O'Brien put a hand on his shoulder, almost kindly. 'No,
Winston. You did it yourself when you stopped obeying the
Party' He paused for a moment and then continued. 'We have
beaten you, Winston. We have broken you. You have seen your
body. Your mind is in the same state. There is nothing that we did
not make you do.'
Winston stopped crying. 'I have not betrayed Julia,' he said.
O'Brien looked down at h im thoughtfully. 'No,' he said. 'No,
that is true. You have not betrayed Julia.'
Winston thought again how intelligent O'Brien was.
Nothing, it seemed, could stop him admiring the man. O'Brien
had understood that Winston still loved Julia and that meant
more than betraying the details of their meetings.
'Tell me,' he said. 'How soon w i l l they shoot me?'
'It might be a long time,' said O'Brien. ' Y o u are a difficult case.
But don't give up hope. Everyone is cured sooner or later. In the
end we shall shoot you.'