He told Julia The Story of
His Mother's disappearance.
Without opening her eyes
she rolled over and settled herself
into a more comfortable position.
'I expect you were a
beastly little swine
in those days,'
she said indistinctly.
'All children are swine.'
'Yes. But the real point
of The Story----'
Lord of the Flies 1963
'Have you done this before?'
'Of course. Hundreds of times -- well, scores of times, anyway.'
'With Party members?'
'Yes, always with Party members.'
'With members of the Inner Party?'
'Not with those swine, no. But there's plenty that WOULD if they got half a chance. They're not so holy as they make out.'
His heart leapt. Scores of times she had done it: he wished it had been hundreds -- thousands. Anything that hinted at corruption always filled him with a wild hope. Who knew, perhaps The Party was rotten under the surface, its cult of strenuousness and self-denial simply a sham concealing iniquity. If he could have infected the whole lot of them with leprosy or syphilis, how gladly he would have done so! Anything to rot, to weaken, to undermine! He pulled her down so that they were kneeling face to face.
'Listen. The more men you've had, the more I love you. Do you understand that?'
'Yes, perfectly.'
'I hate purity, I hate goodness! I don't want any virtue to exist anywhere. I want everyone to be corrupt to the bones.'
'Well then, I ought to suit you, dear. I'm corrupt to the bones.'
'You like doing this? I don't mean simply me : I mean the thing in itself?'
'I adore it.'
That was above all what he wanted to hear. Not merely the love of one person but the animal instinct, the simple undifferentiated desire : that was the force that would tear The Party to pieces. He pressed her down upon the grass, among the fallen bluebells. This time there was no difficulty. Presently the rising and falling of their breasts slowed to normal speed, and in a sort of pleasant helplessness they fell apart.
'It's coffee,' he murmured, 'real coffee.'
'It's Inner Party coffee. There's a whole kilo here,' she said.
'How did you manage to get hold of all these things?'
'It's all Inner Party stuff. There's nothing those swine don't have, nothing. But of course waiters and servants and people pinch things, and -- look, I got a little packet of tea as well.'
Winston had squatted down beside her. He tore open a corner of the packet.
'It's real tea. Not blackberry leaves.'
'There's been a lot of tea about lately.
They've captured India, or something,' she said vaguely.
And He said, "What hast Thou DONE?
The Voice of thy brother's blood crieth
unto Me from the ground.
And now art Thou cursed from the earth,
which hath opened her mouth to receive
thy brother's blood from thy hand;
When Thou tillest the ground, it shall not
henceforth yield unto thee her strength;
a fugitive and a vagabond shalt Thou be in the earth.
And Cain said unto the LORD,
"My Punishment is greater than I can bear.
Behold, Thou hast driven me out
this day from the face of the earth;
and from thy face shall I be hid; and
I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond
in the earth; and it shall come to pass,
that every one that findeth me shall slay me."
And the LORD said unto him,
"Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain,
vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold."
And the LORD set a mark upon Cain,
lest any finding him should kill him.
