1984 - Planet eBook

quarters and bought herself a complete set of make-up materials.Her lips were deeply reddened, her cheeks rouged,her nose powdered; there was even a touch of somethingunder the eyes to make them brighter. It was not very skilfullydone, but Winston’s standards in such matters werenot high. He had never before seen or imagined a woman ofthe Party with cosmetics on her face. The improvement inher appearance was startling. With just a few dabs of colourin the right places she had become not only very much prettier,but, above all, far more feminine. Her short hair andboyish overalls merely added to the effect. As he took her inhis arms a wave of synthetic violets flooded his nostrils. Heremembered the half-darkness of a basement kitchen, and awoman’s cavernous mouth. It was the very same scent thatshe had used; but at the moment it did not seem to matter.‘Scent too!’ he said.‘Yes, dear, scent too. And do you know what I’m going todo next? I’m going to get hold of a real woman’s frock fromsomewhere and wear it instead of these bloody trousers. I’llwear silk stockings and high-heeled shoes! In this room I’mgoing to be a woman, not a Party comrade.’They flung their clothes off and climbed into the hugemahogany bed. It was the first time that he had strippedhimself naked in her presence. Until now he had been toomuch ashamed of his pale and meagre body, with the varicoseveins standing out on his calves and the discolouredpatch over his ankle. There were no sheets, but the blanketthey lay on was threadbare and smooth, and the size andspringiness of the bed astonished both of them. ‘It’s sure