtostrikehim.