Four days later he saw the girl with dark hair again. He waswalking to the toilets at the Ministry of Truth and she wascoming towards him. She had hurt her hand. She had probablyhurt it on one of the story- writing machines — it was a commonaccident in that department.
The girl was about four metres away when she fell forwards.As she fell, she hit her hand again and cried out in pain. Winstonstopped. The girl got to her knees. Her face had turned a milkyyellow colour, making her mouth look redder than ever. Shelooked at him and her face seemed to show more fear than pain.
Winston felt a strange mix of emotions. In front of him was anenemy who was trying to kill him: in front of him, also, was ahuman being, in pain and perhaps with a broken bone. Alreadyhe had started to help her. He felt that her pain was in somestrange way his own.
'You're hurt?' he said.
'It's nothing. My arm. It'll be all right in a second.'
He helped her up.
'It's nothing,' she repeated. 'Thanks, Comrade.'
She walked away quickly. Winston was standing in front of atelescreen, so he did not show any surprise on his face, although itwas difficult not to. As he had helped her up, she had putsomething in his hand.
It was a piece of paper. He opened it carefully in his hand inthe toilet, but did not try to read it. You could be certain thetelescreens would be watching in the toilets. Back in his office, heput the piece of paper down on his desk among the other papers.A few minutes later he pulled it towards him, with the next jobhe had to do. On it, in large letters, was written:
I love you.
For the rest of the morning it was very difficult to work. Atlunchtime in the canteen the fool Parsons, still smelling of sweat,did not stop talking to him about all the work he was doing forHate Week.
He saw the girl at the other end of the canteen, at a table withtwo other girls, but she did not look in his direction. In theafternoon he looked at the words I love you again and life seemedbetter. He believed her. He did not think she was in the ThoughtPolice, not now. He wanted to see her again. How? How couldhe arrange a meeting?
It was a week before he saw her again, in the canteen. He sat ather table and at that moment saw Ampleforth, the dreamy manwit h hairy ears who re-wrote poems. Ampleforth was walkingaround with his lunch, looking for a place to sit down. He wouldcertainly sit with Winston if he saw him. Winston had about aminute to arrange something with the girl. He started to eat thewatery soup they had been given for lunch.
'What time do you leave work?' he said to the girl.
'Eighteen-thirty'
'Where can we meet?'
'Victory Square, near the picture of Big Brother.'
'It's full of telescreens.'
'It doesn't matter if there's a crowd. But don't come near meuntil you see me among a lot of people. And don't look at me.Just follow me.'
'What time?'
'Nineteen hours.'
'All right.'
Ampleforth did not see Winston and sat down at anothertable. Winston and the girl did not speak again and they did notlook at each another. The girl finished her lunch quickly and left,while Winston stayed to smoke a cigarette.
He arrived at Victory Square early. Big Brother's picture lookedup at the skies where he had beaten the Eurasian aeroplanes (orEastasian aeroplanes — it had been a few years ago) in the GreatAir War.
