登陆注册
5257900000095

第95章 英文(64)

Sometimes he tried to calculate the number of porcelain bricks in the walls of the cell. It should have been easy, but he always lost count at some point or another. More often he wondered where he was, and what time of day it was. At one moment he felt certain that it was broad daylight outside, and at the next equally certain that it was pitch darkness. In this place, he knew instinctively, the lights would never be turned out. It was the place with no darkness: he saw now why O"Brien had seemed to recognize the allusion. In the Ministry of Love there were no windows. His cell might be at the heart of the building or against its outer wall; it might be ten floors below ground, or thirty above it. He moved himself mentally from place to place, and tried to determine by the feeling of his body whether he was perched high in the air or buried deep underground.

There was a sound of marching boots outside. The steel door opened with a clang. A young officer, a trim black-uniformed figure who seemed to glitter all over with polished leather, and whose pale, straight-featured face was like a wax mask, stepped smartly through the doorway. He motioned to the guards outside to bring in the prisoner they were leading. The poet Ampleforth shambled into the cell. The door clanged shut again.

Ampleforth made one or two uncertain movements from side to side, as though having some idea that there was another door to go out of, and then began to wander up and down the cell. He had not yet noticed Winston’s presence. His troubled eyes were gazing at the wall about a metre above the level of Winston’s head. He was shoeless; large, dirty toes were sticking out of the holes in his socks. He was also several days away from a shave. A scrubby beard covered his face to the cheekbones, giving him an air of ruffianism that went oddly with his large weak frame and nervous movements.

Winston roused hirnself a little from his lethargy. He must speak to Ampleforth, and risk the yell from the telescreen. It was even conceivable that Ampleforth was the bearer of the razor blade.

“Ampleforth,”he said.

There was no yell from the telescreen. Ampleforth paused, mildly startled. His eyes focused themselves slowly on Winston.

“Ah, Smith!”he said.“You too!”

“What are you in for?”

“To tell you the truth — ”He sat down awkwardly on the bench opposite Winston.“There is only one offence, is there not?”he said.

“And have you committed it?”

“Apparently I have.”

He put a hand to his forehead and pressed his temples for a moment, as though trying to remember something.

“These things happen,”he began vaguely.“I have been able to recall one instance — a possible instance. It was an indiscretion, undoubtedly. We were producing a definitive edition of the poems of Kipling. I allowed the word‘God’to remain at the end of a line. I could not help it!”he added almost indignantly, raising his face to look at Winston.“It was impossible to change the line. The rhyme was‘rod’. Do you realize that there are only twelve rhymes to‘rod’in the entire language? For days I had racked my brains. There was no other rhyme.”

The expression on his face changed. The annoyance passed out of it and for a moment he looked almost pleased. A sort of intellectual warmth, the joy of the pedant who has found out some useless fact, shone through the dirt and scrubby hair.

“Has it ever occurred to you,”he said,“that the whole history of English poetry has been determined by the fact that the English language lacks rhymes?”

No, that particular thought had never occurred to Winston. Nor, in the circumstances, did it strike him as very important or interesting.

“Do you know what time of day it is?”he said.

Ampleforth looked startled again.“I had hardly thought about it. They arrested me — it could be two days ago — perhaps three.”His eyes flitted round the walls, as though he half expected to find a window somewhere.“There is no difference between night and day in this place. I do not see how one can calculate the time.”

They talked desultorily for some minutes, then, without apparent reason, a yell from the telescreen bade them be silent. Winston sat quietly, his hands crossed. Ampleforth, too large to sit in comfort on the narrow bench, fidgeted from side to side, clasping his lank hands first round one knee, then round the other. The telescreen barked at him to keep still. Time passed. Twenty minutes, an hour — it was difficult to judge. Once more there was a sound of boots outside. Winston’s entrails contracted. Soon, very soon, perhaps in five minutes, perhaps now, the tramp of boots would mean that his own turn had come.

The door opened. The cold-faced young officer stepped into the cell. With a brief movement of the hand he indicated Ampleforth.

“Room 101,”he said.

Ampleforth marched clumsily out between the guards, his face vaguely perturbed, but uncomprehending.

What seemed like a long time passed. The pain in Winston’s belly had revived. His mind sagged round and round on the same trick, like a ball falling again and again into the same series of slots. He had only six thoughts. The pain in his belly; a piece of bread; the blood and the screaming; O’Brien ; Julia; the razor blade. There was another spasm in his entrails, the heavy boots were approaching. As the door opened, the wave of air that it created brought in a powerful smell of cold sweat. Parsons walked into the cell. He was wearing khaki shorts and a sports-shirt.

This time Winston was startled into self-forgetfulness.

“You here!”he said.

Parsons gave Winston a glance in which there was neither interest nor surprise, but only misery. He began walking jerkily up and down, evidently unable to keep still. Each time he straightened his pudgy knees it was apparent that they were trembling. His eyes had a wide-open, staring look, as though he could not prevent himself from gazing at something in the middle distance.

“What are you in for?”said Winston.

同类推荐
  • 卿本佳人

    卿本佳人

    第一章路州市,20世纪最后一年的深秋季节,一个下着冷雨的夜。秋月离开教书先生的老屋,回到长安门……
  • 闷与狂

    闷与狂

    在故乡的泥土上用童话栽花。用时间复现一条嘈嘈切切的生命河流。在这里,时间是主宰。消解来龙去脉,隐去其人其事。将回忆品尝与消化,铺陈与重组,连接起一部沧桑的交响。恰如饮后放歌,以抒情,以佯狂,以浓度最高的文字燃烧起鲜艳的往事。生命的激情迸发之后,是全部人生的许诺与交付。
  • 十月围城前传

    十月围城前传

    在以时间和空间节点为坐标的引领下,改编者用带有压迫感的文字讲述了一个关于保镖和刺客的惊心动魄的故事。1906年,革命领袖孙中山冒险赴港,名为探望母亲,实则与革命代表见面。为保卫孙先生的安全,民间高手与清廷鹰犬、港英政府之间展开了一场殊死较量。清廷派出的暗杀队,远比想象得凶狠。
  • 花影集

    花影集

    《花影集》共四卷20个故事组成的小说集。系明朝陶辅编撰。是一部少有的弘扬正气,扬善惩恶,教人闻道的世情小说。
  • 紫色的影子

    紫色的影子

    挂在梵蒂冈博物馆里的达·芬奇、拉斐尔等古典大师们的旷世杰作是真迹吗?摄影记者亚历山大突然获知母亲去世,回到家,母亲的葬礼已经举行,守墓人告诉他,墓穴是空的。此后,他的生活乱了套,受到神秘电话的威胁、涉嫌一起谋杀案、被关进疯人院,同时他的情人尤利埃特卷入伪造名画的丑闻。两人坚持调查,追至罗马,在一块无名墓碑上找到解开谜底的答案,从而揭露出梵蒂冈高墙之后一个秘密组织的真面目……
热门推荐
  • 桔梗

    桔梗

    十年前,黎歌打开了颜左左的心里世界,颜左左一直把黎歌当作自己人生黎明的歌,可是十年后,藏在颜左左心中不能被世人接受的爱,也让黎歌变成了颜左左人生的最后离歌。在这个终究还是冰冷的世界里,逃离,不断的逃离,在一个城市到另一个城市,颜左左忍受着世界的非议,还有自己对自己的怀疑,她在这个并不温暖的世界里寻找着属于自己的青阳。如果有一天我走了,你会像马达那样找我吗?会啊会一直找吗?会会一直找到死吗?会我相信你,但是你不要找我了……你送的桔梗还在,只是随着书页有点泛黄,即是永恒的爱,也是无望的爱,或者是永恒无望的爱……
  • 妖神为妃

    妖神为妃

    她,出身不凡,被仙人养大,却是个无格的废物,原以为会这样一直无忧无虑到老,却一朝惊变,养父被抓,自己又遭莫名追杀,不得已躲躲藏藏,机缘巧合得妖王之血,莫名认养妖王为子,从此一路开挂,得法宝,收妖宠,惩恶仙,救养父,最终逆袭成一代妖神!(本文纯属虚构,请勿模仿。)
  • 万法春秋

    万法春秋

    太古洪荒,诸神黄昏,众神殇。上古大世,万妖作乱,群妖灭。黑暗年代,世界末日,强者陨。神秘时光,历史空白,无人提。而今,古族林立,百无禁忌的万兽之体,千古空寂的永生花皇,转世轮回的罗汉尊者。光暗双生中睁开的第三只眸子...万法争鸣的天地间谁能称尊?黑暗葬墓,极北雪域,永乐魔界,不死火冥界......一个个神秘荒芜之地,显现那不为人知的真相。大时代来临,一个夏族少年,带着奇门遁甲和古老阵法而来,佛魔双修,扭转阴阳,震动乾坤。
  • 明宫天下:爆萌宠妃来自现代

    明宫天下:爆萌宠妃来自现代

    她本来是个勤恳又上进的普通大学生,意外捡来的钻戒竟然让她穿越成了明朝特殊公务员——“锦衣卫”!传说中的狗血宫廷事件,原来全部是真的……紫禁城里的变态皇帝,蛇蝎贵妃,刁蛮公主,哦哦,还有貌似冷血却痴情的皇太子;政变,宫斗,情杀,阴谋,叛乱……明朝那些事儿你知道,但明朝那些绯闻……亲,你知道吗?--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 青梅太迷人:竹马的呆萌小娇妻

    青梅太迷人:竹马的呆萌小娇妻

    从他们刚出生开始就一起玩,在一次不小心,他们俩的初吻都被对方夺了,从此订了娃娃亲,他们的爱能持续吗?
  • 崆峒掌门

    崆峒掌门

    中国的“武侠”故事感动过一代又一代国人,本作发生在由苍之国、松之国、雪之国、炎之国、裂之国五国度鼎立的架空世界中!每个大国倚仗其武装力量——门派,雄霸一方!金系崆峒、木系昆仑、水系峨眉、火系少林、土系武当掌控五行,封印神兽,修炼护国。在这个时代,每个少年的梦想就是成为五大派的“武者”,维护正义,充实国力。而“武者”中最厉害的被称为——掌门!我们的故事就是从苍之国的一位天赋神技的崆峒派少年说起...热血的少年,淡淡的情愫,上古的神兽;家族的仇恨,羁绊的寻觅,团队的共舞;绚烂的武术,华丽的法术,强大的秘术!欢迎留步——《崆峒掌门》!
  • 玄葫

    玄葫

    天上地下,犹如一盘巨大棋局,或为棋子懵懵懂懂,苦苦挣扎,或为棋手胸藏万壑,翻云覆雨。云波诡谲之中,谁能断定个人的身份永远不变,一时的胜败可以维持到底。小小年纪,饱尝人间冷暖的张天,在本该最绝望的地方,反而找到希望,踏入修炼之途,走向巅峰。残缺的功法等待补全,神秘尸骸背后的秘闻等着揭开,不知不觉间,他早已被卷入了最为浩大的一场争斗之中。一个葫芦,一把妖刀,一位普通少年,一颗不断成熟的心,或能定天地!
  • 绝美王妃之相思忆

    绝美王妃之相思忆

    他是一代王爷只钟情于她一人,但何奈他的父皇视她如心头刺,他只好拼命保护于她。可是殊知雨露寺的一只竹签早已暗示他们的未来。。。。。。
  • 天界之归来

    天界之归来

    猪脚无端成为冤大头,顶替真凶押赴刑场。天界归来,无处落脚,被拉进丐帮,当了个什么太帮主。再次抓进看守所,要注射所谓高科技的死亡药水,老子穿墙溜走,注射你个球!。天界归来,能奈我何?誓追查真凶,然遇有阻力。人界遇阻,那就魂界诛杀!人界魂界,哪里好搞定就哪里搞定!
  • 十年痴恋生死无恋

    十年痴恋生死无恋

    16岁的她,找到了自己的父亲,开始了自己的校园生活,在这三年时光中,给他留下了难忘的回忆,但同时也让她的心变的伤痕累累,她开始变得冷漠,其实,连她自己也不知道,她自己为什么变成这番模样,她不为什么,只为护她周全,自己装聋作哑,也只为她,她愿为那般情殇的男子赌上自己的一切