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.