Now stand at ease, the whole
squad, and watch me.'
A sudden hot sweat had broken out all over Winston's body. His face
remained completely inscrutable. Never show dismay! Never show resentment!
A single flicker of the eyes could give you away. He stood watching while
the instructress raised her arms above her head and -- one could not say
gracefully, but with remarkable neatness and efficiency -- bent over and
tucked the first joint of her fingers under her toes.
'There, comrades! That's how I want to see you doing it. Watch me
again. I'm thirty-nine and I've had four children. Now look.' She bent over
again. 'You see my knees aren't bent. You can all do it if you want to,'
she added as she straightened herself up. 'Anyone under forty-five is
perfectly capable of touching his toes. We don't all have the privilege of
fighting in the front line, but at least we can all keep fit. Remember our
boys on the Malabar front! And the sailors in the Floating Fortresses! Just
think what they have to put up with. Now try again. That's better, comrade,
that's much better,' she added encouragingly as Winston, with a violent
lunge, succeeded in touching his toes with knees unbent, for the first time
in several years.



IV

With the deep, unconscious sigh which not even the nearness of the
teles