1984 - Planet eBook

ably she had been changed on to a later shift. They passedeach other without a glance. On the day after that she wasin the canteen at the usual time, but with three other girlsand immediately under a telescreen. Then for three dreadfuldays she did not appear at all. His whole mind and bodyseemed to be afflicted with an unbearable sensitivity, a sortof transparency, which made every movement, every sound,every contact, every word that he had to speak or listento, an agony. Even in sleep he could not altogether escapefrom her image. He did not touch the diary during thosedays. If there was any relief, it was in his work, in which hecould sometimes forget himself for ten minutes at a stretch.He had absolutely no clue as to what had happened to her.There was no enquiry he could make. She might have beenvaporized, she might have committed suicide, she mighthave been transferred to the other end of Oceania: worstand likeliest of all, she might simply have changed her mindand decided to avoid him.The next day she reappeared. Her arm was out of the slingand she had a band of sticking-plaster round her wrist. Therelief of seeing her was so great that he could not resist staringdirectly at her for several seconds. On the following dayhe very nearly succeeded in speaking to her. When he cameinto the canteen she was sitting at a table well out from thewall, and was quite alone. It was early, and the place wasnot very full. The queue edged forward till Winston wasalmost at the counter, then was held up for two minutesbecause someone in front was complaining that he had notreceived his tablet of saccharine. But the girl was still alone